Thanks for following along here on VAVEL. The recap of the race will be up shortly. Join us next weekend for the LIVE of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season finale from Sonoma. This is Cathy Shumaker saying goodbye until next time.
Ryan Hunter-Reay wins his second race of the season; he also won at Iowa earlier this year. The race featured numerous yellow flag periods and 13 cars did not finish the race.
This has been an extremely eventful race. Justin Wilson was airlifted to a trauma center after a serious crash. There is still not word on his condition
CHECKERS: Ryan Hunter-Reay wins at Pocono Raceway. Honda wins again.
Final Lap: Ryan Hunter-Reay will win his second race of the season, under caution at the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway,
Lap 198: Race Control confirms that the race will end under Yellow.
Lap 197: YELLOW FLAG, Chaves is in the pits with engine issues. He is out of the car after leading the first laps of his career.
Lap 196: Four laps to go, Hunter-Reay, Newgarden, Montoya.
Lap 195: Ryan Hunter-Reay takes over the lead.
Lap 194: The restart is under review. Honda is 1-2-3.
Lap 194: GREEN FLAG Chaves leads.
Lap 193: Restart next time by.
Lap 191: Justin Wilson has been airlifted to Lehigh Valley Health Center Cedar Crest in Allentown, PA. There is no information on his condition.
Lap 188: The field continues behind the pace car under the yellow flag. Chaves leads Sato, Montoya, Hunter-Reay, Power, Newgarden, Munoz, Briscoe, Pagenaud, Dixon.
Lap 187: Track clean-up continues after the Turn 1 incident involving Karam and Wilson.
Lap 186: Justin Wilson is being airlifted out of Pocono Raceway after the Turn 1 accident.
Lap 185: Karam's car is on the hook and on the way back to the garage.
Lap 183: It appears from the replays that a portion of Karam's nose cone may have been thrown up into the air and into Justin Wilson's car. The on-track rescue work continues in Turn 1.
Lap 181: There are multiple safety vehicles on track for the incident with Karam and Wilson.
Lap 180: The Homaltro Safety Team is with Justin Wilson. Karam is out of his car. He is sitting on the side pod of the car and walks unaided to the ambulance.
Lap 179: YELLOW FLAG Sage Karam and Justin Wilson crash in Turn 1.
Lap 178: Munoz is subject to post race review for running over an air hose.
Lap 176: There have been 29 lead changes in the race. Montoya topped off for fuel under a recent yellow so he does not need to save fuel as some others do.
Lap 176: Karam leads Chaves and Sato. Montoya gets around Hunter-Reay for fourth.
Lap 175: Some drivers are being told to save fuel. New leader Karam.
Lap 174: Sato takes the lead at the line.
Lap 173: GREEN FLAG Newgarden takes the lead briefly.
Lap 172: Karam has been officially warned for lagging back on the previous restart.
Lap 171: Hunter-Reay leads Sato, Newgarden, Karam, Chaves, Wilson, Montoya, Briscoe, Power, Pagenaud.
Lap 170: Wilson pits, Hunter-Reay is the new leader.
Lap 170: Track clean-up continues for the latest incident with Castroneves. His car is on the hook and being taken to the garage.
Lap 169: Several cars pit under the latest yellow flag. Wilson leads the race, followed by Hunter-Reay, Sato, Newgarden, Karam, Chaves, Kimball, Montoya, Briscoe, Power.
Lap 168: Briscoe pits, Justin Wilson leads and is the 11th different leader today.
Lap 167: The restart was eight cars wide, Castroneves gets up into the grey and hits the wall.
Lap 167: YELLOW FLAG, Castroneves hits the wall in Turn 1.
Lap 167: GREEN FLAG, Ryan Briscoe leads. The cars go at least six wide.
Lap 166: Green next time by.
Lap 164: Pits are open. The leaders are pitting, this may not be the last stop. It may be three or four laps to too early.
Lap 163: YELLOW FLAG for a fox on the track. Is it the Pocono mascot Tricky? The fox crosses the track and is not injured.
