Pennsylvania 500 Betting News and Notes

Pocono - Driver Tale of the Tape

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet SS)

· Three wins, 13 top fives, 17 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 12.682, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 10.580, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 106.8, second-best
· 359 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 163.407, third-fastest
· 3014 Laps in the Top 15 (76.7), fourth-most
· 864 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Carl Edwards (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· Two wins, five top fives, ten top 10s
· Average finish of 14.913, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.157, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 95.1, sixth-best
· 189 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 162.952, seventh-fastest
· 2655 Laps in the Top 15 (64.9), ninth-most
· 788 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Chase Elliott (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· One top five, one top 10
· Average finish of 4.000, series-best
· Average Running Position of 3.844, series-best
· Driver Rating of 130.9, series-best
· 17 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 162.508, 13th-fastest
· 158 Laps in the Top 15 (98.8 ), series-most
· 24 Quality Passes, 13th-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· Six wins, 20 top fives, 32 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 9.545, third-best
· Average Running Position of 10.181, second-best
· Driver Rating of 102.4, fifth-best
· 178 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 163.320, fourth-fastest
· 2935 Laps in the Top 15 (74.6), fifth-most
· 961 Quality Passes, second-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· Four wins, nine top fives, 13 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 12.381, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 10.887, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 106.0, fourth-best
· 440 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 163.443, second-fastest
· 2918 Laps in the Top 15 (79.1), second-most
· 789 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet SS)

· Seven top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.522, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.127, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 92.4, ninth-best
· 137 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 163.268, fifth-fastest
· 2588 Laps in the Top 15 (63.2), 11th-most
· 872 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· Three wins, 11 top fives, 19 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 11.043, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 10.536, third-best
· Driver Rating of 106.3, third-best
· 283 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 163.487, series-fastest
· 3144 Laps in the Top 15 (76.8 ), third-most
· 956 Quality Passes, third-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford Fusion)

· One win, five top fives, six top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.000, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.398, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 91.9, 12th-best
· 115 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 162.604, 11th-fastest
· 1181 Laps in the Top 15 (54.1), 13th-most
· 406 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Kyle Larson (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet SS)

· One top five, two top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 9.400, second-best
· Average Running Position of 13.067, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.6, 13th-best
· 3 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 162.558, 12th-fastest
· 591 Laps in the Top 15 (73.9), sixth-most
· 193 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford Fusion)

· One win, four top fives, six top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 15.200, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.137, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.2, 11th-best
· 91 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 162.936, eighth-fastest
· 1530 Laps in the Top 15 (59.3), 12th-most
· 542 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Ryan Newman (No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet SS)

· One win, nine top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 12.348, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.163, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.3, 10th-best
· 37 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 162.797, 10th-fastest
· 2931 Laps in the Top 15 (71.6), seventh-most
· 967 Quality Passes, series-most

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet SS)

· Two wins, 12 top fives, 23 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 12.000, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 13.055, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 94.7, seventh-best
· 99 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 162.842, ninth-fastest
· 2825 Laps in the Top 15 (69.0), eighth-most
· 948 Quality Passes, fourth-most

NASCAR Betting Odds
By: Greg Engle
Examiner.com

After a hot weekend at Indy, NASCAR heads back to the Pennsylvania mountains to the three turn track known as the Tricky Triangle, Pocono Raceway. Kurt Busch won here in June, and Matt Kenseth is the defending race winner from last July. While the series was at Pocono not long ago, drivers will tell you that the track is much different. With hotter temperatures the already challenging track is made even more difficult.

Here are our favorites for Sunday’s 21st race of the year for your betting or fantasy racing leagues. Driver Ratings are compiled from 2005-2016 races (23 total) among active drivers at Pocono Raceway. The Driver Rating is a number based on a formula developed by NASCAR which combines "loop data" elements such as average running position, average speed under green, number of fastest laps, and other stats. There is a maximum of 150 points that a driver can earn for each race. The odds are current as of Wednesday.

Kurt Busch (12-1) is somewhat if a long shot according to oddsmakers, but with the second highest driver rating in the field, 106.8, and his win here in June, Busch could be in position to sweep the races. It would not unprecedented. Seven drivers have consecutive wins here, three of those drivers are still active, the latest being Dale Earnhardt Jr. who swept the races at Pocono in 2014.

Jeff Gordon (25-1); speaking of Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR's most popular driver is out again this weekend as he continues to recover from concussion-like symptoms. Gordon has been brought out of retirement as a sub in the No. 88 car. Gordon leads all active drivers in wins here with 6, and has the fifth highest driver rating, 102.4. He managed a respectable 13th place finish at Indy last Sunday, and if he can get his groove back, would not surprise anyone with a seventh Pocono win.

