The race held as much as the sponsor’s name where it came down to drops of fuel and drops of rain for many of the drivers in today’s race. 

Edwards started mid field 15^th. Edwards moved into the top 10 within the first 50 laps. Edwards was able to remain in the top 10 for a majority of the race. But a possible turning point of the race came when rain showers came out during the race with 69 laps left. 

The fuel cells would only last 33 to 34 laps. The red flag came out with the brief rain storm that hit the track. Before the red flag came out, the yellow was out for a few laps where Edwards, Jimmy Johnson, who captured the pole, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and several others pitted. Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin (outside front row) and 20 others did not pit. 

This would place many of the drivers who did pit to wonder if they would be able to finish the race with one more pit stop. After the red flag, Kahne and the field who did not pit would stay on track until 55 to 50 to go. 

Edwards and the group on his sequence would have to make one more stop though, but not until 34 to go. 

This allowed Kahne and the group on his cycle to run back in front, but would be short on fuel, so they would need to stop one more time. 

Once Kahne, Martin and the others pitted with less than 20 to go, allowed Edwards into the lead once again. Edwards would find himself in the front several times during the event. Edwards and many teams gambled that they would make the end of the race.  

At the end of the race, Edwards was close to being out of gas, but hang on long enough to run the last lap to take his 4^th win of the season. Johnson would come home 3^rd, out of gas coasting across the start finish line. Tony Stewart finished 2^nd. 

We would see Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and 8 or 9 more drivers run out of fuel on the last lap. 

The hard charger of the race would be Jamie McMurray, who started 41^st to finish 9^th. McMurray would have a quiet day and most of the race was not notable. McMurray however, would lead two laps of the race. 

The hard luck award would go to David Gilliland who started 3^rd to go home in 34^th. He would be one of the unfortunate drivers to run our of fuel in the closing laps of the race. 

PRE RACE CHATTER 

That, in turn, could boost Johnson's quest for a third consecutive series title. 

Now with two victories in 2008, Johnson is fourth in the series standings and in a three-way tie in the Chase bonus points battle. And if last year's numbers repeat, he'll improve both those statistics.  

In the 2007 Race to the Chase - the 10-race stretch preceding the Chase - Johnson won two events and posted an average finish of 12.5.  

Drivers get 10 bonus points for each win in the first 26 races, and Chase seeding is done according to bonus-point totals. Which means a total of 60 bonus points remain until the '08 Chase - or six events, beginning this weekend in Pocono.   

Standings leader Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's Toyota) holds the top spot with seven wins - 70 bonus points - but in Johnson's last two races, he finished as runner-up to Busch at Chicagoland Speedway before winning at Indy. 

He's also won at three of the remaining six tracks in the Race to the Chase and swept Pocono in 2004. 

So, fitting that his 100th series start comes in Sunday's Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 At Pocono. 

"I've had the benefit of great equipment, having the same crew chief and crew for three years and having FedEx as a sponsor from the beginning," Hamlin said. "As a young driver coming into the series, I know I have been really fortunate to have that consistency all around me." 

Certainly Pocono's 2.5-mile triangular layout has rewarded Hamlin over the past two seasons. 

In five starts there, he has two poles, two wins, five top-10 finishes and an overall average finish of 2.8.  

Perhaps even more significant: Hamlin's Pocono prowess jump-started what's been a successful career to date: He has 51 top-10 finishes in his first 99 starts and was a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contender in '06 and '07. 

Back to Pocono, where Hamlin dominates NASCAR's pre-race Loop Data statistics for the track. He leads four categories - Driver Rating (130.4), Average Running Position (5.6). Average Green Flag Speed (160.024 mph) and Laps in the Top 15 (839).

He's second in Fastest Laps Run (193) and fifth-best in Quality Passes (192). 

TO WIN – IT’S BEST TO QUALIFY 

Jimmie Johnson won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 with a lap of 53.503 seconds, 168.215 mph. This is his 16th pole in 240 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. This is his third pole and 16th top-10 start in 2008. This is his second pole in 14 races at Pocono Raceway. 

Mark Martin (second) posted his ninth top-10 start of 2008 and his 30th in 44 races at Pocono Raceway. 

David Gilliland (third) posted his first top-10 start at Pocono Raceway.  It is his first in 21 races this season. 

Sam Hornish Jr. (26th) was the fastest qualifying rookie. 

