Pennsylvania 500 preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
This week’s race at Pocono marks the halfway point in the Race to the Chase. Only six races remain until NASCAR’s ten race playoff format starts. If the Chase for the Championship started today, Las Vegas’ very own Kyle Busch would be outside looking in.
Last week’s awful 38th place showing at Indianapolis plummeted Busch four positions from tenth to fourteenth. Only the top-12 make the chase and as hard as it seems to believe, Busch is in serious danger of not making the Chase if he doesn’t get things turned around.
We are going into race 21 of the season and but Busch has been mired in a ten week slump. May 2nd was the last time Busch had a top-5 finish. May 2nd? Kyle, are you kidding? A driver of Busch’s stature with all the great Joe Gibbs Racing equipment should be able to run in the top-5 consistently, but it seems like Busch’s style of driving that has made him so good is having the reverse effect now.
Busch runs so hard on each and every lap trying to be the fastest, even if the car may not be capable of keeping up with his desire. Last week at the Brickyard is a perfect example. Busch had a car that was maybe a top-15 car, but Busch tried to get a win by going all out. All the great drivers in NASCAR have been able become great simply because they can feel the car’s limitations and get the most points possible out of it.
Maybe all the hype has gone to Busch’s head. He’s been called the next Dale Earnhardt because of his style and has taken on the villain role with open arms. He has shown his immaturity on several occasions by taking verbal jabs at the struggling Dale Earnhardt Jr, the driver that forced Busch out of Hendrick Motorsports.
In the process through all his antics, Busch’s focus on driving his Cup car has struggled. Now, more than ever, all the anti-Busch fans have more to cheer about because he finishes so poorly these days.
Perhaps part of his struggles could be that he’s spending too much time driving his Nationwide car. He currently leads in points in the lower level NASCAR Series and seems very focused there, but it’s not helping him in the big leagues. He’s now got six races left to get his act together, make the Chase, and make a run for the Sprint Cup Championship. Titles are why each and everyone of these drivers play the game. Right now, Kyle is playing a totally different game, and he’s losing.
Pocono - Race 21: Sunday, August 2, 2008
Just about every team who had decent runs last week at Indy will be bringing the same chassis to Pocono this week. All the data and information collected from Indy and last Pocono race run in June is very relevant for this week.
Four drivers have finished in the top-10 from both races, and a few others were very close to making the list. Tony Stewart tops the chart due to his Pocono win and third place finish last week at The Brickyard. The current point leader is in cruise control and got his series leading twelfth top-5 finish as well last week.
Last week’s winner, Jimmie Johnson, has the most impressive streak of anyone coming into this week using the Indy-Pocono mix. Not only has Johnson finished in the top-10 in the two races this season, but his streak extends to all of last seasons races as well giving him five straight. During his steak, Johnson has two wins.
With his win last week, Johnson also moved into second position in points passing his teammate Jeff Gordon. This is usually the time of year he takes it up a notch. Points mean little going into the Chase because start position is determined by wins. Right now Johnson would start the Chase in second as a result of his three wins on the season. Mark Martin’s four wins would make him the leader. Kyle Busch has three wins and would start right behind Johnson, but doesn’t qualify at the moment.
Jeff Gordon finished fourth last month at Pocono and ninth at Indy and has finished in the top-10 in four of the five last events run on those tracks. His last win at Pocono came in 2007. Gordon’s approach and style is one driver that Kyle Busch should take notice of. Gordon sitting third in points has the advantage of being older and wiser with all his race experience, but he only takes what the car gives him and that style could possibly net him his fifth Cup title.
The surprise of the group of top-10 finishers at both tracks this season is David Reutimann. While fuel strategy at Pocono in June may have played a role in getting his third place finish there, his eighth place last week at Indy was just flat out good driving in a really good car. He already has a win this season, but still continues to be offered by Sports Books in the 60 to 1 or higher range. This week might be a good week to try and catch a shooting star.
Ryan Newman looked to be the car to beat the last time the Cup series went to Pocono. He was extremely fast in practice, but it only translated to a fifth place finish. At Indy, Newman was just as good in practice, and even turned the fastest lap late in happy hour there, but settled for a fourteenth place finish. We know he’s got the goods to get it done and get his first win of the year at some point, and this week at Pocono seems like a good fit.
Carl Edwards finished second in the first Pocono race, but only finished fifteenth at Indy. His poor qualifying session at Indy doomed him, even though he looked to have the 2nd best car to Johnson’s during happy hour. The long green flag runs and jumbled traffic made it tough for Edwards to make a move with a car that was very good. In nine career starts at Pocono, Edwards has two wins and three other top-5 finishes.
Kasey Kahne was solid at Indy with a seventh place finish to go along with a great happy hour session there. He should be all set for a similarly good run this at Pocono, a gtrack he won at last season. Like Gordon, Kahne has finished in the top-10 in the last four of five races combined on the two facilities.
