LONG POND, Pa. (AP) - Jeff Gordon took advantage of an accident sparked by teammate Jimmie Johnson and a touch of timely rain at Pocono Raceway to win his first race of the season.
Gordon earned his 86th career victory Sunday and thrust himself into wild-card contention in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Johnson inadvertently gave his Hendrick Motorsports teammate the help he needed. Johnson got loose off a restart and knocked Matt Kenseth into the wall. Kenseth slid down the track and took out Denny Hamlin. With an unexpected opening, Gordon zoomed to the lead in the No. 24 Chevrolet.
It couldn't have come at a better time. The skies opened and cars were ordered off the track. The race was called moments later with 98 of the 160 scheduled laps completed.
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