NOW – LET’S GET TRICKY 

Scott Riggs will go to the back of the field for an engine change. Well, it won’t be too far as he was to start 42^nd. We will also have a competition caution (Only one this time compared to last weeks every 10 lap caution) on lap 20, as practice was washed out. 

Three turns, everyone different, it’s much cooler this time, compared to the last race, several weeks ago. The drivers should be able to handle the heat much better. 

Johnson and Martin lead the 43 drivers out of turn 4 ---errr, 3 to the… 

GREEN FLAG as Martin has a good start and will lead the field into turn one. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 1 as Harvick spins out in the tunnel turn, turn 2. Joe Nemechek is too hot into turn 2 under Kevin Harvick, taps Harvick and both are sideways in the turn. Harvick spins around on the track, Nemechek through the grass and neither have any contact by other drivers. 

GREEN FLAG lap 4 as Martin who has lead 4 laps so far brings the field back up to speed. Lap 5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. started 12^th is up to 7^th. Kurt Busch started 10^th is up to 4^th. 

Lap 6 Denny Hamlin has moved up to 9^th from his start of 14^th. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 6 into 7 as Kurt Busch looses control of his car out of turn three and spins to the left and then to the right. Busch is able to get around and drive into pit road. Juan Pablo Montoya was down a lap from the last yellow and is the lucky dog this time.  

GREEN FLAG lap 11 as Martin and Johnson lead the field racing past the start finish line. Hendrick power is in the top five, Johnson in 2^nd, Jeff Gordon 3^rd and Earnhardt Jr. 5^th. Lap 12 David Gilliland has moved back into his starting position of 3^rd, after falling back a few positions. 

Lap 13 Jeff Gordon slips back to 6^th. A few drivers on the move, Tony Stewart from his start of 20^th up to 12^th, Sam Hornish Jr. from 26^th up to 17^th, Kyle Busch from 27^th to 19^th and Jeff Burton from 39^th up to 23^rd. 

Lap 15 Scott Riggs has been a big mover from starting 43^rd, currently runs 28^th. Lap 17 Michael Waltrip is way off pace, falling back to 43^rd, 25 seconds off pace. 6 seconds behind 42^nd place Nemechek. 

Lap 18 NASCAR closes pit road to prepare for the competition caution on lap 20. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 20 for the competition caution. Everyone is in, except Clint Bowyer, Michael McDowell and Waltrip. The race out of pit road is Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle. Martin has a slow stop, falling back to 6^th. 

GREEN FLAG lap 24 as Johnson and Kenseth get the show going again. Three wide in turn one between Robby Gordon, David Ragan and Brian Vickers as they fight for 15^th. 

Lap 25 your top ten drivers are Johnson, Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Martin, Kyle Busch, Biffle, Gilliland, Hamlin, Ryan Newman and Earnhardt Jr. Lap 27 Martin takes the high line through turn 3 to move into 2^nd, passing Kenseth. Lap 28 Kyle Busch is way out of shape heading into turn 1, will drop back to 8^th place. 

Lap 29 Earnhardt Jr. takes over 8^th place from Busch. Kasey Kahne follows Jr. to take 9^th, which will place Busch to 10^th. Lap 30 martin closes in on Johnson. Lap 31 Elliott Sadler has moved up from his start of 29^th to 18^th, Casey Mears runs 20^th from his start of 33^rd. 

Lap 32 Brian Vickers slipped back to 17^th from his start of 8^th along with Kurt Busch to 22^nd from 10^th and Bobby Labonte 28^th from his start of 11^th. Lap 34 Martin hangs onto Johnson, but cannot make the pass. They leave the field behind by 3.1 seconds. 

Lap 35 Martin takes the lead out of turn 1. Waltrip’s day is done as the engine has expired. Lap 37 Martin leads Johnson by 1.5 seconds and the field by 3.7 seconds. Lap 38 Hamlin has moved up to 4^th. 

Lap 39 Earnhardt Jr. takes over 7^th from Biffle. Lap 40 Stewart and Martin Truex Jr. battle for 13^th. Lap 43 Martin has increased his lead over Johnson to 2.8 seconds. Kyle Busch is looking to take 11^th from Ragan. 

Lap 46 as Martin enters turn three, the last place driver of McDowell enters turn one. Most of the field is spread out at the moment. Lap 47 battle for 22^nd as Travis Kvapil challenges Kurt Busch. Lap 48 Bill Elliott and J.J. Yeley contend for 33^rd. 