Juan Pablo Montoya’s story last week at Indy is a sad one because he was on his way to what looked like a runaway victory almost in the same dominant fashion as his 2000 Indy 500 win. However, Montoya got a little antsy on pit road and was caught speeding and had to come back to the pits and serve a penalty that ultimately cost him the race, or at least a top-3 finish. He ended up finishing eleventh and when mixing in his eighth place run last month at Pocono, Montoya looks like a nice stab this week at 25 to 1 odds.
The mystery driver this week is Denny Hamlin, winner of both Pocono races in 2006. That car he won with is long gone, but Hamlin has shown an extreme like for the flat tracks on the circuit, this year however, he doesn‘t have the results to show it. If practice times actually won something, Hamlin would be leading the league based on his two pre-race sessions at Pocono and Indy. In each of those instances, Hamlin wasn’t able to get it done in the actual race. He’s got the car capable of winning and his set-up is perfect, but it’s somewhat risky based on what he’s trending in like-instances. For that risk, the sports books should give a nice price.
Top 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #48 Jimmie Johnson (5/1)
2) #14 Tony Stewart (6/1)
3) #9 Kasey Kahne (15/1)
4) #99 Carl Edwards (10/1)
5) #11 Denny Hamlin (13/1)
Driver Highlights - Pocono
VegasInsider.com
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Pocono Raceway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last seven races at Pocono. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) 18/1
# Two wins, seven top fives, eight top 10s
# Average finish of 16.9
# Average Running Position of 11.1, fifth-best
# Driver Rating of 105.0, second-best
# Series-high 229 Fastest Laps Run
# Average Green Flag Speed of 159.050 mph, second-fastest
# 1,236 Laps in the Top 15 (72.3%), sixth-most
# 310 Quality Passes, 11th-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford) 10/1
# Two wins, four top fives, five top 10s
# Average finish of 12.9
# Driver Rating of 100.4, fifth-best
# 135 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 158.544 mph, eighth-fastest
# 1,016 Laps in the Top 15 (59.4%), 11th-most
# 291 Quality Passes, 13th-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont/National Guard Patriot Academy Chevrolet) 8/1
# Four wins, 16 top fives, 23 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 10.1
# Average Running Position of 11.6, seventh-best
# Driver Rating of 96.0, eighth-best
# 733 Green Flag Passes, third-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 158.633 mph, seventh-fastest
# 1,174 Laps in the Top 15 (68.7%), eighth-most
# 367 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) 13/1
# Two wins, four top fives, five top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 10.7
# Average Running Position of 11.2, sixth-best
# Series-best Driver Rating of 111.3
# 210 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
# Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 159.396 mph
# 1,002 Laps in the Top 15 (76.7%), 12th-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet) 5/1
# Two wins, five top fives, 10 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 9.6
# Series-best Average Running Position of 10.4
# Driver Rating of 102.5, fourth-best
# 76 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 159.013 mph, third-fastest
# 1,327 Laps in the Top 15 (77.6%), third-most
# 364 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet) 12/1
# 19 top fives, 31 top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 10.8
# Average Running Position of 10.9, third-best
# Driver Rating of 98.1, sixth-best
# 72 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 158.893 mph, fifth-fastest
# 1,350 Laps in the Top 15 (78.9%), second-most
# 342 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet) 25/1
# One win, six top fives, seven top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 13.3
# Average Running Position of 10.9, fourth-best
# Driver Rating of 96.3, seventh-best
# 22 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-most
# 671 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 158.533 mph, ninth-fastest
# 1,274 Laps in the Top 15 (74.5%), fourth-most
# 390 Quality Passes, second-most
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet) 6/1
# Two wins, seven top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 12.4
# Average Running Position of 10.5, second-best
# Driver Rating of 104.6, third-best
# 61 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
# 679 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 158.943 mph, fourth-fastest
# Series-high 1,362 Laps in the Top 15 (79.6%)
# Series-high 405 Quality Passes
Brian Vickers (No. 83 Red Bull Toyota) 25/1
# Four top fives, four top 10s
# Average finish of 15.1
# Average Running Position of 12.1, eighth-best
# Driver Rating of 93.5, ninth-best
# 72 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
# 1,244 Laps in the Top 15 (72.7%), fifth-most
# 352 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Odds and Ends - Pocono
VegasInsider.com
Pocono Raceway Data
Race #: 21 of 36 (8-2-09)
Track Size: 2.5 mile (200 laps/500miles)
Banking/Turn 1: 14 degrees
Banking/Turn 2: 8 degrees
Banking/Turn 3: 6 degrees
Frontstretch: 3,740 feet
Backstretch: 3,055 feet
Shortstretch: 1,780
Driver Rating at Pocono
Denny Hamlin 111.3
Kurt Busch 105.0
Tony Stewart 104.6
Jimmie Johnson 102.5
Carl Edwards 100.4
Mark Martin 98.1
Ryan Newman 96.3
Jeff Gordon 96.0
Brian Vickers 93.5
Matt Kenseth 91.2
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2009 races (9 total) at Pocono.