Lap 162: Karam gets around Pagenaud for second, Newgarden moves ahead into third.
Lap 160: Hunter-Reay leads Pagenaud and Karam.
Lap 159: Ed Carpenter is out of the race due to mechanical problems.
Lap 158: Castroneves gets around Montoya for sixth place.
Lap 157: Everyone will need to make one more pit stop, expect them to start around Lap 160.
Lap 155: Hunter-Reay continues to lead Pagenaud, Karam, Newgarden, Munoz, Montoya, Chaves, Castroneves, Dixon, Briscoe.
Lap 152: Montoya is up to seventh place, ahead of Scott Dixon who is having handling problems.
Lap 151: Hunter-Reay takes the lead of the race, Pagenaud is second.
Lap 151: Hunter-Reay tries to get around Sage Karam.
Lap 150: Pagenaud leads, Karam, Hunter-Reay, Chaves, Munoz.
Lap 149: GREEN FLAG there have been nine leaders and 23 lead changes.
Lap 148: Power pits to top off his fuel, Kimball also pits.
Lap 148: Green next time by, Pagenaud leads Karam, Chaves, Munoz, Newgarden, Castroneves, Hunter-Reay, Montoya, Dixon, Power.
Lap 146: Marco Andretti has been cleared and released from the Care Center. He thinks something broke in the car. He is uninjured but says he will be sore tomorrow due to a hard hit on the outside of his left leg and knee.
Lap 145: This race has been very different from last year's race at Pocono, which went more than 140 laps before a yellow flag. There have been eight yellow flag periods in the race so far today.
Lap 144: Wilson has been assessed a penalty for a pit speed violation, he will start from the rear of the field.
Lap 143: Under the yellow, Pagenaud leads Karam, Chaves, Munoz, Newgarden, Castroneves, Hunter-Reay, Montoya, Dixon, Power.
Lap 142: Will Power has been given an official warning for getting out of line on the start.
Lap 140: It looks as if something may have broken on Andretti's car as he spins into the Turn 2 wall. The Holmatro Safety Team is with him and the car.
Lap 139: YELLOW FLAG Marco Andretti is into the wall. He is slowly getting out of the car and limping on his right leg. He has completed every lap of the season up to this point; that streak has ended with this incident.
Lap 139: GREEN FLAG Pagenaud and Karam get around Chaves in Turn 1.
Lap 138: The field is behind the pace car. Chaves, Pagenaud, Karam, Munoz, Castroneves.
Lap 137: Kimball pits, new leader is Gabby Chaves.
Lap 136: Montoya receives a warning and is subject to post race review for running over the air hose of the No. 20 car.
Lap 135: Charlie Kimball leads the field under the yellow flag.
Lap 134: Will Power has trouble exiting his pit, Simon Pagenaud leads Karam out of the pits.
Lap 134: Pits are open, many drivers are coming into the pits.
Lap 132: YELLOW FLAG for Tony Kanaan who spins in Turn 2. This is the seventh yellow flag of the race.
Lap 131: Pagenaud has improved to third place ahead of teammate Will Power. Hunter-Reay leads.
Lap 129: Hunter-Reay leads Karam, Power, Wilson, Pagenaud, Newgarden, Dixon, Munoz, Castroneves, Montoya.
Lap 128: Chaves pits from the lead, Hunter-Reay is the new leader.
Lap 127: Karam gets around Castroneves for third place.
Lap 125: Hondas run first and second. Chaves is off sequence on pitsstops so he will need to come in for fuel soon.
Lap 124: Chaves continues to lead, Hunter-Reay gets around Castroneves.
Lap 123: Chaves leads Castroneves, Karam, Hunter-Reay, Power.
Lap 121: Sato has been given an official warning for being out of line on the restart. Chaves and Castroneves are trading the lead.
Lap 119: Munoz is penalized for jumping the start, he must give up two places on the track or he faces a drive through penalty.
Lap 118: Chaves briefly takes the lead, Castroneves retakes the lead.
Lap 117: Power leads Chaves, Wilson, Castroneves, Karam.