Lap 50 your top 20 drivers are – Martin, Gilliland, Johnson, Hamlin, Kenseth, Earnhardt Jr., Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Biffle, Kahne, Ragan, Kyle Busch, Truex Jr., Vickers, Stewart, Sadler, Newman, Sam Hornish Jr., David Reutimann and Montoya. 

Lap 51 trouble for Kyle Busch who pits early and his car is sliding into his pit stall sideways. Lap 52 Gilliland and Johnson, Kahne, Robby Gordon, Jeff Gordon, Stewart, Bowyer are in for green flag pit stops. Lap 53 Martin is in for his stop. Edwards will lead a lap as Earnhardt is in for his stop. 

Pit road is full of cars on pit road. Lap 54 Nemechek picks up a penalty as the team cannot control a tire as it gets away from them. Martin is back in the lead, 5.5 seconds behind him.  

Lap 58 as pit stops are completed, Martin leads Gilliland by 5.5 seconds back to 5^th place Jeff Gordon by 10.3 seconds and 10^th place Kyle Busch by 17.8 seconds. Lap 61 Biffle battles Kyle Busch for 10^th place. 

Lap 62 movers of the race are Burton from 39^th to 22^nd, Reutimann from 28^th to 19^th, Sadler from 29^th to 13^th, Kyle Busch from 27^th to 10^th, Hamlin from 14^th to 4^th.  

YELLOW FLAG lap 65 for debris in turn 2. McDowell is the lucky dog. The leaders head to pit road. Edwards is the winner out of pit road followed by Kenseth, Kahne, Earnhardt Jr., Biffle and Sadler. Martin falls back to 12^th as his team had issues with the right front tire. 

GREEN FLAG lap 70 as Edwards leads the field back to racing for the first time. Three wide out of turn 1 between Martin, Hamlin and Gilliland. Lap 71 Johnson on the inside of Newman and Hamlin for 7^th. 

On the front stretch Newman, Martin, Johnson and Hamlin are four wide. Lap 73 Kahne has moved up to 2^nd, Earnhardt 3^rd. Hamlin moves past Johnson for 8^th. Lap 74 Kyle Busch on the inside of Newman for 12^th. 

Lap 75 your top 10 drivers are Edwards, Kahne, Earnhardt Jr., Kenseth, Biffle, Ragan, Martin, Hamlin, Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Lap 77 Martin is looking to take over 6^th from Ragan and does in turn 1. 

Drivers who are currently a lap down are Regan Smith, Chad McCumbee and Robby Gordon down one lap. Waltrip is the only one done for the day. Lap 79 Edwards is almost 1 second in front of Kahne and 3.6 seconds in front of Earnhardt Jr. Lap 80 Martin closes in on Biffle for 5^th. 

Lap 83 at the last pit stop, Stewart had fallen way back in the field, he has moved back up to 14^th place. Lap 85 some of the shakers of the race are Gilliland from 3^rd to 11^th, Newman from 6^th to 15^th, Bobby Labonte from 11^th to 23^rd, Kurt Busch from 10^th to 26^th, Kvapil from 19^th to 31^st and Tony Raines from 18^th to 38^th. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 87 for debris in turn 3. Smith is the lucky dog. The field heads to pit road. The race back to the track is won by Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Stewart with a big jump in positions, Truex Jr. and Kenseth. Martin back to 17^th. 

GREEN FLAG lap 92 as Johnson and Jeff Gordon lead us to racing. The race through turns one and two. By turn three Stewart tries for the inside to overtake the two leaders, but cannot get by them. Lap 93 Earnhardt Jr. takes over 6^th from Truex Jr. and Hamlin takes over 7^th.  

Lap 94 Kahne works past Truex for 8^th, looking to take 7^th from Hamlin. Lap 95 Edwards powers by Stewart for 3^rd. Earnhardt takes advantage of the move to head into 4^th followed by Kenseth to take 5^th. Stewart runs 6^th. 

Lap 96 we hear talk of possible rain coming, but the sun is bright at the moment. 

Lap 100 (Halfway) your top 20 drivers are – Johnson, Edwards, Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kenseth, Kahne, Stewart, Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Biffle, Truex Jr., Gilliland, Martin, Ragan, Newman, Harvick, Riggs, Burton, Vickers and Kurt Busch. The race has lasted for 2 hours so far as we have seen 9 lead changes among 5 leaders and 5 cautions for 17 laps. 