Qualifying/Race Data
2008 pole winner: Jimmie Johnson (168.215 mph, 53.503 seconds)
2008 race winner: Carl Edwards, 130.567 mph, 8-3-08)
Track qualifying record: Kasey Kahne (172.533 mph, 52.164 secs., 6-11-04)
Track race record: Rusty Wallace (144.892 mph, 7-21-96)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 28-30 laps, based on fuel mileage.
Odds to win 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
Sunoco Red Cross 500 PreQ
It might be time for the other drivers in the series to watch out for Jimmie Johnson. Johnson has not been atop the point standings often this season but has moved up to second in the standings after taking his second consecutive win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was Johnson’s fifth consecutive top 10 finish at a time when the drivers that are preparing for the Chase for the Championship must run well. It has been Johnson’s forte to get better as the race goes on as well as the season goes on. Johnson is seeking an unprecedented fourth straight championship and there is not much reason to think that he will once again be the favorite heading into the final 10 races of the season. Look for the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet to be one of the best teams over the final 16 races of the season.
It has been a very quiet season for Carl Edwards in 2009. We said that last weekend when Edwards was ranked high on the PreQ forecast, which is where he is again this week. Edwards, however, was only able to come away with a 15th place finish at The Brickyard. Edwards is 6th in the point standings but has not been to victory lane this season and ahs just one top 10 in the last five races. If the #99 Aflac Ford has anything he must begin to flash it now before the Chase starts. Edwards has run well at Pocono taking 2nd place at Pocono Raceway just a few weeks ago. He will need another strong run at the track if he wants to be considered a contender for his first career championship. This may be the week that Edwards gets into the win column.
It has been a struggle for Kyle Busch this season. He recently dropped out of the top 12 in the point standings after a long day at Indianapolis in which he finished in the 38th position. It was Busch’s second straight finish outside the top 30 and his fifth finish outside the top 20 in the last nine races. In fact, Busch has recorded just two top 10 finishes since posting his third win of the season in the tenth race of the year at Richmond. Since that time Busch has been an enigma in the series as he can win at any track but can also finish at the bottom of the running order. He has not run that well at Pocono in recent years posting three straight finishes outside the top 20 at the track. Busch has a 22nd place average finish in nine career starts with just two top 10s. The #18 M&M’s Toyota gets the “Buyer Beware” label for the Sunoco Red Cross 500.
profantasysports.com
Sunoco Red Cross 500 Driver Rating
The conclusion of Sunday’s Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 marks the fifth event in the 10-event “Race to the Chase” which leads into NASCAR’s playoffs, the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Pocono Raceway was pivotal during the first half of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series campaign, and more of the same can be expected Sunday. Tony Stewart led the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings upon arrival at and departure from Pocono in the series first appearance of the season in June. Since that first Pocono race, three drivers have fallen outside the coveted top 12 in the 2009 point standings. They include Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, and David Reutimann. Drivers who have moved into chase-eligible spots since completion of the first Pocono race of 2009 include Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne and Juan Pablo Montoya. In addition, four drivers who appeared in the 2008 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup currently find themselves outside the top 12. They include Kyle Busch (now 14th), Clint Bowyer now 16th, Burton now 17th, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. now 22nd. They have been replaced in the current standings by Kurt Busch, now fourth, Ryan Newman, now seventh, Martin, now ninth, and Montoya, now 10th. There was one in-out swap in the Race to the Chase standings after last week’s event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Allstate 400 at The Brickyard. Due to his 38th-place finish, Kyle Busch moved from 10th to outside the top 12, to 14th. On the strength of his fourth-place Brickyard finish, Greg Biffle moved from 13th in points to 11th. Indianapolis winner Jimmie Johnson moved from third to second place in the standings after his third win of the season, dropping Jeff Gordon to third in points. Matt Kenseth is on the “bubble” points position of 12th entering the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono, 68 points ahead of 13th place Reutimann. In June’s Pocono 500, Stewart won the event after talking the lead from Gordon on Lap 164, then held on for a 2.004-second margin of victory over Carl Edwards.
profantasysports.com
Sunoco Red Cross 500 HOT! Sheet
Although he isn’t a part of the Chase yet, Brian Vickers is definitely making a charge for it. He is atop our chart this week thanks to three of his best performances of the season, and they’ve all come in the last three events. It started at Daytona when he raced to a 7th place showing. At Chicago, he sat on the pole and again wound up 7th. Last week he was among the leaders all day and took home a season high 5th place run. He’s been close to winning here before. We consider him a safe add to your roster.
Right by him this week on the sheet is Kasey Kahne. As it gets closer, he’s looking more and more like a title contender. He’s already shown this year that he can win, and lately he’s come close to doing it again. The #9 team has four top 5s in the last five events. At Chicago, he came from the middle of the field to finish 3rd. Last week at the Brickyard, he was inside the top 10 the entire day and ended up 7th. He’s gone to victory lane here before (June 2008) so go ahead and put him in your starting lineup.