Lap 116: The start is under review, Power is the eighth different leader of the race.
Lap 115: GREEN FLAG, three wide at the start. Will Power takes the lead of the race.
Lap 114: Green next time. Munoz has received an official warning for blocking.
Lap 112: James Jakes has been penalized for avoidable contact and will be placed behind Ed Carpenter on the track.
Lap 111: Chaves leads under yellow, followed by Wilson, Power, Karam, Pagenaud.
Lap 111: There is a close call in the pits between Kanaan and Montoya but they make no contact.
Lap 110: This is the sixth yellow flag for 30 laps. The leaders are in the pits. Gabby Chaves assumes the lead, the first time in his IndyCar career.
Lap 109: Contact between Jakes and Carpenter causes a side pod to fly off Carpenter's car. The incident is under review.
Lap 109: YELLOW FLAG debris on the front stretch.
Lap 107: Karam is in the pits, Pagenaud now leads the race.
Lap 106: Chaves is given a warning for jumping out of line on the restart. Karam leads Pagenaud and Castroneves.
Lap 105: Sage Karam takes the lead of the race. This is the second time he has led a lap in an IndyCar race.
Lap 104: Pagenaud leads Karam, Kanaan, Castroneves, Hunter-Reay.
Lap 104: GREEN FLAG, Pagenaud is the new leader.
Lap 102: Vautier has been checked out and cleared by the Care Center. Josef Newgarden pits under the yellow.
Lap 101: Cars out of the race are Coletti, Bourdais, Hawksworth, Vautier, Rahal. Pippa Mann is running 16 laps behind the leaders, everyone else is on the lead lap.
Lap 100: HALF WAY, the field continues under yellow behind the pace car. Kanaan, Pagenaud, Karam, Castroneves, Montoya, Hunter-Reay, Jakes, Briscoe, Dixon, Munoz is the running order.
Lap 98: Rahal is very critical of Vautier's role in the incident. His championship has taken a major hit.
Lap 98: Graham Rahal has been checked and released from the Care Center.
Lap 98: The incident between Rahal and Vautier is under review as track clean-up continues under yellow. Kanaan leads Pagenaud, Karam, Castroneves, Montoya.
Lap 97: Newgarden has received a penalty for jumping the start, he is moved behind Chaves.
Lap 96: During the drivers meeting, it was specifically mentioned to the non-championship contenders that they try to avoid those still in pursuit of the championship. Rahal is now out of the race.
Lap 95: Replay shows that Vautier was nearly on the grass on the inside of Rahal and squeezed the No. 15 who spun out into the wall.
Lap 93: YELLOW FLAG Turn 3, Graham Rahal and Tristan Vautier collide. Rahal is walking over to confront Vautier. The Holmatro Safety Team is on scene to try to diffuse the situation.
Lap 93: GREEN FLAG Castroneves leads, but Kanaan passes him in Turn 1.
Lap 91: Kimball returns to the race. Will Power is back in the pits after his spin trying to exit the pits after his last stop. He is in 19th place.
Lap 90: Coletti, Bourdais and Hawksworth are out of the race. Kimball remains in his car in the pits.
Lap 89: Castroneves leads the race under caution, followed by Pagenaud, Kanaan, Karam, Montoya, Hunter-Reay, Jakes, Briscoe, Dixon, Carpenter.
Lap 88: Will Power exits the pits and does not lose a lap.
Lap 87: The field is pitting under yellow. Will Power spins as he exits the pits, his crew runs down the pit lane to retrieve the car. No one else hits Power.
Lap 87: Pits are open, this is the fourth yellow flag of the race.
Lap 86: Kimball is able to drive his car back to the pits.
Lap 85: YELLOW FLAG, Charlie Kimball and Jack Hawksworth make contact. Hawksworth makes side contact with Kimball and spins in front of him. Hawksworth gets loose and Kimball hits him.
Lap 84: Kanaan and Hunter-Reay have gotten around Pagenaud and are trying to chase down Castroneves.
Lap 83: Sage Karam is battling Will Power for seventh and eighth
Lap 82: Castroneves is running much faster laps than Pagenaud, the car is handling well.
