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H.S. football: Top area seniors close things out at Friday’s UNICO Game

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RailRiders bested in 11th inning by last-place Louisville

<p>LONG POND &#8211; Last Sunday, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points leader Kyle Busch made the hard left turn into victory lane to celebrate his Coca-Cola 600 win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.</p><p>Busch&#8217;s fast No. 18 Toyota started on the pole and led all but 23 laps in NASCAR&#8217;s longest race. He also swept all four stages of the event en route to his first Cup points-paying win at the 1.5-mile track.</p><p>The 2015 Cup champ finally crossed Charlotte off his list, becoming the only active driver to win at every track on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just something cool tonight to be able to accomplish something that I&#8217;ve been dreaming about since I was a kid,&#8221; Busch said Sunday night after the race. &#8220; I remember being 8, 9, 10 years old and wanting to win races at Charlotte, wanting to win the Coke 600, wanting to win the All-Star Race and just remembering watching those races under the lights here and dreaming of one day going to Victory Lane, and now finally it&#8217;s here.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s taken so long, but it feels so good in the same breath. Just going to cherish the next 100 days and we&#8217;ll be back here at Charlotte again trying to go for another win at a different venue.&#8221;</p><p>When the Cup Series returns to Charlotte in the fall, they will run at the facility&#8217;s 2.28-mile &#8216;Roval&#8217; (road course + oval) in the third race of NASCAR&#8217;s 10-race playoffs.</p><p>FOX commentator Darrell Waltrip used the term &#8216;Roval&#8217; in the past, especially when describing the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway in Long Pond.</p><p>Pocono drives like a road course with its three distinct turns. Drivers shift on the long, 3,740-foot front straightaway, barreling their cars at more than 200 mph into Turn 1 before setting themselves up for the Long Pond straightaway and into the tricky Turn 2.</p><p>Otherwise known as the Tunnel Turn, Turn 2 has had some nasty wrecks in the track&#8217;s 47-year history, most notably when NASCAR legend Bobby Allison endured a head-on collision with Jocko Maggiacomo nearly 30 years ago to this weekend. The crash ended Allison&#8217;s driving career, but the 84-time series winner continues to be involved in the sport now as a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.</p><p>Turn 3 is shaped like the Milwaukee Mile &#8212; a long, sweeping corner before completing a lap at the Tricky Triangle. Kyle Larson holds the Cup track qualifying record at 49.063 seconds (183.438 mph) set in August 2014.</p><p>Larson has yet to score a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series victory at Pocono, but did win a stage in last June&#8217;s event while finishing seventh in the 400-mile race.</p><p>In addition to the Cup Series running at Pocono Raceway, the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series will also race at the 2.5-mile track this weekend.</p><p>On-track activity for the Pocono 400 kicks off this morning with ARCA practice at 10 a.m.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Busch </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_Kyle-Busch.jpg</photo0><caption0>Busch </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_Busch-car.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kyle Busch celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 last Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_Busch-car.jpg</photo1><caption1>Kyle Busch celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 last Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. </caption1><photoCredit1>Chuck Burton | AP Photo </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_Pocono-400-logo-copy.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_Pocono-400-logo-copy.jpg</photo2><caption2></caption2><photoCredit2>Chuck Burton | AP Photo </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Kyle Magda</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>POCONO RACEWAY SCHEDULE</strong></p><p><strong>Friday</strong></p><p>10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.: ARCA 200 practice</p><p>11:35 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Series practice, FS2</p><p>1:05-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, FS2</p><p>2 p.m.-2:55 p.m.: ARCA 200 pole qualifying</p><p>3:05-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, FS2</p><p>4:15 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Series pole qualifying, FS2</p><p>5:45 p.m.: ARCA 200, FS2</p><p><strong>Saturday</strong></p><p>9:05 a.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, FS1</p><p>11 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Series final practice, FS1</p><p>1 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series &#8212; Pocono Green 250 (100 laps, 250 miles), FS1</p><p><strong>Sunday</strong></p><p>2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Series &#8212; Pocono 400 (160 laps, 400 miles), FS1</p></factboxMeta></div>

Kyle Busch rolls into Pocono as points leader