Pocono 500 preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
It’s time to take a stroll through the scenic Pocono Mountains as we get ready for this weeks race on the “Tricky Triangle” of Pocono Raceway. This will be the first of two races held at one of the more popular East coast vacation destinations. The unique thing about Pocono, other than being surrounded by such beauty, is that the 2.5 mile triangular track has a different degree of banking around all three of the turns.
In turn one, drivers can kind of hug the 14 degrees of banking with minimal breaking and fly through on their way to turn two where a little more breaking is needed because of only degrees of banking, but they can run through rather quickly because of the angle of the turn, which is vastly different from the other two. In turn three, there is only six degrees of banking and the turn is as tricky as any of the three. Whoever is able to master all three turns by getting in and out of the turns fastest, along with winning the drag race down each long straight, usually wins the race.
While Pocono’s layout is more unique than any other on the circuit, the cars running on it make it kind of boring. I only say that because I remember how they used to run at Pocono. It used to be called the Superspeedway that runs like a road course, and it actually did. When drivers would come into that tricky turn three, the good ones would down shift which helped keep the RPM’s up, while also helping break around the turn. As of 2005, downshifting was no longer part of the Pocono equation. NASCAR mandated a single gear ratio for all cars which took some of the fun out of the race because it took some of the driver skill out of the equation.
Now the race is strictly a horsepower track and to better get a feel who the top candidates to win this week, we can look at Charlotte from two weeks ago, but not necessarily the race results. Because the race was rain shortened, the final results don’t reflect who actually had the best car. We’ll base a lot of who we take this on what happened in the final Charlotte practice session along with what teams currently have their acts together.
Kasey Kahne won this race last season from the pole after winning at Charlotte two weeks prior. Kahne led the most laps and was in control for almost the entire race. Fast-foward to 2009 and Kahne’s season is almost mirroring 2008. He didn’t win at Charlotte, although he had a good enough to had it went 600 miles, or even 400 for that matter. Up until Charlotte last season, Kahne had struggled just like this year.
Last week at Dover, Kahne debuted the new Dodge engine for the Petty team that has been run by Kurt Busch and the other Penske drivers. All indications show the engine was a success with a 6th place finish at Dover. We’ve seen a huge change with Busch since Penske switched and the added horsepower should be a welcome sight at Pocono this week. There is some risk however, because of the high RPM’s that will be run at Pocono compared to Dover.
Brian Vickers was fast in Charlotte practice and in the race before it rained. He easily had the best car that day on the long runs and it reflected that way in practice that saw him run the 2nd most laps with great average speed times. Last season he finished second to Kahne in this Pocono race and led the race with 15 laps to go. Vickers’ team has struggled on many of the smaller tracks, but there is no doubt that they have things figured out on the horsepower tracks. They’ll be fast this week and he should be able to be found at a pretty good price of over 20 to 1 to win the race. It’s not a Brad Keselowski or David Reutimann at odds of 65 to 1, who have already won this year, but 20 to 1 is still a good score.
Tony Stewart is now your new points leader and it doesn’t look like he’s going away anytime soon. He came in with another 2nd place finish last week at Dover giving him six top 5 finishes in 13 races this season. He won the non-points all-star race in Charlotte, but is still looking for his teams first official win. Stewart was one of the drivers who excelled on the old format because he was able to use some of his road course downshifting skills around turn three. He has one win on the track and if he’s to win this week, it’ll likely be in the same fashion as all his other hard charges this year that will see him come from no where in the last 40 laps and push for the win. By the way, Stewart is the first car owner/driver to leads the season points since Alan Kulwicki in 1992.
Ironically, the last year Stewart won at Pocono was the last year his teammate Ryan Newman won there. 2003 was a long time ago, but it’s come full circle again as both cars are running excellent right now. Newman may be a bit more higher rated before this race than Stewart just because of how well they practiced in Charlotte. They ran the most laps of the final practice session and had the best average times over everyone. They didn’t run as well early on in the Coca-Cola as Vickers did, but it may have been that the car was set up optimally for the sun going down. Newman has climbed all the way to 5th in the standings.
The entire Hendrick Motorsports crew will be good this week beginning with last weeks winner, Jimmie Johnson. A Hendrick driver has won four of the last five races up to this point after getting zero in the first eight races of the season.
Johnson swept the 2004 season at Pocono, the last year using the old gear ratio and last season finished 6th and 3rd. This is about the time of year when Johnson kicks it into overdrive and gets into his Championship mode. He’s looking for his 4th consecutive title this season, and what could have been possibly 6 straight because he was the best in the two previous years before finally winning in 2006.
Mark Martin has never won at Pocono in 44 starts, but does have six 2nd place finishes giving him the distinction of having the most 2nd places at a track without a win. Based on how they looked at Charlotte coming into that race, that could change this week. Martin will not be short of horsepower by any means.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a new crew chief in Lance McGrew who will have a chassis set up perfectly for Junior this week. Getting the car prepared amid the chief change last week was a work in progress last week at Dover, but they still came up with a quality 12th place finish. The entire Hendrick organization is putting their collectve minds together to get Junior into the chase and having cars capable of getting him there. Only 13 races remain until the field is set for the chase and I wouldn’t count them out yet. Look for a good run this week, maybe not a win just yet, but a top 10.
Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin will be the prized Gibbs entries this week. Hamlin swept the 2006 season and Kyle has been in contention several times to get a win for the first time on one of the few tracks he’s yet to win on yet.