Lap 80: Castroneves leads Pagenaud, Kanaan, Hunter-Reay, Montoya.
Lap 79: Castroneves passes Pagenaud for the lead in Turn 1.
Lap 77: Pagenaud still leads the race, Castroneves gets around Hunter-Reay to take second place.
Lap 76: Munoz and Montoya are battling for fourth and fifth place.
Lap 74: Graham Rahal runs 20th after the disasterous pit stop, but he does have a full fuel load. He needs a yellow flag to make up some positions.
Lap 73: Pagenuad leads, Hunter-Reay, Kanaan, Montoya, Wilson, Munoz, Castroneves, Power, Newgarden, Carpenter.
Lap 72: Pagenaud leads after the cycle of green flag pit stops.
Lap 71: Power pits, Castroneves, Sato, Vautier into the pits.
Lap 70: Montoya follows Pagenaud out of the pits, Castroneves continues to lead.
Lap 69: Kimball pits, he has run the fastest lap of the race so far. Pagenaud pits as Castroneves assumes the lead.
Lap 67: Trouble for Rahal in the pits, a nearly 30 second pit stop under the green flag. The crew has trouble getting the fueling rig to engage.
Lap 66: Newgarden beats Kanaan out of the pits, Hunter-Reay pits as Pagenaud assumes the lead. Green flag pit stops continue.
Lap 65: Kanaan and Newgarden pit, Hunter-Reay is the new leader.
Lap 65: Andretti teammates Hunter-Reay and Munoz continue to battle for postion.
Lap 64: Leader Kanaan has led laps at all three races at Pocono.
Lap 62: Briscoe is training to get around Montoya for 11th.
Lap 61: There is lots of close racing the the middle of the field.
Lap 59: Teammates Munoz and Hunter-Reay run side by side in the battle for fourth and fifth/
Lap 58: Kanaan leads Newgarden, Wilson, Munoz, Hunter-Reay, Dixon, Rahal, Pagenaud, Montoya, Carpenter
Lap 57: Kanaan leads the race, the sixth race he has led in 2015.
Lap 56: Dixon and Hunter-Reay battle for fifth and sixth.
Lap 55: NEW LEADER Tony Kanaan passes Josef Newgarden.
Lap 54: Sage Karam and Ed Carpenter run 10th and 11th. Munoz passes Dixon to move into 5th.
Lap 52: Rahal passes Dixon for sixth place. The Turn 1 incident between Kanaan and Munoz is under review.
Lap 51: Simon Pagenaud passes Montoya for eighth, both are still in the championship hunt.
Lap 50: Newgarden continues to lead Wilson, Kanaan, Munoz, Hunter-Reay.
Lap 48: Montoya passed four cars on the last restart, he is in eighth place directly behind Graham Rahal.
Lap 46: Pagenaud and Andretti have been given warnings for being out of line at the restart. Bourdais has been checked and released from the Care Center, he is uninjured.
Lap 45: Ryan Briscoe loses several places as Rahal, Carpenter and Montoya pass him.
Lap 44: Newgarden leads Wilson, Munoz, Kanaan, Dixon.
Lap 43: GREEN FLAG, Justin Wilson and Josef Newgarden battle for the lead of the race. Newgarden remains the leader. The restart is under review.
Lap 42: Hawksworth is back into the pits to top off his fuel. The team confirms that the tire was an equipment malfunction rather than human error.
Lap 41: Both KV Racing cars are out of the race, team owner Jimmy Vasser says that it appears that Bourdais got up high and caught the dirty air behind Munoz. Teammate Coletti retired from the race on Lap 21.
Lap 40: Castroneves pits under the yellow flag as track clean-up continues for the Bourdais incident.
Lap 39: The field is under yellow for the second time. Newgarden leads Wilson, Munoz, Kanaan, Dixon, Hunter-Reay, Briscoe, Rahal, Carpenter, Jakes. Pits are open.
Lap 38: YELLOW FLAG Bourdais hits the wall after the restart. The Homaltro Safety Team is with the car on track. Bourdais is apparently uninjured.