When you think of Pocono, you have to think of Jimmie Johnson. O.K., so when you think of any track, you have to think of him. He is once again in championship mode as he comes to the triangle with four straight top 10s. In fact, his average finish in the last four races is 4th place. That’s also his average finish in the last four trips to Pocono. He is riding a lot of momentum, coming off of his second straight Brickyard victory, and third in the last four years. He’s a no-brainer for this weekend.
Despite all the success he has had in NASCAR’s top three series this season, Kyle Busch finds himself trying to make the “post-season”. He is near the bottom of our chart this week thanks to an unforeseen free-fall. He has only one top 10 in the last eight races (7th at New Hampshire). It’s not that he isn’t running with the leaders. In fact, last week was the first time that he didn’t qualify in the top 10 in ten weeks. Something just has always seemed to happen at some point. We can’t say don’t start him because we know what he is capable of doing. But he gets our ‘buyer beware’ label this week.
Another driver to be wary of is Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Just when it looked like his season may be taking a turn toward the better, he sees an engine blow. That’s exactly what happened last week at the Brickyard when he qualified 3rd and had a really good car. But 127 laps in, it happened, and he ended up 36th. That is pretty typical of how things have gone for him as it was the 9th straight race without a top 10 finish. As our chart shows, his average finish in that span is about 25th place. Even if you’re a fan, he’s still a dangerous pick this week.
profantasysports.com
Driver Handicaps: Pocono
Racingone.com
This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway for Sunday's Sunoco Red Cross 500. To help you make your fantasy racing picks, RacingOne brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 200-lap event.
Who's HOT at Pocono
• Tony Stewart won in June and has finished seventh or better in seven of his last eight starts.
• Defending race winner Carl Edwards led 103 laps in June.
• Jeff Gordon has four wins and leads all drivers with 879 laps led.
• Mark Martin leads all drivers with 31 top-10 finishes.
• Two-time winner Jimmie Johnson has finished in the top 10 in six of his last seven starts.
• Denny Hamlin has two wins and a 10.7 average finish in seven starts.
• Kasey Kahne has one win and a 7.7 average finish in his last three starts.
Keep an Eye on at Pocono
• Ryan Newman has one win and six top 10s at Pocono.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. will return in the same car that had a good run going at Indy before the engine expired.
• Brian Vickers has four top fives in 11 starts at Pocono.
• Juan Pablo Montoya will pilot the same car that led 116 laps at Indy.
• Marcos Ambrose finished sixth in his Pocono debut in June.
• Kurt Busch has the second-best driver rating at Pocono.
• David Reutimann will be driving the same car that has recorded three top 10s in 2009, including Pocono.
RacingOne Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Carl Edwards
Pete Pistone: Tony Stewart
Rachael West: Carl Edwards
Kym Opalenik: Jeff Gordon
Top 30 Driver Notes - Ordered by Current Standings
(All stats/notes are in regards to Pocono unless noted)
1. Tony Stewart: Scored second win in June; Won the race in a back-up car and led 39 laps; Has finished seventh or better in seven of his last eight starts; Will race the same car (chassis No. 450) that went to Victory Lane last month.
2. Jimmie Johnson: Has finished in the top 10 in six of his last seven starts; Led 31 laps and finished seventh in June; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 504) he raced last month.
3. Jeff Gordon: Leads all active full-time drivers with four wins; Leader in laps led with 879; 10.1 average finish in 33 starts; Has finished in the top five in three of the last five races, including a win in 2007.
4. Kurt Busch: Posted one win and an average finish of 14.9 in seven starts with Penske; Also won in 2005 with Roush; Has led 354 laps and posted eight top 10s in 17 starts; Will race the same car (chassis No. 594) that dominated at Atlanta.
5. Carl Edwards: Defending event winner; Led 103 laps and finished second in June; Has finished in the top 10 in last three races; Also won the 2005 June race; Will race the same car (chassis No. 558) that he drove in June.
6. Denny Hamlin: Swept both races in 2006; Finished sixth or better in the next three events; Last two starts have resulted in an average finish of 30.5.
7. Ryan Newman: Finished fifth in June; Has posted seven top 10s in 15 starts; Has won two poles; Will race the same car (chassis No. 506) that he ran in June.
8. Kasey Kahne: Won the 2008 June race from the pole; Has posted an average finish of 16.5 in 11 starts; Seventh in this event last year was last of four top 10s.
9. Mark Martin: Posted a 7.6 average running position and finished 19th in June; Leads all drivers with 19 top fives and 31 top 10s; Will race the same car (chassis No. 550) that finished second last weekend at Indianapolis.
10. Juan Pablo Montoya: Finished eighth in June for first top 10 in five starts; Will race the same car (chassis No. 628) that led 116 laps last weekend at Indianapolis.