TOP 5 Finish Prediction
1) #83 Brian Vickers (20/1)
2) #5 Mark Martin (12/1)
3) #9 Kasey Kahne (18/1)
4) #18 Kyle Busch (6/1)
5) #48 Jimmie Johnson (6/1)
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)
# Two wins, seven top fives, eight top 10s
# Average finish of 15.7
# Average Running Position of 10.1, second-best
# Driver Rating of 106.8, second-best
# Series-high 209 Fastest Laps Run
# Average Green Flag Speed of 159.147 mph, third-fastest
# 1,117 Laps in the Top 15 (74.0%), fifth-most
# 271 Quality Passes, 10th-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
# Two wins, three top fives, four top 10s
# Average finish of 14.3
# Driver Rating of 95.7, seventh-best
# 94 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 158.568 mph, 13th-fastest
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
# Four wins, 15 top fives, 22 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 10.3
# Average Running Position of 11.9, seventh-best
# Driver Rating of 95.3, eighth-best
# Series-high 657 Green Flag Passes
# Average Green Flag Speed of 158.761 mph, sixth-fastest
# 1,016 Laps in the Top 15 (67.3%), eighth-most
# 313 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
# Two wins, four top fives, five top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 6.2
# Series-best Average Running Position of 6.5
# Series-best Driver Rating of 123.6
# 201 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
# Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 159.808 mph
# 1,002 Laps in the Top 15 (90.6%), ninth-most
# 266 Quality Passes, 11th-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)
# Two wins, five top fives, nine top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 9.8
# Average Running Position of 11.0, fifth-best
# Driver Rating of 100.8, fourth-best
# 53 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 159.152 mph, second-fastest
# 1,144 Laps in the Top 15 (75.8%), third-most
# 312 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet)
# 19 top fives, 31 top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 10.7
# Average Running Position of 11.3, sixth-best
# Driver Rating of 98.2, fifth-best
# 66 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 158.993 mph, fifth-fastest
# 1,165 Laps in the Top 15 (77.2%), second-most
# 297 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet)
# One win, five top fives, six top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 13.9
# Average Running Position of 10.6, third-best
# Driver Rating of 96.8, sixth-best
# 578 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 158.706 mph, seventh-fastest
# 1,132 Laps in the Top 15 (75.0%), fourth-most
# 334 Quality Passes, third-most
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet)
# One win, six top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 13.0
# Average Running Position of 10.9, fourth-best
# Driver Rating of 102.4, third-best
# 43 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
# 593 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 159.050 mph, fourth-fastest
# Series-high 1,182 Laps in the Top 15 (78.3%)
# Series-high 354 Quality Passes
Brian Vickers (No. 83 Red Bull Toyota)
# Four top fives, four top 10s
# Average finish of 14.5
# Average Running Position of 11.9, eighth-best
# Driver Rating of 95.0, ninth-best
# 68 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 158.572 mph, 12th-fastest
# 1,083 Laps in the Top 15 (71.7%), sixth-most
# 294 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Odds and Ends - Pocono
VegasInsider.com
History
# Opened in 1968 as a three-quarter-mile track, Pocono Raceway held the first race on the 2.5-mile track in 1971.
# The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was in 1974.
Notebook
# There have been 62 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono Raceway.
# There was one race from 1974 through 1981, and two per year since.
# All NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono have been scheduled for 500 miles. By design, the inaugural race was run to a length of 480 miles due to the energy crisis.
# Buddy Baker won the first pole at Pocono.
# There have been 35 different pole winners at Pocono, including David Pearson who won the pole there in June 1984 but did not race. Only 15 drivers have more than one pole there.
# There have been 21 pole winners in the last 26 races. Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne (two each) are the only repeat pole winners there since 1995. Qualifying was canceled once.
# The pole has been swept just three times: Bill Elliott (1985), Ken Schrader (1993), Denny Hamlin (2006).
# Richard Petty won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono.
# 28 different drivers have won races at Pocono, led by Bill Elliott with five victories; 19 drivers have won more than once there.
# There have been 14 different race winners in the 18 races since Bobby Labonte swept in 1999. Jimmie Johnson swept 2004 and Denny Hamlin 2006. Kurt Busch won the July race in 2005 and 2007. Carl Edwards won the June 2005 race and the August 2008 race.
# There have been six season sweeps at Pocono, including two of the past five seasons.
# Bobby Allison and Tim Richmond each won three consecutive races at Pocono.
# 45 of 62 Pocono races have been won from a top-10 start; 13 by the pole winner.
# The June 2005 race was won by Carl Edwards from the 29th starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started.
# Rick Hendrick leads all car owners with 11 Pocono victories.
# There have been two green-white-checkered finishes: June 2005 (201 laps) and July 2005 (203 laps).
# Denny Hamlin won his first two races at Pocono, claiming both victories from the pole. His 6.2 average finish there is the best of any driver with more than one start at the track
NASCAR in Pennsylvania
# There have been 97 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Pennsylvania.
# 136 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Pennsylvania.
# There are three race winners from Pennsylvania in NASCAR’s three national series:
Pocono Raceway Data
Race #: 14 of 36 (6-7-09)
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 123.6
Kurt Busch 106.8
Tony Stewart 102.4
Jimmie Johnson 100.8
Mark Martin 98.2
Ryan Newman 96.8
Carl Edwards 95.7
Jeff Gordon 95.3
Brian Vickers 95.0
Kevin Harvick 90.8
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2008 races (8 total) at Pocono.