Lap 37: GREEN FLAG, Car No. 11 Sebastien Bourdais is into the wall in Turn 1. He says the throttle may have been sticking.
Lap 36: Green flag will be waved the next time by. Hawksworth was waved out of the pits before the wheel had been securely attached to the car. The tire fell off and this caused the yellow flag.
Lap 34: The cars are single file behind the pace car as the yellow flag waves. Stefano Coletti has retired from the race due to mechanical issues.
Lap 33: The field remains under yellow, Newgarden reassumes the lead of the race. This is the sixth race he has lead this season.
Lap 32: Montoya is adding extra downforce, Castroneves has lots of front wing added to his car.
Lap 32: Pits are open. Hawksworth tire rolled to the inside of the track so the other drivers are able to avoid hitting it.
Lap 31: Race leader Simon Pagenaud has yet to pit. Hawksworth makes it back to his pits. It appears that an error on his earlier stop resulted in the lost wheel.
Lap 31: YELLOW FLAG, No. 41 Hawksworth lost his left rear wheel.
Lap 28: Newgarden is in the pits, Pagenaud is the new leader. Newgarden's team made a change to the tire pressures.
Lap 27: The incident between Chaves and Karam was reviewed, no action is being taken.
Lap 26: Josef Newgarden continues to leads, as Rahal as dropped to ninth.
Lap 24: An incident between Gabby Chaves and Sage Karam is under review for potential blocking.
Lap 22: Ryan Briscoe is the biggest mover of the race, running in 11th after starting 18th.
Lap 21: Stefano Coletti is in the pits for fuel and tires.
Lap 20: The racing so far is not as close as it was at Fontana but there are many laps to go.
Lap 17: Newgarden still leads with Pagenaud in pursuit.
Lap 16: Graham Rahal is running in seventh, and is the new points leader as the field runs now. Montoya is running 14th.
Lap 15: Pagenaud is saving fuel by following Newgarden, who may need to pit earlier because of the fuel usage as he leads the race.
Lap 13: Pippa Mann enters the pits.
Lap 12: Pagenaud is not letting Newgarden pull away, although they have nearly a one second lead over Castroneves.
Lap 11: Newgarden, Pagenaud, Castroneves, Wilson, Power, Munoz, Rahal, Dixon, Kanaan, Hunter-Reay
Lap 10: Charlie Kimball has moved up two places from his last row start.
Lap 8: Championship contenders Rahal and Montoya run 7th and 16th respectively.
Lap 7: Josef Newgarden leads, he has said he wants to win one more race this season.
Lap 6: Carlos Munoz and Graham Rahal go side by side but do not make contact.
Lap 5: Newgarden, Pagenaud, Castroneves, Wilson, Munoz.
Lap 3: Josef Newgarden leads the first green lap.
GREEN GREEN GREEN Four wide at the start.
2:48 pm ET: The start has been waved for the second time. If Castroneves jumps the start again he will be moved to the back of the field.
2:46 pm ET: The field is lining up in rows of two coming for the start which has been waved off. Pole sitter Helio Castroneves accelerated too early.
2:43 pm ET: The field has crossed the start/finish line on the first parade lap. The drivers are swerving from side to side to bring the tires up to the proper temperature for the start of the race.
2:43 pm ET: The Honda two-seater leads the field with Mario Andretti at the wheel. The field is moving behind it and the pace car.
2:43 pm ET: The command has been given, all engines have fired. Three Penske drivers will lead the field to the green flag.
2:40 pm ET: The drivers are getting last minute instructions from their teams. This will be the first oval race that utilizes the on-board LED position lights. They were used at Mid-Ohio and allowed the fans to have an easy way to keep track of the race standings.
2:35 pm ET: The drivers are putting on their helmets and HANS devices and strapping into the cars.
2:30 pm ET: The anthem has been performed, and the flag has been delivered to the track by skydivers. The command will be given shortly.
2:25 pm ET: There is cloud cover coming over Pocono Speedway as the green flag nears. The speeds may be faster than they have been earlier during the weekend as the track temperature cools.