Jimmie Johnson (8-1) will no doubt want to spoil his teammates party. Johnson has three wins here, the last in 2013 and the third highest driver rating in the field, 106.3. He finished third at Indy last week after a late race charge and will look to better that this week.

Denny Hamlin (8-1) has four wins here the last coming in 2010. Hamlin has the fourth best driver rating in the field 106.0, but has struggled here recently. If he can overcome that however, the way all the Joe Gibbs Racing cars have been this season, Hamlin might get back on top.

Chase Elliott (15-1) is among the favorites for the first time all season. The rookie led the most laps here in June, but fell short and settled for a fourth place finish. That lone start and finish here gives him the highest driver rating in the field, 130.9. Elliott could certainly put it all together Sunday and score his first Sprint Cup win.

OTHERS: Matt Kenseth (8-1) is the defending winner of this race and finished 7th here in June. His low driver rating of 90.2, is outside the top 10, but he did put himself in position to win last year and did just that. Tony Stewart (25-1) has two wins here and the seventh best driver rating in the field, 94.7. The motivation of his final appearance at Pocono might just give Stewart enough of a boost to add a third win.

Pennsylvania 400 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

There's only six races remaining before the Chase starts and five of the 16 slots are still unclaimed. Each of the next six weeks we'll see a vastly different track beginning with the most unusual of all tracks coming this weekend at Pocono Raceway's tricky triangle.

We should have a leg up on handicapping Sunday's Pocono race because we've already done the process needed twice this season, including last weeks prep work for the Brickyard 400. Mix in what happened June 6 in the first Pocono run and you should be armed with just about everything needed prior to Friday and Saturday's important practices.

Because Pocono and Indy are both 2.5-mile tracks with the longest straights in the series, we can lump them together as being similar even though Indy is rectangular with four equally flat turns and Pocono is triangular with banking that gets progressively flatter at each turn. If a driver does well at one of the places, they're likely to do well at the other.

So let's recap the information gathered from those two races where all the teams notes are still fresh and relevant. Kurt Busch won at Pocono in June for his only win of the season and third overall on the track. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was second, Brad Keselowski third and Chase Elliott led a race-high 51 laps before finishing fourth. Four of the top-six finishers were Chevrolet with the Penske Fords taking the other two spots. Matt Kenseth, who won at Pocono last fall, was the highest finishing Toyota in seventh. A Chevrolet has won seven of the last eight at Pocono.

Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas came in fast off the hauler last week at Indy with three of its cars finishing in the top-four, including Kyle Busch winning there for the second consecutive season. Kenseth would finish second, Jimmie Johnson third and Denny Hamlin fourth. The new low downforce package produced some crummy racing with only four lead changes among three drivers as Busch led 149 of the 160 laps. It was impossible to pass.

Chevrolet has been strong at both Pocono and Indy in recent years, but if looking at last season as an example, Toyota has made a considerable move. After Kyle Busch ended a 12-year Chevrolet win streak at the Brickyard, Kenseth won at Pocono the next week to end a six race Chevrolet win streak. Because Indianapolis happened most recent, we should look to last week as being just bit more important than the June Pocono race.

All four JGR cars will be fast this week as well as Martin Truex Jr. who has used JGR equipment this season and won for the first time at Pocono last season (drove a Chevy). Hamlin is a four-time Pocono winner with a 12.3 average finish in 21 starts. Carl Edwards has won twice making Kyle Busch the only driver within the team that hasn't won at Pocono. Pick a Gibs car, any car, and your chances of winning this week will be pretty good.

A couple Chevy drivers will offer some nice value this week if willing to go against the Gibbs drivers. Kyle Larson comes off a fifth at Indy after showing lots of speed in practices. He finished 11th at Pocono in June and has a 9.4 average finish in five starts. You should be able to fetch 30/1 odds on him. Chase Elliott had his best showing of the season in June's race with fourth-place and dominating at times with the most laps led. Expect 18/1 odds on him.

Jeff Gordon will again be filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is recovering from concussion-like symptoms. Last week he came out of retirement to drive the No. 88, which he is part-owner of, and finished 13th in his first competitive racing since November. This week he should be a little more prepared and familiar with the team. He's a six-time winner at Pocono and has 20 top-five finishes in 46 career starts. Earnhardt drove the No. 88 to second-place in June and he also swept the 2014 season.

There are plenty more Chevy's on the track, and I thought that might be the right angle last week, but those Gibbs cars are really dialed in. They've now now 10 of the 20 races between the five of them. That's 35 other drivers to split up the other 10 wins. Crazy domination. And their wins come in bunches. They've won four straight at one juncture, three straight at another stretch and they're currently on a two-race win streak.