Qualifying/Race Data
2008 pole winner: Kasey Kahne (170.219 mph, 52.873 seconds)
2008 race winner: Kasey Kahne, 125.209 mph, 6-8-08)
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
Driver To Win Pocono 500
Jimmie Johnson +455
Kyle Busch +700
Denny Hamlin +750
Carl Edwards +800
Jeff Gordon +825
Tony Stewart +1050
Mark Martin +1050
Kasey Kahne +1250
Greg Biffle +1250
Kurt Busch +1300
Matt Kenseth +1800
Ryan Newman +1950
Dale Earnhardt Jr +2800
Brian Vickers +2800
Jeff Burton +3750
Kevin Harvick +3750
Clint Bowyer +3750
Martin Truex Jr +3750
Jamie McMurray +4850
David Ragan +4850
David Reutimann +4850
Juan Montoya +5350
Joey Logano +5350
Field +1850
Pocono 500 PreQ
Through the first 13 races Mark Martin has already won two races and currently sits in the 12th and final position to compete in the Chase for the Championship. Martin had a rough start to the season but has been spectacular recording seven top 10s in the last nine races. He heads into the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway rated as the No. 1 driver on our PreQ forecast. He has been solid at Pocono in recent seasons posting four consecutive top 10 finishes. He also runs well on the flat-banked superspeedways averaging a 10th place finish in the last three starts. Martin has been on a roll and should be able to keep it going this weekend. Add the #5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet to your lineup for this race.
It took a while for Ryan Newman to get accustomed with his new #39 U.S. Army Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet. In the first eight races Newman posted a pair of top 10s. In the last five events he has posted five top 10s with four of those being top 5 finishes as he ranks fifth in the point standings. He has run well at Pocono in his career recording a 14th place average finish in 14 career starts with one win and six top 10s. Newman has been coming on strong and could contend for his first win since the Daytona 500 last season.
Kasey Kahne had a rough stretch from Martinsville to Darlington (6 races) in which he failed to record a top 10 finish. Kahne has run much better over the last two events and is looking to keep the momentum going at Pocnon, where he hs performed well in his career. Kahne has back-to-back top 10s at Lowe’s and Dover. He is also the defending race champion while also posting a 7th place finish in the second race at the track. Kahne needs to keep it going if he is going to work his way into the Chase for the Championship. A win would go a long way for the #9 Budweiser Dodge.
One of the surprise drivers of the first third of the season has to be David Reutimann. He got the win in the rain shortened Coca-Cola 600 moving all the way into the 13th position in the point standings. He has just three top 10s on the season but also has just one finish outside the top 30 in the first 13 races. Reutimann, however, has not run that well at Pocono in his short career averaging a 32nd place finish in four starts with just one finish in the top 20 (19th place). Reutimann has been running much better this season but this is a track where he has struggled. He gets the “buyer beware” label for the race.
It has been an up-and-down season for Kyle Busch. He does have three wins to his name but has also has five finishes outside the top 20 including two in the last three races. Busch has had his problems at Pocono in his career as well averaging a 22nd place finish in eight career starts. He has two top 10 finishes at the track with three finishes coming outside the top 30. Last season Busch had his worst performances of his career finishing 43rd and 36th in the two events. We would avoid Busch for the Pocono 500.
profantasysports.com
Pocono 500 Driver Rating
Tony Stewart and his Stewart-Haas Racing team arrive at Pocono Raceway this Sunday with a history-making NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point lead. Stewart is the first owner-driver in the series to lead the series championship standings in 17 years. The last time an owner-driver led the series points was on November 15, 1992, when Alan Kulwicki won the series championship over Bill Elliott. “Everybody respected Alan because he was an owner-driver and what he was able to accomplish,” Stewart said. “It was a little bit before I was really a die-hard NASCAR guy.”
Stewart was a 21-year-old focused on his USAC Sprint Car and Midget career when Kulwicki won the 1992 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. “You know, you go through a time and you’re able to go back and look at how the history of the sport has evolved and what milestones and moments shaped the sport to what it is,” Stewart said. “So it’s a pretty cool moment to have your organization mentioned with his organization.” Stewart is excited about the progress of his team, and teammate Ryan Newman. “I’m proud of our organization ... I’m proud of (Director of Competition) Bobby Hutchens, I’m proud of (crew chief) Darian Grubb, I’m proud of our teammate Ryan Newman, and (Newman’s crew chief) Tony Gibson and our entire organization,” Stewart said in sharing the credit for the team’s successful launch.
Newman arrives at Pocono fifth in series points riding five consecutive top-10 finishes and seven top 10s through the first 13 events of 2009. Newman also won the first pole for Stewart-Haas Racing for last month’s Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway where he finished second. Both drivers have enjoyed success at Pocono, both in 2003. Stewart won the spring Pocono 500, while Newman won the summer Pennsylvania 500 from the pole. Newman also won a Pocono pole in 2007, while Stewart won a pole at Pocono in 2000.
profantasysports.com
Driver Handicaps: Pocono
Racingone.com
This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway for Sunday's Pocono 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
• Defending event winner Kasey Kahne posted an avearage finish of 4.0 in the two races in 2008.
• Denny Hamlin has two wins and a 6.2 average finish in six starts.
• Jeff Gordon has four wins and leads all drivers with 870 laps led.
