Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 News and Notes

Pocono Tale of the Tape: The Favorites

Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)

· Enters Pocono seventh in points
· Seven top fives, 16 top 10s
· Average finish of 16.2
· Average Running Position of 14.2, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.1, 13th-best
· 45 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 853 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· 1,321 Laps in the Top 15 (62.5%), 11th-most
· 416 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), ninth-most

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite/Vortex Dodge)

· Fifth in points
· Two wins, seven top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 15.9
· Average Running Position of 11.6, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 103.7, second-best
· 241 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.993 mph, second-fastest
· 1,489 Laps in the Top 15 (70.4%), sixth-most
· 402 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)

· 10th in points
· Two wins, four top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 13.3
· Average Running Position of 15.1, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 98.5, fifth-best
· 141 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.542 mph, ninth-fastest
· 1,270 Laps in the Top 15 (60.1%), 13th-most
· 384 Quality Passes, 13th-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)

· Second in points
· Four wins, 16 top fives, 24 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 10.7
· Average Running Position of 11.0, third-best
· Driver Rating of 96.1, sixth-best
· 30 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-most
· 889 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.679 mph, sixth-fastest
· 1,532 Laps in the Top 15 (72.5%), fourth-most
· 482 Quality Passes, third-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota)

· Third in points
· Four wins, six top fives, seven top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 8.6
· Series-best Average Running Position of 9.3
· Series-best Driver Rating of 119.1
· Series-high 328 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 159.505 mph
· 1,405 Laps in the Top 15 (82.2%), eighth-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)

· NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader
· Three top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 15.1
· Average Running Position of 14.6, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 90.1, 11th-best
· 911 Green Flag Passes, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.407 mph, 13th-fastest
· 440 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)

· Fourth in points
· Two wins, six top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 9.5
· Average Running Position of 10.9, second-best
· Driver Rating of 103.7, second-best
· 119 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.940 mph, third-fastest
· 1,607 Laps in the Top 15 (76.0%), second-most
· 449 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Ford)

· 17th in points
· One win, three top fives, five top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 16.4
· Average Running Position of 14.0, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 92.0, 10th-best
· 155 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· 899 Green Flag Passes, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.642 mph, seventh-fastest
· 1,290 Laps in the Top 15 (61.0%), 12th-most
· 449 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Crown Royal Ford)

· Eighth in points
· Three top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 14.2
· Average Running Position of 13.1, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 89.6, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.555 mph, eighth-fastest
· 1,408 Laps in the Top 15 (66.6%), seventh-most
· 483 Quality Passes, second-most

Mark Martin (No. 5 Hendrickcars.com/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet)

· 13th in points
· 19 top fives, 32 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 11.1
· Average Running Position of 11.3, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 95.8, seventh-best
· 75 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.775 mph, fourth-fastest
· 1,589 Laps in the Top 15 (75.2%), third-most
· 431 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. ARMY Chevrolet)

· 15th in points
· One win, six top fives, seven top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 13.4
· Average Running Position of 11.6, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 94.5, eighth-best
· 857 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.436 mph, 12th-fastest
· 1,490 Laps in the Top 15 (70.5%), fifth-most
· 479 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet)

· Ninth in points
· Two wins, eight top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.9
· Average Running Position of 11.5, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 101.4, fourth-best
· 70 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· 860 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.753 mph, fifth-fastest
· Series-high 1,612 Laps in the Top 15 (76.3%)
· Series-high 485 Quality Passes

Pennsylvania 500 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

We have the fortune this week of having just seen the Brickyard 400, a track which runs very similar to this weeks track at Pocono because of the long straightaways and sweeping flat turns. Whatever notes, data, and information gathered from last weeks race all apply this week because of how similar the cars have to be set up for each.

To give a better look at just how similar Indy and Pocono are, let’s take a look at the results from last weeks race and the June 6 race at Pocono. Take top-15 finishers from the first Pocono race and then see where they finished last week. You’ll see that nine of them finished among the top-15 at Indy and two of them weren’t even Jimmie Johnson and Juan Montoya -- both of whom were in the top-10 at Indy and had two of the best cars last week only to finish poorly.

The correlation is strong between the two tracks, maybe even stronger than New Hampshire-Phoenix-Richmond mix or the high banked 1.5-mile SMI track correlation. If a driver does well on one, they are more than likely to do well on the other.

The King of Pocono has been Denny Hamlin who won the June race giving him four career wins on the track. He finished 15th at Indy, but should be expected to fare much better this week because he’ll likely be using the same chassis from the earlier Pocono race. He opted not to use that car last week for some reason, but would be crazy not to use it this week. That car he won with at Pocono is 3-for-3 in wins this season.

The chassis announcement will be released on Thursday which should sway betting interest dramatically. Regardless of what car he does eventually bring, Hamlin will still be the favorite based on his past success.

The driver that has had the best recent combined success at Pocono and Indy has been Tony Stewart. He finished third at Pocono in June and fifth last week at Indy making he and Kevin Harvick the only drivers to have top-five finishes in each race. Overall, Stewart has finished in the top-10 at Pocono in nine of his last 10 starts there which include two wins.