Lap 104 we start to see clouds form up. Lap 105 Johnson leads Edwards by ¾’s of a second and 3^rd place Earnhardt Jr. by 3 seconds. Lap 106 three wide between Hornish, Bowyer and Montoya as they run for 23^rd. 

Lap 108 Edwards is a car length behind Johnson. Lap 109 Martin battles Truex Jr. for 12^th. Lap 110 Edwards takes the lead once again. We still keep hearing talk of rain moving in, but sun still covers the track in turns 1 and 2. Turn 3 is getting dark. We hear about 15 minutes to the rain. 

Lap 112 pit stops begin as A.J. Allmendinger is in. We will see what happens who will stay out, who will come in. Lap 114 Kahne challenges Jeff Gordon for 4^th place. The clouds are moving in fast now. The track has lost the sun. We see a few rain showers in the distance.

Lap 116 Edwards leads Johnson by 2.6 seconds and 3^rd place Earnhardt Jr. by 4 seconds. Lap 118 into 119 the leaders start to head to pit road as Johnson, Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Martin and many others head to pit road. Earnhardt picks up 5 points for leading. Lap 120 Earnhardt is in for his stop, along with Hamlin, Kenseth and several others. 

Lap 121 after the majority of the stops are complete, Edwards is back in front of Johnson and Earnhardt Jr. Lap 125 your top 10 drivers are – Edwards, Johnson, Earnhardt Jr., Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Kenseth, Hamlin, Stewart, Gilliland and Biffle. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 126 as the sun shines at the start finish line, it sprinkles in turn 2. McCumbee is the lucky dog. We see the half the field come in for stops and the rest stay out. Kahne is the leader. Most our gas and go’s. Earnhardt Jr. is the first out followed by Edwards, Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Stewart are back to the track first. They would come back out 21^st on back as the rest stay out. 

Lap 131 the rain comes out harder and NASCAR brings the field to pit road. We hear this rain should not last long and we will go back to racing. 

RED FLAG a few minutes before 5pm Eastern. We have the drivers back to their cars after 40 minutes for the red flag. 

YELLOW FLAG Status as the engines fire back to life.  

GREEN FLAG lap 134 as Kahne and Kenseth bring the race back to life. Lap 135 the field is very busy as the drivers who pitted are on a hard charge to the front. Earnhardt Jr. has moved into 14^th, Johnson 15^th. We see that Newman bounces off of the outside turn 3 wall. 

Lap 136 Martin has moved back into 3^rd. Lap 137 Reutimann and Vickers battle for 8^th.

YELLOW FLAG lap 138 as Paul Menard and Nemechek tangle in turn 2. Robby Gordon is the lucky dog. Nemechek slid into Menard after Menard broke free on the entry to turn 2. Nemechek drives back to the garage, Menard needs a tow. No takers for pit road. Earnhardt has moved up to 12^th, Johnson 14^th, Edwards 15^th. 

A light rain is hitting turn three again. The pace car takes the field around a few times to see if the rain is going stop. 

GREEN FLAG lap 145 as Kahne and Hamlin get the show underway once again. As we head into lap 146, Montoya blows up, but the race stays green. Kahne, Hamlin and Martin lead the field by 1.5 seconds. Earnhardt Jr. has moved up to 9^th, Johnson 10^th, Edwards 13^th. 

Lap 147 Johnson to the inside of Earnhardt Jr. as they fight for 9^th out of turn 3. They continue like that through turn 1. Out of turn one, Earnhardt Holds the position. Lap 149 Edwards moves into 11^th. 

Lap 150 (50 to go) your top 20 drivers are – Kahne, Hamlin, Martin, Biffle, Kurt Busch, Kenseth, Riggs, Vickers, Earnhardt Jr., Johnson, Edwards, Hornish, Reutimann, Stewart, Labonte, Dave Blaney, Yeley, Reed Sorenson, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon. 

Lap 153 Johnson makes it past Earnhardt Jr. for 9^th. Edwards completes the pass around Earnhardt as well to take 10^th. Lap 154 Kahne leads by 2.7 seconds. The drivers who did not pit before the red flag, make stops now. Kahne, Martin and Hamlin are in. Biffle is the new leader. 