• Mark Martin leads all drivers with 31 top-10 finishes.
• Two-time winner Jimmie Johnson has finished in the top 10 in five of his last six starts.
• Carl Edwards posted two top 10s in 2008, including a win in the August race.
• Tony Stewart has finished seventh or better in six of his last seven starts.
Keep an Eye on at Pocono
• Ryan Newman will make his first start in a Chevrolet at Pocono, a track where he has one win and six top 10s.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted an 8.0 average finish in 2008 at Pocono.
• Brian Vickers finished second in this event last year at Pocono.
• Kurt Busch has posted a 10.1 average running position in the last eight races at Pocono.
• Matt Kenseth posted a 9.0 average finish at Pocono in 2008.
• Kevin Harvick has the best average finish over the last eight races at Pocono.
Qualifying Tidbits
The pole position at Pocono has produced the most winners (13) of any other starting position at the track. Kasey Kahne is the last driver to win from the pole when he won last year's Pocono 500. Three other race winners from the pole will join Kahne in the race this Sunday including Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin, who swept both 2006 races from the pole. Bill Elliott and Ken Schrader lead all drivers with five poles each at Pocono. Thirteen former pole winners will be in the field attempting to qualify for this year's Pocono 500. Carl Edwards won the 2005 Pocono 500 from the furthest back of any winner - 29th - and is also the only driver within the last 17 races to win a race from a starting position outside the top 20. Only four races have been won from a starting position outside the top 20. Past Pole Winners | Starting Positions of Pocono Winners
RacingOne Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Tony Stewart
Pete Pistone: Carl Edwards
Rachael West: Mark Martin
Kym Opalenik: Denny Hamlin
Top 20 Driver Notes - Ordered by Current Standings
1. Tony Stewart: In 10 Pocono starts, Stewart has one victory and 14 top-10 finishes. Stewart ended a four-race streak of finishing 27th or worse in the 2005 July race when he finished seventh. He ended a five race streak of finishing seventh or better in this event last year after a pit road speeding penalty knocked him back to 35th. Stewart rebounded in the August race when he finished second in his last track start with Joe Gibbs Racing. This weekend Stewart will drive chassis No. 425 in his Pocono debut with Stewart-Haas Racing. This is the same car that battled back from two laps down to finish eighth at Atlanta.
2. Jeff Gordon: In 32 starts at Pocono Raceway, Gordon has captured four wins, two poles, 15 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes. His most recent victory came in the 2007 June event when he led 26 laps from the 18th starting position in the rain-shortened race. His last of four Pocono DNF's came in the 2006 June race after he lost the brakes and crashed hard into the Turn 1 wall. Gordon, who finished 14th and 10th at Pocono in 2008, leads all drivers in laps led at the track with 870.
3. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson swept the Pocono Raceway events in 2004, leading 63 percent of the laps there that season. His 42nd-place finish in the 2007 June race ended a streak of 10 consecutive top 15-finishes at the track. Johnson was able to rebound in the last three races with respective finishes of fifth, sixth and third, which lowered his overall average to 9.8. This weekend, Johnson will be back in the same car he drove to a 13th-place finish in last month's All-Star race.
4. Kurt Busch: Busch captured his first win at Pocono Raceway in the 2005 July race in his last track start with Roush Racing. In his previous nine starts at the speedway with Roush, Busch posted four top-five finishes, with a pair of runner-ups in the July event in 2002 and 2003. Since joining Penske Racing in 2006, Busch has put together an average finish of 11.2, which includes a win in the 2007 August race. This weekend, Busch will be back in the same car (chassis No. 594) that won at Atlanta in March.
5. Ryan Newman: In this event in 2007, Newman recorded his fifth top five in 14 starts with a second-place finish after starting from the pole. The other time he started from the pole he won the race (July 2003) after leading 88 laps. Newman has led in nine Pocono races for a total of 161 laps. This weekend, Newman will debut a new car (chassis No. 506) in his Pocono debut with Stewart-Haas Racing.
6. Kyle Busch: Last year, Kyle Busch did not have much luck in his first two Pocono starts with Joe Gibbs Racing. He finished 43rd in this event after he made contact with Jamie McMurray in the early going of the race. In the August race, Busch started 27th and finished 36th. In his previous six starts with Hendrick Motorsports at the 2.5-mile track, Busch posted two top-10 finishes. This weekend, Busch will be driving the same car (chassis No. 223) that finished 24th at Martinsville after a blown tire and pit road speeding penalties.
7. Denny Hamlin: In 2006, Hamlin became the sixth driver in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history to sweep both races at Pocono Raceway. He led a combined 234 laps en route to the victories, both of which he started from the pole. In the next three races, Hamlin posted an average finish of 4.0 before finishing 23rd last August. During his career at Pocono, Hamlin has posted an average running position of 6.5 during the races.
8. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has posted eight top-10 finishes in 18 starts at Pocono Raceway. His last top 10 came in this event last year when he finished seventh. In 2005, he finished 30th or worse in both Pocono races for the first time in one season. Kenseth, who has led in nine races for 32 laps, has a 14.2 finishing average at the 2.5-mile track.
9. Greg Biffle: Since scoring his second top 10 at Pocono Raceway with a sixth-place finish in the 2006 June race, Biffle has posted an average finish of 21.0. His other top 10 came in the 2004 July event when he finished fourth. This weekend, Biffle will return in the same car (chassis No. 585) that finished 15th and 13th, respectively, at Pocono in 2008.
