Ponoco: Pit Crew Challenge winner

Jeff Gordon's Team Takes Pit Crew Challenge Win in Pocono
No. 24 Crew Scores Third Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge Victory

Jeff Gordon's No. 24 team scored its third Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge win of the season in Sunday's rain-shortened Nextel Cup event at Pocono Raceway.

The DuPont crew, which spent 117.435 seconds on pit road, helped propel its driver to his fourth Nextel Cup win of the season.

"We had several changes to the crew for this weekend only, and I'm proud of how quickly they adjusted to the changes," said Matt Clark, pit crew coach for the No. 24 team. "But Steve (Letarte, crew chief) deserves the credit for making the gutsy call. He made the call to keep Jeff on the track during one round of caution-flag pit stops. When we were forced to pit under green flag conditions, the No. 24 DuPont crew didn't miss a beat and had one of their best stops of the day."

The No. 24 crew, which will be awarded $11,000 by Checkers/Rally's for winning the weekly competition, includes: Jeff Cook (jackman), Jamie Frady (front-tire carrier), Clay Robinson (front-tire changer), Jeff Knight (rear-tire carrier), Kevin Gilman (rear-tire changer), Caleb Hurd (gasman), Dave Carriere (catch can) and Andy Kruep (eighth-man). The crew chief is Steve Letarte.

The win moves Gordon's crew into a tie with Denny Hamlin's crew for second-place in the season-long Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge standings. Mark Martin's/Regan Smith's No. 01 crew leads with four wins. A $111,150 prize will be presented to the pit crew with the most wins at the completion of the 36-race Nextel Cup schedule.

To win the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge, teams are required to finish on the lead lap while spending the least amount of time on pit road. Checkers/Rally's is in its third season as title sponsor for the pit crew challenge.

2007 Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge Winners -- Nextel Cup Series

Daytona (2/18) Mark Martin Team
California (2/25) Mark Martin Team
Las Vegas (3/11) Mark Martin Team
Atlanta (3/18) Jimmie Johnson Team
Bristol (3/25) Denny Hamlin Team
Martinsville (4/1) Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team
Texas (4/15) Mark Martin Team
Phoenix (4/22) Denny Hamlin Team
Talladega (4/29) Kurt Busch Team
Richmond (5/6) Jeff Gordon Team
Darlington (5/13) Jeff Gordon Team
Charlotte (5/27) Denny Hamlin Team
Dover (6/4) Ryan Newman Team
Pocono (6/10) Jeff Gordon Team

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Busch Series Result -- Nashville Superspeedway

Scott Wimmer's No. 29 over-the-wall crew of earned its second Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge win of the season by spending the least amount of time (123.666 seconds) on pit road during Saturday evening's Busch Series event.

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Truck Series Result -- Texas Motor Speedway

The No. 5 team of Mike Skinner picked up its first win of the season in the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge. They team spent 144.486 seconds on the pit lane.

-credit: checkers