11. Greg Biffle: Posted second-best average running position (4.8) in June; Finished 11th in that event because of fuel mileage; Has captured five top 10s in 13 starts; Will race the same car (chassis No. 585) he drove in June.
12. Matt Kenseth: Finished 16th and held a 4.9 average running position in June; Has eight top 10s in 19 starts; Average finish of 14.3 is eighth amongst active drivers.
13. David Reutimann: Finished third in June for first top 10 in five starts; Will race the same car (chassis No. 628) that has recorded three top 10s in 2009, including Pocono.
14. Kyle Busch: Has posted an average finish of 33.7 in his last three starts; Finished 22nd in June; Only track where he has single digits (2) in laps led; Will debut a new chassis (No. 228).
15. Brian Vickers: Posted an average finish of 23.0 in five starts with Team Red Bull; Best finish (second) with the team came in the 2008 June race; Scored three top fives with Hendrick Motorsports in 2005-2006.
16. Clint Bowyer: Finished 12th in June; Has recorded three top 10s in seven starts; Best finish (sixth) came in this event in 2008; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 268) that last finished 10th at Michigan.
17. Jeff Burton: Finished ninth in June; Was his 15th top 10 in 31 starts; Four of his top 10s have come with Richard Childress Racing; Will race the same car (chassis No. 271) that most recently competed at Pocono.
18. Marcos Ambrose: Finished sixth in first track start in June; Will debut a new car on Sunday.
19. Joey Logano: Started 23rd and finished 23rd in first track start in June.
20. Jamie McMurray: Has posted a 21.3 average finish in seven starts with Roush Fenway; Best finish (9th) with the team came in this event last year; Won the pole in 2005 with Ganassi; Will race the same car (chassis No. 594) that finished 15th at Atlanta.
21. Casey Mears: Finished 14th in June; That race marked first track start with Richard Childress Racing; Has posted three top 10s in 13 starts; Won the pole in 2004 with Ganassi; Will be back behind the wheel of the same car (chassis No. 261) that raced at Bristol.
22. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Finished 27th in June; Best finish in three starts with Hendrick is a fourth-place run; Won the pole in August 2007 and led eight laps before finishing second; Posted five top 10s in 16 starts with Dale Earnhardt Inc; Will race the same car (chassis No. 556) that raced inside the top 10 for a majority of the Brickyard 400 until an engine failure.
23. Kevin Harvick: Finished fourth in this event last year; Has finished in the top 10 five times in 17 starts; Will race the same car (chassis No. 281) that finished sixth at Indianapolis last weekend.
24. Martin Truex Jr: Has scored two top 10s in seven starts; Will race the same car (chassis No. 803) that finished 18th in June.
25. Elliott Sadler: Has posted an average finish of 27.8 in five starts with Gillett Evernham; Only top 10s in 21 starts came with Yates Racing; Will run the new Dodge R6P8 engine for the second time in 2009.
26. Reed Sorenson: Scored best finish (20th) in seven starts in June; Previous six starts came with Ganassi Racing; Started 10th and led five laps in 2007.
27. AJ Allmendinger: Ran out of gas on the final corner and finished 30th in June; Best finish (12th) in four starts came in 2004 with Team Red Bull; Has yet to lead a lap.
28. Bobby Labonte: Finished 28th in June; Scored three wins with Joe Gibbs Racing; Has nine top 10s in 33 starts; Will race the same car (chassis No. 609) he ran last month.
29. Sam Hornish Jr: Finished 10th in June; Has posted an average finish of 26.0 in three starts.
30. David Ragan: Only top 10 (fifth) in five starts came in this event last year; Will race the same car (chassis No. 620) that finished 26th in June.
NASCAR in Pocono
By Brobury Sports
The Sprint Cup series goes to Pocono Raceway for the second time in two months.
This is a triangular 2.5 mile track that frequently draws comparisons to the racing style of Indianapolis Motor Speedway that was run last week.
Here’s a look at Sunday’s favorites for the Pennsylvania 500 , shown at 1 pm ET on ESPN.
Jimmie Johnson (+500)
Johnson won last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for his third win of the season. In his last four races at this track, he finished 7th, 3rd, 6th and 5th. That makes him the slight favorite.
Mark Martin (+600)
These odds may seem a little overvalued but Martin has four Top 10 finishes in his last five races at this track. He also finished second last week at Indianapolis and has the most wins (4) of any driver this season.
Tony Stewart (+600)
Jimmie Johnson may be the favorite but it’s Stewart who is the unanimous choice to win by the four ESPN ‘fantasy racing experts’. Stewart also won at this track in June and was second in this race last year.
Denny Hamlin (+700)
Hamlin has moved up to 6th in the season standings after finishing 4th last week. Hamlin has an average finish of 10.7 in seven career Pocono races and won both races in 2006 for the season sweep. He did finish 38th this past June here due to car trouble.