10. Jeff Burton: In 2006, Burton turned around his luck at Pocono Raceway with a pair of ninth-place finishes, which ended a streak of finishing 19th or worse in the four previous races. Last year in this event, he finished fifth in his seventh track start with Richard Childress Racing. His last start resulted in a 21st-place finish. All but four of his 14 top-10 finishes came with Roush Racing from 1996-2004. This weekend, Burton will race the same car (chassis No. 271) that most recently finished 12th at Darlington Raceway.
11. Carl Edwards: In 2005, Edwards won the June event in his first career start at Pocono Raceway. He won the race from the 29th starting position, which is the furthest back a driver has started and won a race at the 2.5-mile track. The victory was also the first for owner Jack Roush at Pocono. Edwards' two other top 10s came in his last two starts, which included another win last August. This weekend, Edwards will return in the same car (chassis No. 558) that he finished 33rd with at Lowe's Motor Speedway last fall after a parts failure.
12. Mark Martin: Martin has yet to visit Victory Lane at Pocono Raceway in 44 starts. However, he leads all drivers with 19 top fives and 31 top 10s. This weekend he will shoot for his first Pocono win by driving the same car (chassis No. 538) that won at Phoenix.
13. David Reutimann: Pocono Raceway is Reutimann's worst track on the circuit, in which he's made more than two starts, based on his 32.0 average finish. His best finish came in this event last season in 19th.
14. Kasey Kahne: Last year in this event, Kahne captured his first win at Pocono Raceway after leading 69 laps from the pole. Kahne's first pole at the track came in his first start in 2004 when he set the qualifying record. His seventh-place finish last August marked his fourth top 10 in 10 starts.
15. Juan Pablo Montoya: Montoya has yet to finish in the top 10 in four starts at Pocono Raceway. His best start and finish came at the second Pocono event of 2007. He qualified ninth and finished in the 16th position. This weekend, Montoya will pilot the same car (chassis No. 805) that finished 31st at Las Vegas after being involved in a wreck.
16. Clint Bowyer: Last year in this event, Bowyer recorded his second finish of 39th or worse at Pocono Raceway after he made hard contact with the inside retaining wall coming off Turn 3. He was able to rebound in the August race, finishing sixth for his third top 10. Bowyer's worst finish, of 41st, came in the 2006 July race when Tony Stewart made contact with his No. 07 Chevrolet on the front stretch early in the race. NASCAR penalized Stewart one lap for aggressive driving after the accident, which saw Bowyer slide down into Carl Edwards before it was over. This weekend, Bowyer will return in the same car (chassis No. 226) that finished 11th at Dover.
17. Brian Vickers: Even with respective finishes of 35th and 29th in 2007, and a 28th-place run last August with Team Red Bull, Pocono Raceway still remains Vickers' third best track on the circuit based on finishing average (14.5). Last year in this event, he scored his fourth top five at Pocono with his second runner-up finish at the track. Prior to that finish, his other three top fives came with Hendrick Motorsports in 2005 and 2006.
18. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: In the 2007 August race, Earnhardt Jr. ended a streak of six consecutive finishes outside the top 10 with a runner-up finish from the pole. The finish was his fourth top five in 16 Pocono starts with Dale Earnhardt Inc. Last year in this event, Earnhardt Jr. scored a top-five finish (fourth) in his first track start with Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt Jr. would go on to finish 12th in the July race where he led one lap. This weekend, Junior will return in the same car (chassis No. 521) that finished 36th last October at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
19. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex has competed in six races at Pocono Raceway. His third-place finish in the 2007 June race is his best to date. Last year, Truex finished 17th and 15th, respectively.
20. Marcos Ambrose: Ambrose will be making his first career Sprint Cup Series start at Pocono Raceway.
Pocono 500 HOT! Sheet
One of the nice surprises for fantasy owners in the first half of the “regular season” was Joey Logano. After struggling a little bit in the early going, the likely rookie of the year driver is making his way up in the standings. He had 9th place finishes at Talladega, Darlington and Charlotte. He also led at least one lap in each of those events. He’s coming off of a solid top 15 at Dover. Although he hasn’t raced at this level at Pocono, we’ve seen what first timers can do at this track. We think he’ll keep that trend going this weekend.
Although he hasn’t won since taking the first two races of the year, Matt Kenseth is still getting it done for his fantasy owners. As you can see on our chart, in the last three races he is averaging an 8th place finish. At Darlington, he gained a rare pole position (only the 4th of his career). He turned it in to a 10th place run. He repeated 10th place in the rain-shortened event in Charlotte. Last week he led for a while and went home 4th. He has always run better in the first Pocono race, so get him if you can.
Ditto can be said about Jimmie Johnson. He’s one of the most expensive drivers in all leagues, but he is worth the price tag. The three-time defending series champion has led at least one lap in every race this season except two (Daytona and Richmond). As illustrated below, the #48 team has an average finish of about 5th in the last three events. He is coming off a dominating victory at Dover. If you don’t have him on your roster this weekend, you shouldn’t be playing.
At the other end of the spectrum this week is his teammate, Jeff Gordon. In the last six races, he has not looked like the dominator that he was in the first seven. The result has been a fall from first place in the standings. The “rainbow warriors” are coming off of a weekend that they’ll remember for all the wrong reasons. He wrecked during qualifying, and eventually would take his backup car home two laps down in 26th. He has four wins on the triangle, so we’re not saying sit him. But he gets our “buyer beware” label.