Lap 156 Stewart moves up to 9^th. Lap 157 Biffle is in to pit. Kurt Busch is the leader. Lap 159 Blaney is in to pit. We still have about 4 drivers left to pit. Lap 160 Hornish Jr. is in for his stop. Stewart passes Earnhardt to take 7^th place. Lap 161 Riggs is in for his stop. 

We hear that Kurt Busch is out of gas and will coast to pit road. He will loose big time positions. Lap 162 Reutimann is in as well as Kurt Busch coasts to his pit stall. Lap 163 Kenseth is in. This rotates the field back to the original order. 

Lap 164 Edwards is the leader as Sorenson runs out of fuel. Stewart is 2^nd, Johnson 3^rd, Earnhardt 4^th and Kyle Busch 5^th. Edwards leads by 2 seconds. Lap 165 Kyle Busch is in for his stop. Lap 166 Edwards heads into pit road, along with the rest of the leaders, Gilliland is out of fuel, coasting to pit road. Lap 166 Johnson is in for his stop. We saw many drivers making stops. 

Burton is nailed for a team error, loosing a tire in his pit stall. He will make a drive through. Lap 168 Ragan is in for a stop. McMurray is the leader. Lap 170 the top five is now McMurray, Elliott, Kvapil, Kahne and Martin. We see a group of six drivers pit. This moves Elliott into the lead. 

30 to go as Kahne is the leader once again followed by Martin, 1 second behind, Biffle 5.7 seconds behind, Kenseth 9.5 seconds behind and Hamlin 11.6 seconds behind. Lap 174 Hamlin is in for a stop. Not sure if this was scheduled or not. 

25 to go your top ten drivers are Kahne, Martin, Biffle, Kenseth, Edwards, Stewart, Riggs, Johnson, Earnhardt Jr. and Vickers. 

Lap 177 Johnson moves in to take 7^th from Riggs. Lap 178 Earnhardt Jr. works on Johnson for 7^th, as Biffle pits. Riggs is running 6^th.  

20 to go Kahne is 2.1 seconds in front of Martin and 9.5 seconds in front of Edwards. Hornish is in to pit. Johnson passes Riggs for 6^th. Earnhardt looking to take 7^th from Riggs. He takes the position with 17 to go. 

16 to go Kenseth is in for fuel. 15 to go Kahne is in for right side tires and fuel. Martin is in the lead, Edwards 2^nd, Johnson 3^rd, Earnhardt Jr. 4^th and Kyle Busch 5^th. 

13 to go Martin is in. He will get two right side tires and fuel. Edwards is back in front, Johnson 2^nd, Earnhardt 3^rd, Kyle Busch 4^th and Riggs 5^th. 

10 to go as Edwards crosses the line. He runs 6 seconds in front of Stewart, 8.7 seconds in front of Johnson, 12.5 seconds in front of Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch behind by 14 seconds. 

9 to go Martin is back up to 17^th, looking to take 16^th from Kenseth. 

8 to go Bowyer has quietly moved up to 8^th, Riggs 9^th and Jeff Gordon 10^th. 

7 to go Kyle Busch passes Earnhardt Jr. for 4^th place. 

6 to go We hear the team to save some fuel in case of a green-white-checkered. 

5 to go the field is spread out Edwards over Stewart by 6.4 seconds. 

4 to go Edwards lead is 5.7 seconds. 

3 to go Edwards by 5 seconds. 

2 to go Edwards has no threat. Kyle Busch into pit road, Earnhardt back to 4^th. Riggs falls to 10^th after Jeff Gordon and Kahne pass him. Busch picks up a penalty. 

WHITE FLAG for Edwards ahead of Stewart by 4.5 seconds. Out of turn 3… 

CHECKERED FLAG for Edwards who picks up his 4^th win for the season. Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Earnhardt Jr. all run out of gas.  

Your top ten finishers are Edwards, Stewart, Johnson, Harvick, Ragan, Bowyer, Kahne, Martin, McMurray and Jeff Gordon. We see about 10 more drivers run out of fuel. Kenseth finished 11^th and Earnhardt Jr. 12^th. 

We saw a race that lasted for 4 and a half hours. We saw 25 lead changes among 13 leaders and 7 cautions for 31 laps with one red flag for 40 minutes. 

Mark Martin led the most laps with 55, Edwards 53, Kahne 41, Johnson 34, Kurt Busch 5, Kenseth 3, Biffle and McMurray 2, Earnhardt Jr., Elliott, Ragan and Waltrip 1.