Jeff Gordon (+800)
Gordon is third in the season standings with one win and five second place finishes. He has seven Top 5’s in the last 11 races at this track. Overall, Gordon has four wins, 16 Top 5’s and 23 Top 10's in 33 Pocono starts.
Kyle Busch (+1000)
Busch blew a tire at Indianapolis last week and is outside the Chase at 14th for the first time this season. He also has just one Top 5 and two Top 10’s in nine career starts at Pocono.
Carl Edwards (+1000)
Edwards finished second at this track in June and is the defending champion of this race from last year. He is looking for his first win of the season and looks like a very good value at these odds.
Pocono qualifying rained out, Stewart awarded pole
Long Pond, PA (Sports Network) - Rain forced NASCAR officials to cancel Friday's Sprint Cup Series qualifying at Pocono Raceway. Therefore, the starting lineup for Sunday's Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 will be set by owner points, according to the rule book.
Tony Stewart will start on the pole since he is currently atop the owner standings.
Sprint Cup qualifying has been cancelled five times so far this year, including last month's Pocono 500, due to inclement weather.
Stewart started on the pole for the Pocono 500, but had to start from the rear of the field in a backup car after wrecking in final practice. He gambled on fuel late in the race en route to his first victory as driver and owner.
Jimmie Johnson will start alongside Stewart on the outside pole.
Jeff Gordon will roll off third, followed by Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards.
Sixth through 10th will be: Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin and Juan Pablo Montoya.
All competitors made the field since 43 teams were on the entry list.
Final practice is scheduled for Saturday morning. The weather outlook is much better with mostly clear skies.
Sunday's race is scheduled to start just after 2:00 p.m. (et). The forecast calls for scattered thunderstorms later in the afternoon.
First Practice at Pocono
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
As the clouds were forming, it became quickly apparent that the first practice session would be all that happened on Friday for this weeks Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 race weekend at Pocono. After the first session, rain came abound and the lineup was set by points giving Tony Stewart his second start upfront of the season at Pocono.
In June Stewart won the first Pocono race of the season off the pole, but it wasn’t all that simple for Stewart because he wrecked his primary car and was relegated to the back of the pack with his back up car. Despite the major inconvenience, Stewart went on to win a fuel mileage race with the back up car and became unofficially the furthest back starter to win the win the race.
The official worst starting position to win a race was in June of 2005 where Carl Edwards won the first of his two career Pocono wins with a twenty-ninth starting spot.
The first practice session was used primarily as a practice for qualifying with most teams using their qualifying set-up. The top times of the day were from the stables of Hendrick Motorsports, not just one or two drivers, but all four.
Mark Martin was again fastest in practice just as he was last week at Indianapolis and was likely on pace to win his fifth pole of the season. After running only four laps, Martin reeled off his fastest speed of 169,354 mph on his final lap run which was over a whole mph faster than his teammate Jimmie Jonson.
Following Johnson was Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jeff Gordon with former Hendrick driver Kyle Busch just behind in fifth. Stewart-Haas teammates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman were sixth and seventh fastest in the session continuing their stellar run from last month.
Ryan Newman had the arguably the best combined practice sessions last June prior to the first Pocono race. Stewart was strong also in both his primary and backup cars during the session.
The only Ford to crack the Top-11 was Greg Biffle who has been the top preformer at the combined like-tracks of Indy and Pocono. Biffle has a strong practice at Pocono that turned into an eleventh there and than finished fourth last week at Indy.
Biffle’s teammate, Edwards, was twenty-fourth fastest in practice, but looks to get his first win of the season in the same chassis that he finished second with at Pocono last June. Edwards is a two-time Pocono winner and right there for the ripe plucking of a win should Stewart have ran out of fuel in the final laps of that June race.
The Hendrick four atop the charts should come as little surprise considering how strong they all were at both Pocono and last week at Indy. Last week at Indy, Johnson and Martin finished 1-2 with Gordon in ninth.
Johnson will be bringing his Pocono chassis that he finished seventh in while Earnhardt Jr will be bringing the same chassis he ran with last week at Indy. Junior was highly competitive for the better part of that race in the first chassis built entirely by new crew chief Larry McGrew.
Saturday’s practice sessions will give a better glimpse as to who will be good for Sunday’s race. The first session begins at 10:00 am with happy hour immediately following at 11:20 am (EST).
Practice No.1 Top 5 Speeds
1) #5 Mark Martin 169.354 (4 laps)
2) #48 Jimmie Johnson 167.604 (3 laps)
3) #88 Dale Eranhadt Jr 167.470 (3 laps)
4) #24 Jeff Gordon 166.799 (3 laps)
5) #18 Kyle Busch 166.257 (16 laps)
Stewart wrecks car in Pocono practice
August 1, 2009
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) -Tony Stewart lost his pole position and will start from the back of the pack after wrecking his car during practice for the Pennsylvania 500 on Saturday.
