2009 Pennsylvania 500 From Pocono Raceway
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to action on Sunday, Aug. 2 with the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Penn.
Defending Sprint Cup champion and winner of last week’s Allstate 400, Jimmie Johnson, is the pre-race favorite to win.
Johnson has opened as a 5/1 favorite to win this year’s race at Pocono according to oddsmakers at the online sportsbook SPORTSBETTING. Other short odds to win are Mark Martin (6/1), Tony Stewart (6/1), Denny Hamlin (7/1), and Jeff Gordon (8/1).
Johnson is a 2004 winner of the Pennsylvania 500 and is coming off his narrow win at the Brickyard last week over Martin. The win pushed Johnson to second in the Sprint Cup standings, 192 points behind leader Tony Stewart. Johnson has finished in the top 10 in his last five races and in seven-of-his-last-eight. Johnson took third at the 2008 Pennsylvania 500.
Martin took runner-up at the Brickyard and was the winner in the LifeLock.com 400 just two weeks ago. Four wins and two second-place finishes have Martin as a hit-or-miss driver, but Martin has finished in the top 10 of the event the last two years.
Stewart has been consistent all season which has allowed him to create a sizeable lead in the cup standings. Stewart has only finished outside of the top seven once in his last 11 races, which includes three victories. Stewart finished second last year at this event and sixth in 2007.
Denny Hamlin is a 2006 winner of the Pennsylvania 500 and he followed up that showing by taking third in 2007. Hamlin is without a win this year but has six top 5’s and eight top 10’s.
Gordon won the Pennsylvania 500 in 1998 and has top 10 finishes in each of the last two events at Pocono. This year Gordon is third in the cup standings and has finished in the top 10 in six-of-the-last-seven races.
The Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 will take place Sunday, Aug. 2 from Pocono Raceway at 2 p.m. ET. For complete odds and track information on this year’s event, see below.
Odds to win the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
Jimmie Johnson 5 - 1
Mark Martin 6 - 1
Tony Stewart 6 - 1
Denny Hamlin 7 - 1
Jeff Gordon 8 - 1
Kyle Busch 10 - 1
Carl Edwards 10 - 1
Kurt Busch 12 - 1
Greg Biffle 12 - 1
Kasey Kahne 15 - 1
Brian Vickers 20 - 1
Ryan Newman 25 - 1
Juan Pablo Montoya 25 - 1
Dale Earnhardt Jr 30 - 1
Clint Bowyer 30 - 1
Matt Kenseth 30 - 1
Kevin Harvick 50 - 1
David Reutimann 60 - 1
Joey Logano 60 - 1
Jeff Burton 100 - 1
AJ Allmendinger 100 - 1
Elliott Sadler 100 - 1
David Ragan 100 - 1
Michael Waltrip 100 - 1
Scott Speed 100 - 1
Bobby Labonte 100 - 1
Sam Hornish Jr 100 - 1
Paul Menard 100 - 1
Reed Sorrenson 100 - 1
Martin Truex Jr 100 - 1
David Stremme 100 - 1
Jamie McMurray 100 - 1
Casey Mears 100 - 1
Field (Any Other Driver) 50 – 1
2009 Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 Information
Race Date: Sunday, Aug. 2
Location: Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Penn.
Pre-Race: 1:00 PM ET
Green Flag: Approx. 2:18 p.m.
TV Coverage: ESPN
Radio Coverage: MRN
Track Type: Oval (200 laps)