Ever since starting the season with two top 15s, Michael Waltrip has gone nowhere but down. In the eleven races since then, he has only one top 20 (13th at Martinsville). His average finish in the last three weeks is 35th. The Monster bit him at Dover as he made it only 250 laps before engine trouble knocked him out in 35th. He hasn’t finished on the lead lap here in the last five trips. Last August he went home in last place. There is no way he should be on anybody’s team right now.
profantasysports.com
Pocono Qualifying Rained Out
Racingone.com
NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying for the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway has been cancelled due to rain. The field will be lined-up based on points and that will put Tony Stewart on the pole.
Stewart will start from the No. 1 spot for the second time in 21 starts at Pocono after taking the series points lead last weekend at Dover.
Four-time Pocono winner Jeff Gordon will start second with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson in third.
"Days like today are really actually relaxing," Johnson said about the rain. "At home there's a lot going on. At the track, I usually catch up on emails and phone calls and catch up with friends and stuff like that. I'll just sit around and hopefully not eat too much."
Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman will round out the top five on Sunday.
Two Sprint Cup Series practice sessions are scheduled for Saturday with the first starting at 10 a.m. (ET).
Pocono 500 HOT! Sheet
One of the nice surprises for fantasy owners in the first half of the “regular season” was Joey Logano. After struggling a little bit in the early going, the likely rookie of the year driver is making his way up in the standings. He had 9th place finishes at Talladega, Darlington and Charlotte. He also led at least one lap in each of those events. He’s coming off of a solid top 15 at Dover. Although he hasn’t raced at this level at Pocono, we’ve seen what first timers can do at this track. We think he’ll keep that trend going this weekend.
Although he hasn’t won since taking the first two races of the year, Matt Kenseth is still getting it done for his fantasy owners. As you can see on our chart, in the last three races he is averaging an 8th place finish. At Darlington, he gained a rare pole position (only the 4th of his career). He turned it in to a 10th place run. He repeated 10th place in the rain-shortened event in Charlotte. Last week he led for a while and went home 4th. He has always run better in the first Pocono race, so get him if you can.
Ditto can be said about Jimmie Johnson. He’s one of the most expensive drivers in all leagues, but he is worth the price tag. The three-time defending series champion has led at least one lap in every race this season except two (Daytona and Richmond). As illustrated below, the #48 team has an average finish of about 5th in the last three events. He is coming off a dominating victory at Dover. If you don’t have him on your roster this weekend, you shouldn’t be playing.
At the other end of the spectrum this week is his teammate, Jeff Gordon. In the last six races, he has not looked like the dominator that he was in the first seven. The result has been a fall from first place in the standings. The “rainbow warriors” are coming off of a weekend that they’ll remember for all the wrong reasons. He wrecked during qualifying, and eventually would take his backup car home two laps down in 26th. He has four wins on the triangle, so we’re not saying sit him. But he gets our “buyer beware” label.
Ever since starting the season with two top 15s, Michael Waltrip has gone nowhere but down. In the eleven races since then, he has only one top 20 (13th at Martinsville). His average finish in the last three weeks is 35th. The Monster bit him at Dover as he made it only 250 laps before engine trouble knocked him out in 35th. He hasn’t finished on the lead lap here in the last five trips. Last August he went home in last place. There is no way he should be on anybody’s team right now.
profantasysports.com
Stewart forced to use backup car
ESPN.com
LONG POND, Pa. -- Points leader Tony Stewart went from the pole for Sunday's Sprint Cup race to the back of the field as fast as you can say spinout in Turn 2.
The two-time Cup champion crashed his primary car in Saturday's first practice, forcing him to go to a backup car. Under NASCAR rules he must go to the back of the field.
"I went off into the grass, but I hit the right front of the splitter with I guess one of the access roads or something and ripped the whole nose off of it," Stewart said.
Stewart was on the pole because the field was set by points after Friday's qualifying was rained out. Competition director Bobby Hutchens said the backup is identical to the primary and "we should be ok."
Stewart said he had confidence in the backup and was set to try it out at the second practice later in the day.
"This car will be good, it's just that we're losing on the racetrack right now," Stewart said.
He posted the third-fastest practice time on Saturday, running a lap of 166.701 mph. Jimmie Johnson topped the first practice with a lap of 167.607.
Stewart's second-place finish at Dover shot him to the top of the Sprint Cup standings, 46 points ahead of Jeff Gordon. Stewart is the first driver/owner to lead the points since Alan Kulwicki won the 1992 Cup championship, a span of 556 races.
Stewart is trying to become the first owner/driver to win a race since Ricky Rudd at Martinsville in 1998.
Hamlin,Newman,Biffle looked good in both practices and Stewart was fast in his back up car.
Pocono 500 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard
Even Jimmie Johnson's win last Sunday couldn't keep Tony Stewart, rookie co-owner of team Stewart-Hass racing, from taking over the Sprint Cup standings by 46-points. "Smoke" finished second at Dover, good enough for the lead and great momentum as NASCAR heads to where the host is the most; the Pocono's and the Pocono 500 in Long Pond, Pa. this Sunday at 2 p.m.
True to the slogan, the Pocono 500 has a bit of everything that racing purists and crash junkies lust for in stock-car racing. In the modern racing era in Pennsylvania from 2001-2008 the Pocono 500 has averaged 19 lead changes and run about 30 laps under seven yellow flags. In that same time span drivers have averaged 53 laps on green flags.