Stewart lost control of his No. 14 Chevrolet on a turn on the second lap of Saturday's first practice and spun into the wall. He was unhurt in the crash.
His Stewart-Haas Racing crew quickly got to work on the backup. Stewart leads the points standings and was the pole sitter at Pocono because rain washed out Friday's qualifying.
I just screwed up,'' Stewart said. ``I got in too deep and got loose and couldn't save it.''
The same scenario happened to Stewart in June's race at Pocono when he took the pole after a rainout and wrecked in practice. Then he went out and won on Sunday in his backup from the rear of the field.
He'll have to pass 42 other cars again to really duplicate the feat.
I know we can do it,'' Stewart said. ``I tore up a really good race car today.''
Stewart, 192 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson in the points standings, is one of four drivers to win a Cup race this season from the rear of the field. He's trying to become the third driver since 2004 to sweep the two Pocono races
Stewart's June win at Pocono made him the first owner/driver to win a race since Ricky Rudd at Martinsville in 1998.
Johnson fastest at practice
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
Hendrick Motorsports continued their strong runs in Saturday’s practice sessions for the Sunday’s Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500. In Friday’s session while in qualifying trim, all four Hendrick drivers topped the charts in consecutive fashion and carried that momentum into in Saturday with hopes of a great run on Sunday.
Jimmie Johnson brought the same chassis he finished seventh with at Pocono in June and was better in practice this time around. Johnson led both practice sessions Saturday with not only the fastest lap in each session, but also the best average times of anyone that ran twenty laps. He’s looking like he has his best chance of winning at Pocono since he swept the season in 2004.
Johnson’s teammates, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Jeff Gordon, all had great sessions on Saturday as well. Of the three, Martin looked the closest to Johnson in speeds. He had a great average speed in happy hour along with the third fastest single lap. After a great run last week at on the similar track of Indianapolis, Martin could be dialed in for his first ever Pocono win. In forty-five Pocono starts over his career, Martin has six 2nd place finishes - the most any driver has at one track without winning.
Dale Earnhardt Jr ran the fifth fastest lap in happy hour as their tea, continues their uphill battle. New crew chief Lance McGrew is brought the same chassis they ran last week at Indy, which was the first car built from scratch since he took he over. The changes are obvious in his speeds and Junior may finally have a real Hendrick car this week to contend with this week.
Last week’s heart break story, Juan Pablo Montoya, had the sixth quickest lap in happy hour along with stellar average lap times continuing the pace he set last week. With the tracks of Pocono and Indy being so similar, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Montoya run equally as good as last week.
The biggest improvement from the last time NASCAR visited Pocono was the performance of the Childress cars. Kevin Harvick was second fastest in happy hour while Clint Bowyer was second quickest in the early practice session. None of the Childress drivers are close to making the chase with six races to go, but a good run this week could make things interesting down the stretch. This is the first sign all season that Harvick, who is looking to change teams after the season, has looked like a legitimate candidate to win based on practice.
The strongest Ford of the day belonged to Carl Edwards who won this race last season and finished second in the June Pocono race. Edwards was third quickest in the early session and hopes to continue his steady performance en route to the chase where he is still looking for his first win of the season.
June’s Pocono winner, Tony Stewart, is looking to duplicate his accomplishment in all facets Sunday. In the June race, Stewart was on the pole but relegated to the rear due to wrecking his car in the first practice. This week, Stewart sits on the pole due to points because of qualifying being rained out and he had a case of Deja-vu because he wrecked his primary car early in the first practice session and will again be going with a back-up, and going to the rear for Sunday’s race. However, in June’s race, Stewart was very strong in the back-up during practice. In Saturday’s happy hour, Stewart had just the twenty-sixth fastest lap.
Saturday’s Early Practice Session - Top Speeds
1) #48 Jimmie Johnson 167.292 mph - AVG 20 laps @ 159.314
2) #33 Clint Bowyer 166.334 - AVG 20 laps @ 160.829
3) #99 Carl Edwards 165.911 - AVG 16 laps @ 162.230
4) #24 Jeff Gordon 165.908 - AVG 16 laps @ 161.886
5) #29 Kevin Harvick 165.810 - AVG 20 laps @ 158.487
Happy Hour: Final Practice Session - Top Speeds
1) #48 Jimmie Johnson 165.795 - AVG 24 laps @ 162.896
2) #29 Kevin Harvick 165.417 - AVG 21 laps @ 161.998
3) #5 Mark Martin 165.189 - AVG 28 laps @ 162.385
4) #44 A.J. Allmendinger 164.932 - AVG 31 laps @ 161.808
5) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr 164.893 - AVG 24 laps @ 161.470 ?
Top 10 rated drivers for Pocono based on Practice with a mix of Indy and past Pocono practice and results.