They should be the focus in betting driver match-ups and fantasy NASCAR play this week.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #18 Kyle Busch (7/1)
2) #11 Denny Hamlin (12/1)
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson (8/1)
4) #20 Matt Kenseth (8/1)
5) #78 Martin Truex Jr. (8/1)

Pocono Fantasy Racing Preview
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com

Detailed driver notes and statistics to help set your fantasy racing lineup for the Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway.

Who's HOT at Pocono

• Defending race winner Matt Kenseth is the only driver that has finished in the top 10 in each of the last three races.
• Kurt Busch won in June for his third top five in five track starts with Stewart-Haas Racing.
• Jeff Gordon, a six-time winner, has finished eighth or better in four of his last five starts.
• Kevin Harvick, who will be without crew chief Rodney Childers this weekend, has two second place and one ninth-place finish in the last four races.
• Joey Logano has finished in the top five in three of his last four stars and led 97 laps last August before running out of fuel with three laps to go.
• Brad Keselowski has posted a 2.5 average finish in his last two starts.
• Chase Elliott led a race-high 51 laps en route to a fourth-place finish in his first track start in June.

Who to Keep an Eye On at Pocono

• Last week's winner Kyle Busch ran out of fuel on the final lap last August at Pocono while leading.
• Martin Truex Jr., who has finished 19th in his last two Pocono starts, led 97 laps en route to the win in the 2015 June race.
• Carl Edwards has finished in the top 10 in his last two Pocono starts.
• Three-time Pocono winner Jimmie Johnson has finished sixth or better in two of the last three races.
• Kyle Larson has a 9.4 average finish in five starts at Pocono.
• Denny Hamlin (four-time winner) and Jamie McMurray each have finished in the top 10 in three of the last five Pocono races.
• Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle each have two top-10 finishes in the last three races of the season. Stewart has a 6.0 average (second-best in the series) in that span dating back to Kentucky.

MRN.com Staff Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Matt Kenseth
Pete Pistone: Kyle Busch
Robbie Mays: Kyle Busch
John Singler: Jeff Gordon

Driver Notes - Ordered by Top 20 in Average Finish in the Last Five Races at Pocono

Chase Elliott led a race-high 51 laps in his first start at Pocono in June en route to a fourth-place finish.

Jeff Gordon, who will be back in the No. 88 Chevrolet for the second consecutive week, scored his last of six Pocono wins in this event in 2012. He's also finished in the top 10 in four of his last five starts. The No. 88 team with Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second in June for their sixth top five in the last seven races, including a sweep in 2014.

Brad Keselowski is coming off his fifth top five - two consecutive - at Pocono, which includes a win in the 2011 August race. He participated in the Goodyear Tire test at Pocono in April and won the pole and finished third in June, but did not lead any laps.

Kyle Larson has a 9.4 average finish in five starts at Pocono. His worst finish came in this event last year in 12th. Larson, who was one of the drivers that participated in the Goodyear Tire test in April, led eight laps and finished 11th in June.

Ryan Blaney started 14th and finished 10th in his first start at Pocono in June.

Jamie McMurray finished 17th in June. His seventh-place finish in this event in 2015 came in a streak of three consecutive top 10s.

Denny Hamlin scored his last of four Pocono wins in the 2010 June race. Since his last win, Hamlin has recorded six top 10s with his last coming in the 2015 June race. He's finished in the top 10 in the last two races on the season.

Kurt Busch led 32 laps en route to the win in the June race. The finish marked his third top five in five track starts with Stewart Haas Racing. This weekend, Busch will return in the same car (chassis No. 977) that he went to Victory Lane with last month.

Clint Bowyer finished 18th in June in his first Pocono start with HScott Motorsports. He finished in the top 10 nine times in his previous 20 starts. Bowyer's only top 10 of the season on a non-restrictor plate track came at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Greg Biffle has finished fifth in the last two August races at Pocono. He was on his way to a top 10 in June, but a flat tire under green sent him to pit road with just a few laps remaining.

Kevin Harvick had a streak of two consecutive runner-up finishes at Pocono snapped last year in this event when an engine issue relegated him to a 42nd-place finish. Harvick finished ninth in June and will be without crew chief Rodney Childers, who was suspended one race for a lug nut violation. This weekend, Harvick will return in the same car (chassis No. 841) that he raced in June and also led 139 laps en route to the win at Phoenix International Raceway earlier this season.

Joey Logano led 97 laps in this event last year, but ran out of fuel with three laps remaining. Logano finished fifth in June for his fifth top 10 in seven Pocono starts with Team Penske.

Matt Kenseth saved enough gas to win his first Pocono race last August. He led 31 laps in June en route to his third consecutive top 10 (seventh).

