The Latest: Larson wins 1st stage of NASCAR race at Pocono

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 5:23 PM ET Jun. 02, 2019

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — The Latest on the NASCAR race at Pocono Raceway (all times local):

5 p.m.

Kyle Busch won at Pocono Raceway to move into a tie for ninth on the NASCAR Cup Series victory list.

Busch, who topped 200 career wins across all three national series earlier this season, won for the 55th time in Cup and matched Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace on the list.

Busch had the dominant car down the stretch and won for the fourth time this year and first time in nearly two months. Busch has spent most of the last few months complaining about NASCAR's current rules package designed to increase side-by-side racing and manufacture competition.

When he was back in the pack, Busch had no trouble passing the leaders at Pocono.

Busch took off on the final restart with nine laps left and cruised to the finish line for his 13th top-10 finish in 14 races this season. Busch and Martin Truex Jr. had been the class of the field this season but Truex was knocked out with an engine issue in the No. 19 Toyota. He had won three of the last five races. Kevin Harvick was nipping at a win until a botched pit stop and a cracked steering box took him out of contention.

Brad Keselowski was second and Erik Jones third.

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4:15 p.m.

Martin Truex Jr., the 2017 NASCAR champion, had his No. 19 Toyota forced to the garage in the closing laps of the second stage of the NASCAR race at Pocono Raceway because of engine trouble. Truex had won three of the last five Cup races. Truex failed to finish a race for the first time since the Daytona 500.

Kyle Larson won his second straight stage and has emerged as the favorite as he chases his first win of the season. Joey Logano was second and pole sitter William Byron third.

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3 p.m.

Kyle Larson has won the first stage of the NASCAR race at Pocono Raceway. It's his second stage win of the season and first since Atlanta in the second race of the season.

Pole sitter William Byron was second and Brad Keselowski was third.

Austin Dillon was knocked out of the race after contact with Paul Menard sent his car into the wall.

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2 p.m.

William Byron will lead the field to green for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday.

Bryon won his second straight pole in the No. 24 Chevrolet, following up his first-place start last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Byron opened the season with a pole in the Daytona 500 but has yet to win a Cup race in 49 career starts.

Kyle Busch joins Byron in the front row in the No. 18 Toyota. Clint Bowyer starts third, followed by Erik Jones and Brad Keselowski.

Martin Truex Jr. won last week's Coca-Cola 600 and he won this race at Pocono a year ago.

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