1) Jimmie Johnson
2) Mark Martin
3) Jeff Gordon
4) Juan Pablo Montoya
5) Kasey Kahne
6) Clint Bowyer
7) Ryan Newman
8) Tony Stewart
9) Kevin Harvick
10) Denny Hamlin
Pennsylvania 500 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 7/31/2009
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader Tony Stewart will try for a sweep in the Keystone State as NSCS returns to the “Tricky Triangle” of Pocono Raceway this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. for the Pennsylvania 500.
Gamblers interested in backing the June winner Stewart (6/1) should note that since 1974 there have been eight season sweeps at Pocono, but only twice in the past ten years. Denny Hamlin was the last driver to accomplish this feat in 2006 while Johnson swept in 2004.
Who will win the 2009 Pennsylvania 500?
Thanks to a Juan Pablo Montoya pit-row speeding penalty at the Allstate 400 last week Johnson won his second consecutive Allstate 400 (and his last since Allstate has declined to renew its sponsorship on the IMS NASCAR race next year). No other NASCAR driver has won the race back-to-back. Johnson picked up 20 points on Stewart, but remains in second place -190 points behind Smoke.
A few questions need to be asked after last weekend. Notably does it really matter if Johnson catches Stewart before the Chase? Will Kyle Busch suck-it-up his 38th place finish last week sent him tumbling out of the Chase from tenth place to 14th place and -82 points behind Matt Kenseth for 12th?
I’ll answer the questions in order. It does not matter if Johnson is in second or fifth or 12th place when the Chase begins. If Johnson makes the Chase he has 30-points bonus for his three wins and is almost a lock to win his fourth NSCS Championship. Busch will need to adjust to adversity better than he has. Who knows perhaps he got some bad juju from smashing that custom made Les Paul in Nashville because he hasn’t won a race since that incident.
Things most likely won’t get any better for “Rowdy” Busch who is set at 10/1 to win the Pennsylvania 500. This must be an over-sight, or an obvious sucker play since Busch has been awful at Pocono. Busch has only finished in the top-ten twice in nine starts. In June he finished 22nd an improvement over 43 rd he earned last August. Combined with Busch’s spate of recent bad luck, he cut a tire last week and finished IMS 38th, my gut feeling tells me to stay away from backing the No. 18 car until further notice. We’ll see, but if Busch doesn’t finish well at Pocono I have doubts he can make the Chase.
It is to believe that Rousch Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards has not won this season; 20 consecutive NSCS races and the closest he’s been to winning is second at Pocono in June. Had Stewart run out of fuel as most fans thought, Edwards would have won, but that didn’t happen. Stewart got his first win as an owner-driver and Edwards, well; he’s still in fifth place in the standings and already has two wins at Pocono. Edwards won this race last August and also in June 2005. In nine starts he’s notched four top-fives, and five top-10 finishes.
Why I like Edwards on Sunday is that he has a lot of incentive to win some races before the Chase since NASCAR awards 10-points bonus for each season win after the points reset and he needs all the bonus points he can get to keep up with Johnson and Stewart. I also like his relationship with crew chief Bob Osborne. Osborne plays the fuel-strategy game as well as anyone and at a track like Pocono it is easily the difference between winning and running out of gas. Finally, Edwards will be using the same car he used in June. The No. 99 Ford was one of the best cars on the track that day and I see no reason why that should change on Sunday.
Pick! Carl Edwards, No. 99, (9/1)
2009 Pennsylvania 500 - Lucky Dog Long Odds Special
Reutimann is one of those drivers who don’t really hear about but actually has a legitimate shot to make the Chase. Reutimann comes to Pocono with a ton of incentive; he is currently ranked 13th and is -68 points from 12th place. In June Reutimann parlayed a winning fuel-strategy into a third place finish behind Edwards and race winner Stewart. If you don’t follow NASCAR you might not be aware that Reutimann has had an excellent year for Michael Waltrip Racing. He won the Coca Cola 600 and recorded four top-fives and six top-ten finishes in twenty starts this season. Reutimann finished the Allstate 400 in eighth place and will need another strong showing this week at Pocono to keep his Chase alive. If you are looking to back a driver who should be in the lead pack on the last lap look no further than the No. 00 Aarons Dream Machine.
Pick! David Reutimann, No. 00, (12/1)
2009 Pennsylvania 500- Odds for Top 3 Finish
For some reason I always love to pick Denny Hamlin (9/4) to come in the top-three at Pocono and every-time I do something happens and backing Hamlin proves costly. So this time I like two-time Pocono winner Kurt Busch. The elder Busch is in fourth place in the NCSC standings and looks to improve on his 37th place finish in June’s Pocono 500. A poor race for the “Blue Deuce” at Pocono and now Busch will drive Penske Championship Racing’s “Hot Rod;” the PRS-594 Dodge Charger. This is the same car he drove at the Kobalt Tools 500 in March at Atlanta Motor Speedway. “Hot Rod” led 234 of 330 laps and was easily the fastest car on the track. I expect similar results on Sunday.
Pick! Kurt Busch, No. 2, (17/4)