Kurt Busch has taken command of the 5-Hour Energy 500 at Pocono, putting his pole-winning No. 22 Dodge out front as the race reaches its final quarter. Jeff Gordon runs second, followed by Denny Hamlin, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Jimmie Johnson.
Hamlin dominated the opening half of the race, leading 76 laps. Montoya took command subseuqently, but a questionable call to change only two tires on a pit stop cost him track position. Busch took over the race lead and has been mostly uncontested since.
Mechanical woes, specificially having to do with the transmisisons, have begun to creep up. Jamie McMurray had to replace his transmission in the garage and is currently 11 laps down. Marcos Ambrose lost his clutch and coasted into the garage area, where his car remains. Most recently, Tony Stewart, who had driven into the top-five, lost third gear. Stewart currently runs in the 11th position but is consistently slower than the drivers who are still able to shift gears on their laps.