2008 Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500

The 2008 Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500,[2] the twenty-first race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and was held on August 3 of that year at Pocono Raceway in the village of Long Pond, Pennsylvania. ESPN carried the race beginning at 1 PM US EDT and MRN along with Sirius Satellite Radio had radio coverage of the 500 miles (800 km) race starting at 1:15 PM US EDT. The race was sponsored by Sunoco through its official NASCAR gasoline sponsorship and will benefit the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania chapter (covering Philadelphia and the surrounding five-county region), and marked the first time since 1996 that a race at the 2.5 miles (4.0 km) track has had a corporate sponsor.

2008 Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500

Race details
Race 21 of 36 in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season
Pocono Raceway, the race track where the race was held.
Date	August 3, 2008
Official name	Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
Location	Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.023 km)
Distance	200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Weather	Temperatures reaching up to 80.1 °F (26.7 °C); average wind speeds of 17.1 miles per hour (27.5 km/h) with 0.23 inches (0.58 cm) of rain within 24 hours of the race[1]
Average speed	130.567 miles per hour (210.127 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Jimmie Johnson	Hendrick Motorsports
Time	53.503
Most laps led
Driver	Mark Martin	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Laps	55
Winner
No. 99	Carl Edwards	Roush Fenway Racing
Television in the United States
Network	ESPN
Announcers	Jerry Punch, Andy Petree and Dale Jarrett

Pre-Race News

• Terry Labonte will pinch hit this week for Patrick Carpentier in the #10 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge while Chad McCumbee will drive the #45 Petty Enterprises ride. Carpentier is running in the NAPA Auto Parts 200 on Saturday (8/2) in Montreal, Quebec.

Qualifying

Jimmie Johnson took the pole position with Mark Martin and David Gilliland in the second and third positions, and Jeff Gordon starting fourth.

Race Recap

After "Happy Hour" was washed out on Saturday due to rain, a mandatory caution would be flying at Lap 20, however two accidents predated them. A rain delay held up the race with 69 laps left, and Carl Edwards would win his fourth race of the season.

Failed to Qualify: Chad Chaffin (#34).

References

1. "2008 Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Archived from the original on 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
2. Pocono race renamed Sunoco Presents The American Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 Presented By Cheez-Its