2:15 pm ET: The teams are preparing the cars on the grid as the drivers greet the fans. The crowd looks good, much improved over last year's race. The change in date and the favorable weather have no doubt played a part in bringing out the fans.
2:00 pm ET: Pre-race festivities are underway at Pocono. The drivers are being introduced to the dignitaries on the stage and will make a lap around the track in convertibles to greet the crowd before they strap in for the 200 laps to come.
1:45 pm ET: Driver introductions are scheduled to take place in about 10 minutes. The cars are being pushed to the grid. Pre-race festivities will begin shortly.
1:30 pm ET: Pocono Raceway is the third superspeedway race of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season. The addition of the new aero kits caused some problems at the first two races, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway. There were several incidents of cars getting airborne at Indianapolis, however there were luckily no driver injuries. There was a spectacular incident on the final lap at Auto Club Speedway, when Ryan Briscoe flipped on the front straight coming to the start/finish line. He too was unhurt. In Saturday's qualifying at Pocono Raceway, Charlie Kimball lost control of his car in Turn 3 and hit the SAFER barrier, causing significant damage to the catch fence. There are still unanswered questions about how the aero kits will affect the racing at Pocono. It is possible that the close racing that took place at Fontana may be in evidence at Pocono. The 200 laps of the ABC Supply 500 will be exciting to watch to see how the cars handle in traffic.
1:20 pm ET: As the green flag gets ever closer, the excitement in the paddock is starting to build. There are a lot of race fans walking around, looking at the cars, getting autographs and taking selfies. This is Andretti country so many fans of Andretti Autosport and their drivers are in attendance.
12:15 pm ET: The top two championship contenders, Juan Pablo Montoya and Graham Rahal, both need to have solid races today. Montoya has led the championship since the opening round of the season at St. Petersburg. Rahal has cut Montoya's points lead to nine after winning at Mid-Ohio. Montoya starts from a season-worse 19th place in the ABC Supply 500 today, but it should be noted that he won the Indianapolis 500 in May from the 15th starting spot. Rahal will start from the fifth spot on today's grid, which equals his best start position of the year. Montoya has been in a slump of sorts since Indianapolis, while Rahal has won two races and enjoys the best season of his career. The Tricky Triangle could have major championship ramifications for both drivers.
11:52 am ET: To get you up to speed on the on-track action that took place on Saturday, here are our recaps of practice and qualifying:
Practice 1 - Qualifying
11:39 am ET: I'll have updates throughout the day right here, but if you prefer Twitter, follow the official Twitter account of Verizon IndyCar Series coverage here on VAVEL USA, @VAVELIndyCar.
11:30 am ET: The green flag for today's ABC Supply 500 is coming ever closer. The teams are in the garages making final adjustments to the cars. The driver meeting will be getting underway here in the media center soon.
10:45 am ET: It's a beautiful morning at Pocono Raceway. There was a large crowd in the Fan Village for the full-field autograph session and people are still coming into the track. The weather is expected to be in the mid-80s so it will be a great day to watch an exciting 500-mile race.
As we wait for the green flag to near this afternoon, stay tuned to @VAVELIndyCar on Twitter for more from here at Pocono Raceway.
All you need to know ahead of the green flag for today's ABC Supply 500 here at Pocono Raceway is below! Read the information below to get up to speed before the race that is set to begin at 2:30 pm ET this afternoon.
Marco Andretti of Andretti Autosport has completed every lap (1,947) of every race in 2015. Rookie Gabby Chaves of Bryan Herta Autosport has also seen the checkers at the end of every race this year, however he has completed only 1,929 laps. Andretti is tied with Juan Pablo Montoya for most top-10 finishes this season with 11. Montoya and Graham Rahal, meanwhile have the most top-five finishes of the field this year at eight.
There are 10 drivers who are mathematically eligible to claim the 2015 Astor Cup before the green flag of today's race: Juan Pablo Montoya, Graham Rahal, Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, Will Power, Sebastien Bourdais, Marco Andretti, Josef Newgarden, Tony Kanaan and Simon Pagenaud. Four of the 10 (Castroneves, Andretti, Kanaan and Pagenaud) have not won a race thus far this season.