So get a cooler of your favorite libations iced up, pick a car and go online. One of the few ways I can think of to make Sunday afternoon just a little bit better (my apologies to the Milwaukee's Best models) is a judicious sports investment at your favorite off-shore parlor. For the column's purposes Bodog has provided the odds for the Pocono 500.
Who will win the 2009 Pocono 500?
Dover lived up to its billing as Stewart and Johnson dueled it out to the end of last Sunday's race until Johnson passed smoke with two laps to go to secure 190 points and his second win of the season. Johnson moved into third pace in the Sprint Cup standings behind teammate Jeff Gordon in second and newly-minted leader Stewart, who earned 175-points for his second-place finish.
Meanwhile, Kurt Busch had another great race last week at Dover where the older Busch finished fifth while his "Rowdy" brother Kyle finished off the lead lap. After Dover Kurt is -91 points out and that is good enough for fourth place in the Sprint Cup Standings. The good news, however, for Kurt, is that the "Blue Deuce" performs well at Pocono. Busch has raced 16 times at Pocono and has won twice. These are included in his seven Top-5s and eight Top-10s, but he has failed to finish three events and last year he finished eighth in the June race and 38th in August. At 11/1 I'll pass.
Currently there are 10 active drivers that have won and are entered in the Pocono 500. Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with four. Gordon is also the track's all-time lap leader. In 19 races at Pocono he has led a remarkable 870 laps. This year alone Gordon has amassed 1,154 points on Super-speedways alone, good enough for third in number of points on this type of track.
Johnson's SS Impala looked great at Dover and I expect more of the same this week. Johnson comes into Pocono with five Top 5s and nine Top-10s in 14 races. If Gordon is good on the super-speedway's Johnson is better. He has earned the most points on speedways this season at 1,226 and in the last four races at Pocono has three Top-10s in the past four races. Last June Johnson finished this race in sixth place and improved to 3rd in August. Of course, Johnson is always a threat to win but hasn't won at Pocono since he swept both races in 2004.
Gamblers should keep in mind that since the 2009 season began drivers have not raced on a track with a surface similar to the one at Pocono. If you are looking for an edge give a serious look at the drivers who were lucky enough to test the Goodyear's earlier this week. Those drivers were: Jeff Burton, Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, David Stremme, Kasey Kahne, Robby Gordon and Bill Elliott. These guys have been given a priceless preview of what they might expect on Sunday.
The way "Smoke" has been racing the last thing other drivers want to do is give Stewart any kind of edge. Now he has two. Qualifiers were rained out on Friday so the grid is set by points. This gives Stewart the added bonus of starting the race from the pole; which will make him very hard to beat on Sunday. Jeff Gordon will start second with Johnson and Kurt Busch rounding out the top four for Sunday's race. Last year's defending champion is Kasey Kahne, who was also the pole-sitter. In 20 starts at Pocono Stewart won once; June 2003 and sports six Top-5s and 14 Top-10 finishes.
Pick! Tony Stewart, No. 14, (10/1)
2009 Pocono 500 - Lucky Dog Long Odds Special
I like Brian Vickers in the Red Bull Toyota as my lucky dog long odds special for several reasons. Vickers has done remarkably well on intermediate tracks and of his four Top-10s at Pocono four were actually Top-5s. At Pocono Vickers has an average finish of 14.5, but has notched 13 total Top-5s on intermediate tracks and 29 Top-10s. Vickers also finished second in this race last year and in 2005. Something about Pocono agrees with Vickers (unlike last week at Dover when he qualified ninth but had a piss-poor car and finished 25th, which caused him to drop to 17th in the Sprint Cup standings). If Vickers hopes to make the Chase he'll have to have another very good finish in the Pocono's. Another tasty morsel might be taking Vickers at 8/1 to come in the Top 3 to finish this race if you think that asking him to win might be taking a bit too much for granted.
Pick! Brian Vickers, No. 83, 25/1
2009 Pocono 500 - Odds for Top 3 Finish
Much has been made of Carl Edward's disappointing season but I think a good argument could be made for Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin. When Stewart left JGR it was expected that Hamlin would help Kyle Busch bring home some more wins if not a Championship. But things have not gone as well as JGR and fans would like. Hamlin is coming off a very disappointing 36th-place finish at Dover last week. Aside from that, though, Hamlin has raced consistently this year, but for a driver with his talent I think that it is safe to say that he can do better to close out races. Hamlin has done very well at Pocono and even swept both races in 2006. Even more impressive is this stat: in six races Hamlin has finished in the Top-5 in four of those races.
Pick! Denny Hamlin, No. 11, (2/1)
Docsports.com
Pocono 500 Odds and Predictions
Gamblers should keep in mind that since the 2009 season began drivers have not raced on a track with a surface similar to the one at Pocono. If you are looking for an edge give a serious look at the drivers who were lucky enough to test the Goodyear's earlier this week. Those drivers were: Jeff Burton, Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, David Stremme, Kasey Kahne, Robby Gordon and Bill Elliott. These guys have been given a priceless preview of what they might expect on Sunday.
They tested at Indianapolis not Pocono this week and I don't think anything they learned at Indianapolis will help them one bit here.
Pocono Update
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
The Friday practice session at Pocono was wiped out along with qualifying, so Saturday’s two practice sessions became pivotal for all the teams to get their cars set up right for Sunday’s race. The early session was somewhat of a mini-test session for most teams tinkering and getting ready for the final set up in happy hour.