Martin Truex Jr. has finished 19th in his last two starts since winning the 2015 June race where he led 97 laps. The victory was his second top 10 in five track starts with Furniture Row Racing. Truex was one of the drivers that participated in the Goodyear Tire test at Pocono prior to the June race.

Jimmie Johnson finished 35th in June after a crash, while running fifth, took him out of contention. The finish snapped a streak two consecutive top 10s. Johnson, who has yet to lead a lap in his last four Pocono starts, scored his last of three wins at the track in the 2013 June race.

Ryan Newman has yet to finish in the top 10 in the last three races at Pocono since scoring five consecutive top 10s at the track from 2012-2014. Newman, who finished 12th in June, will drive the same car (chassis No. 548) that teammate Paul Menard finished 27th with at Richmond International Raceway.

David Ragan finished 17th in this event last season for his best finish in his last 10 Pocono starts.

Austin Dillon scored his best finish, of 13th, in five starts at Pocono last year in this event. He finished 37th in June after a hard crash with 43 laps to go. This weekend, Dillon will return in the same car (chassis No. 528) that he finished fourth with at Texas Motor Speedway.

Carl Edwards is coming off his 10th top 10 in 23 Pocono starts. His eighth-place finish in June was his second straight top 10 with Joe Gibbs Racing at the track. Edwards’ two Pocono wins came with Roush Fenway Racing in 2005 and 2008.

Casey Mears has yet to finish in the top 10 at Pocono in 11 starts with Germain Racing.

Tony Stewart finished ninth in this event last year for his ninth top 10 in 15 Pocono starts with Stewart-Haas Racing. He finished 34th in June after an accident following a lap 93 restart. Stewart, a two-time Pocono winner, has finished 11th or better in five of the last six races on the season. This weekend, the No. 14 team will debut a new chassis (No. 1003) in the Pennsylvania 400.

Drivers to Watch - Pocono
By Sportsbook.ag

Pocono Raceway hosts the Pennsylvania 400 on what is expected to be a rainy Sunday afternoon in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

This asphalt surface runs 2.5 miles long and features three turns. Chevrolet manufactured cars have done well here in the past, racking up 14 victories in the race.

Hendrick Motorsports and Penske Racing are the teams with the most victories, as each has won six races.

Guys like Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth should all be looking forward to getting out there on Sunday. Busch, Hamlin and Gordon have all won this race three times, but Kenseth is the defending champion coming into this one.

Kyle Busch will be yet another confident driver coming into this race, as he was the winner at last week’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With that out of the way, let’s now take a look at some of the better value plays this weekend:

Drivers to Watch

Matt Kenseth (+800) - At +800, Kenseth represents tremendous value in this week’s race. The driver is the defending champion here coming into the weekend and finished with the best time in the past three years of this event. Not only is Kenseth good on this track, he also comes into this race in some pretty tremendous form. He finished in second place at last week’s Brickyard 400 and that performance followed up a victory at the New Hampshire 301. It’s hard to find a driver that is hotter than Kenseth, so it’s tough to pass up on him. Putting a few units on Kenseth could pay off huge and it’s shocking that he’s not one of the top-three favorites to win this thing.

Denny Hamlin (+800) - Like Kenseth, it’s also surprising that Hamlin is not considered more of a favorite to win this race on Sunday. As previously mentioned, Hamlin has won this race twice in his career. He came away as the winner in both 2006 and 2009, and he’ll certainly be looking to win his third race this weekend. Hamlin also comes into this race on a bit of a hot streak, as he finished in ninth at the New Hampshire 301 and followed it up with a fourth place finish at the Brickyard 400. Look for Hamlin to be near the front of the pack again and don’t be afraid to put a few units on him this weekend, as there’s a good chance he and Kenseth finish one-two at Pocono.

Jeff Gordon (+2000) - As long as Gordon is on the track, he is going to represent some very good value in these races. Gordon is one of the best drivers to ever do it and his odds are a bit more favorable due to his absence early in the season. Still, Gordon has been very good at this track in his career. He won here back in 1998 and also as recently as 2012, so he is not far removed from being victorious on this track. Putting a unit on Gordon is a good high-upside play to pair with taking the favorites in this thing.

Kasey Kahne (+7000) - When looking for a dark horse to put a unit or half-unit on this weekend, it’s hard to look at anybody other than Kahne. Kahne has not had a great season, but he has always raced well at Pocono Raceway in his career. Kahne won this race back in 2013, and that was not his only good performance in Pennsylvania. Kahne has also finished inside the top-10 at this race on five different occasions. His 70-to-1 odds are extremely enticing and he’s worth taking a shot on with his success on this track.