Tony Kanaan will make his 248th-straight Indy car race start today here at Pocono Raceway, extending a streak which began in 2001 at Portland. His teammate Scott Dixon will make his 190th consecutive start. Chip Ganassi Racing is still in pursuit of their 100th team victory. Dixon won the 99th and 98th races for the team earlier this season at Long Beach and Texas.
KV Racing Technology driver Stefano Coletti was unable to make a qualifying attempt after crashing in the final moments of the morning practice session. "We had a great car this morning in practice. Then on my last run, my last outing, I crashed and we couldn't get it repaired in time for the qualifying session," he said. Coletti was unhurt and cleared to drive in the race. He will start from the rear of the field in a back-up car.
Charlie Kimball of the No. 83 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet had a scary incident during his qualifying attempt on Saturday. As he was exiting Turn 3, he lost the rear end of the car and hit the SAFER Barrier, and the car became airborne then struck the catch fence. He slid to a stop and immediately gave a thumbs up to signal that he was unhurt, much to the relief of his team and the spectators. The crash caused a 48-minute delay of qualifying while the catch fence was repaired and the track was cleaned of debris and fluids. Kimball was examained at the medical center and released to drive in the race. He suffered a small cut on his chin but was otherwise uninjured. He will start from the rear of the field in his back-up car. Click here for a video of Kimball's accident.
Helio Castroneves claimed pole position for today's race in Saturday's qualifying, his fourth of the season and 45th of his career. He is joined on the front row by Team Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud. Their teammate Will Power starts behind them on Row 2, completing another 1-2-3 start for the four-car Penske fleet. The fourth Penske driver and points leader, Juan Pablo Montoya, starts deep in the field on the 10th row in 19th place. Montoya hasn't started that far back on the grid since the Indianapolis 500, the first 500-mile race of the year, which he won.
There have been nine different winners in the 14 Verizon IndyCar Series races run this season ahead of this weekend. Five different drivers have won two races this season: Juan Pablo Montoya (St. Petersburg and Indianapolis 500), Scott Dixon (Long Beach and Texas), Josef Newgarden (Barber Motorsports Park and Toronto), Sebastien Bourdais (Detroit Race 2 and Milwaukee) and Graham Rahal (Auto Club Speedway and Mid-Ohio). Additional single-race winners this year are James Hinchcliffe (NOLA Motorsports Park), Will Power (Grand Prix of Indianapolis), Carlos Munoz (Detroit Race 1) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (Iowa Speedway). The record number of different race winners in a single season is 11, which was tied last season.
Pocono is hosting the penultimate race of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season this weekend and there is sure to be major ramifications in the battle for the championship. Juan Pablo Montoya is the points leader entering today's 500-mile race, holding a slim nine-point margin over his nearest rival Graham Rahal after the Honda Indy 200 that saw Rahal win his second race of the year two weeks ago. Montoya has held onto the points lead since the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in late-March.
This is the third race run at Pocono Raceway since the series returned to the track in 2013 after a 23 year absence. Scott Dixon won the race at Pocono in 2013, and he was joined on the podium by his Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Charlie Kimball and Dario Franchitti. Juan Pablo Montoya was victorious last year 2014, starting from the pole and scoring his first win of his return to open-wheel racing.
The ABC Supply 500 is the 15th race of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season. It is the third of three 500-mile races on the schedule following the Indianapolis 500 and MAVTV 500 from earlier this season. Today is also the sixth and final oval round of the season with the finale later this month set for the road course of Sonoma Raceway.
Welcome to live coverage of the ABC Supply 500 from Pocono Raceway. My name is Cathy Shumaker and I am thrilled to be bringing you minute-to-minute coverage of the race here on VAVEL USA. From now until the race begins at 2:30 pm ET, news and notes will be above to bring you up to speed before live coverage begins when the race is underway, so be sure to return at race time for updates during all 500 miles of today's race.