The happy hour session was the more pivotal of the two Saturday practices and is very telling to who will be fastest in Sunday’s race. Over the last few seasons, Pocono racing has changed dramatically because of the single gear ratio mandate in 2005. It’s a drag race more than ever, and the happy hour times may be more of a barometer to who will well at Pocono than any other track.
Last season in this race is the perfect example of how telling happy hour is. Seven of the top 10 in happy hour times finished in the top 10 on race day. Looking at the list of leaders based on single lap times and average times, it looks like the trend will continue Sunday.
Below is a list of the top rated cars based on those times along with a mix of 2009 history and past Pocono history.
Denny Hamlin brought a new car to Pocono hat will make it’s first start and after running a lot of laps in the first practice session and getting the 4th fastest lap, they laid down the fastest lap of happy hour along with the 2nd fastest average time in their 29 laps run, which was the second most run of the session. This car may not be as good as the one he swept Pocono with in 2006, as if any could be, but they are sitting on a fast car and should be favored to win Sunday.
Ryan Newman ran the 2nd fastest lap in both practice sessions and came up with the best average times in happy hour. Newman should be able to maintain those top speeds for the long runs, likely to be around 30 laps which s the pit window. His last success at Pocono came in 2007 with a 2nd and 7th, and his last win there came in 2003.
Mark Martin is driving the chassis that won at Phoenix this year. He wasn’t overly impressive in either of his practice runs that saw him finish with the 12th and 15th fastest laps in each session. Last season, Martin finished 10th in this race after having the fourth fastest happy hour time. Martin’s has six 2nd place finishes at Pocono, the most seconds by any driver at one track without winning a race there.
Jimmie Johnson is running the same chassis that finished 13th in the All-Star race, which isn’t indicative of the true quality of the ride because he got punted. He was fastest in the first session, an came away with the 5th fastest lap in happy hour, but even better was his average times in the final practice which was third fastest against all drivers that ran at least 20 laps. Johnson was good last season with a 3rd and 6th at Pocono, his best combined Pocono success since sweeping the 2004 season.
Kurt Busch was 10th fastest in happy hour, but it may not be the best his car has as they were thrown off a bit from not having a Friday practice session. "The biggest thing that we'll be behind on is just qualifying practice for the next time that we come here in August, Busch said. The other thing is that we usually like to take the first half-hour at every race track that we go to this year and use it as a test session and try some off-the-wall things that we learned from last week or that we've wanted to try, just off-the-wall (stuff). We're behind on just getting a few items off of our check list; we'll try those this morning."
Busch is a two time winner at Pocono, but appeared to happy with just getting a top 10 finish in interviews he did. Don’t like the lack of confidence and it didn’t sound like he was sand-bagging.
Jamie McMurray ran the 8th fastest lap overall in happy hour while running 25 laps, but his average times were just below 162 mph. Despite searching for better handling, McMurray is happy about the horsepower his car is producing. "We have to make it drive better, McMurray said. It has good speed, but it's really, really loose, and we're going to have to get it tightened up in order to make it good for a long distance."
Greg Biffle was 3rd fastest in happy hour with the fourth best average times. Despite having some pretty fast cars over the last four seasons, it really hasn’t translated to Pocono success. In twelve starts, Biffle only has two top 10 finishes. Biffle also believes the speeds from happy hour are very relevant to race day based on the conditions.
"A lot of it -- unless the track changes dramatically, but we think the track is going to be pretty similar tomorrow, maybe a little slicker than it is now, Biffle said. So, I really feel like these times are really going to translate over to tomorrow. And, then guys are pretty happy with the lap times -- I haven't had a chance to look at them, but they think we have a top-five car, and that's good for us here. The car’s handling decent. We'll look and see if we can improve it at all for tomorrow, and be ready to go."
Tony Stewart had a great first practice session, but has to go with a back up because he “ripped his whole nose” off the car. In happy hour, Stewart’s back up was almost as good as the primary car. He finished with the 6th fastest time and very good average speeds. Despite coming from the rear, Stewart should still be in contention near the end of the race as he seems to do every week. He finished 2nd in his last race at Pocono and his last win on the track was in 2003.
Best of the Rest
A.J. Allmendinger laid down a great lap in happy hour with the 9th fastest and had great average speeds in the session with 16 laps run.
Carl Edwards had an encouraging happy hour with average times, but is missing something on single lap runs. Big turnaround from 2008 that saw him be fastest overall in happy hour.
Clint Bowyer ran the 4th fast lap of happy hour with moderate average times. He has three top 10 finishes in his last four starts.
Matt Kenseth looks to be in the same boat as Kurt Busch with times. They were almost identical in happy hour average speeds and single lap speeds. Looks like a possible top 10 car.
Kyle Busch doesn’t look well at all, at least by the standards he has set for himself in practice. He was 7th fastest overall in practice, but only good on a single lap, not good on long runs.
Jeff Gordon will be starting from the front and the clean air should be good early for him. He was good in the first practice, but mediocre in happy hour. Gordon is a driver who always seems to defy what his practice times say. He was 17th fastest in happy hour, and 5th in practice one.
Top Rated Drivers after all Pocono Practice Sessions
1) #39 Ryan Newman
2) #11 Denny Hamlin
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson
4) #16 Greg Biffle
5) #14 Tony Stewart