Harvick and the rest of Childress drivers have all finished within the top-10 of both Pocono and Indy races this season. Clint Bowyer finished fourth last week with Jeff Burton coming home in sixth. All three should be considered live candidates to win this week as each of their practice and race performances at the two tracks have been carbon copies of each other.

Kyle Busch finished runner-up in the June Pocono race and had a terrific day at Indy after spinning out of the first lap and salvaged an eighth-place finish. Pocono hasn’t been historically good for Busch, but his runs this season make him a good candidate this week.

Juan Pablo Montoya may have had the best car last week at Indy for the second straight year and found a way to mess it up for the second straight year. He finished eighth in the first Pocono race. Montoya has been almost as good, if not better, than his teammate Jamie McMurray this year, but McMurray has the hardware and least some consistency in the big races. They both have been the major beneficiaries of using the Earnhardt-Childress engines. It’s become apparent that wherever the Childress cars are good at, both McMurray and Montoya should be nearly as good, or least on the tracks that require lots of horsepower.

The Roush drivers all looked vastly improved at Indy with Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards standing out the most. A Ford still hasn’t won the season, the manufacturer’s longest drought since the 1977 season. Edwards is a two-time winner at Pocono and is one of the nine drivers to have finished within the top-15 at both Pocono and Indy this season.

Kurt Busch is the top Dodge candidate once again this week and he too is one the nine drivers to have excelled on the similar tracks. Busch was sixth at Pocono’s first race, but he was very fortunate to get that finish. I hate to say luck, but that is the exact term Busch used when discussing his performance there from June. They weren’t good by any means except in making adjustments throughout the day and getting better, which good teams are supposed to down the stretch of a race. He gets consideration this week just because he has been a consistent performer at Pocono that include two career wins.

Jimmie Johnson is one of only two drivers to have a career average at Pocono within the top-10 (9.5). He hasn’t won at the track since sweeping both races in 2004, but he’s shown to be unbelievably efficient on the track by finishing 15 of his 16 career starts within the top-15. It’s surprising that he hasn’t won there in six seasons, especially when considering he’s won at the Brickyard on three occasions during his winless streak at Pocono. This week he’ll be using his Coca-Cola 600 chassis as his primary car while his back-up will be a car that has won three out of four career starts.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #29 Kevin Harvick (10/1)
2) #11 Denny Hamlin (6/1)
3) #14 Tony Stewart (10/1)
4) #33 Clint Bowyer (15/1)
5) #31 Jeff Burton (15/1)

DOS VIVA-LAS VEGAS

We revealed a few weeks ago about the possibility of NASCAR awarding Las Vegas a second date to it’s 2011 schedule, and within two weeks, it should become a reality. It’s likely to be one of chase dates in the fall with the slight possibility that it becomes the season finale in conjunction with NASCAR’s expected changes to the Chase format.

Rumors have it that NASCAR wants to add some more excitement to the current 10-race Chase format that make it similar to other sports with a bracket type of format where it culminates with a Game 7-type of atmosphere in the season finale. Under that type of scenario, there wouldn’t be a better place to have the glitz and fireworks of a Championship game or Super Bowl-type of atmosphere than having the race in Las Vegas.

The loser in this scenario will likely be New Hampshire’s fall date or possibly Atlanta if Kentucky isn’t awarded a date. The other change that is likely to happen is that Kansas will get another date at the expense of one of Fontana’s two dates. California has had terrible attendance while competing for travelers in the same market as Las Vegas while Kansas Speedway has been recently awarded gaming by the state.

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, Motor Racing Network brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 200-lap event.

Who's HOT at Pocono
• Denny Hamlin, who leads all drivers with a 8.6 average finish, is coming off his fourth win in nine starts.
• Tony Stewart, the 2009 June winner, has finished in the top 10 in nine of his last 10 starts.
• Two-time winner Carl Edwards has the second-best average finish in the five races with the COT.
• Jeff Gordon has four wins and leads all drivers with 879 laps led.
• Two-time winner Jimmie Johnson has finished seventh or better in six of his last eight starts.
• Juan Pablo Montoya, who finished second in this event last year, has finished in the top 10 in his last three starts.
• Mark Martin leads all drivers with 32 top-10 finishes.

Keep an Eye on at Pocono
• Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch each have finished in the top 10 in last two races at Pocono.
• Kasey Kahne, winner of the 2008 June race, has finished in the top 10 in three of his last five starts at Pocono.
• Ryan Newman has one win and seven top 10s and has completed 1,490 laps in the top 15 in the last 11 races at Pocono.
• Kevin Harvick equaled his best finish (fourth) at Pocono in June.
• Kyle Busch is coming off his best finish (second) at Pocono after leading 32 laps from the pole.
• Greg Biffle will be driving the same car that he finished third with last weekend at Indianapolis.
• Jeff Burton finished seventh in June for his 16th top 10 at Pocono.

Top 30 Driver Notes - Ordered by current standings

(All stats/notes are in regards to Pocono Raceway unless noted)

1. Kevin Harvick: Fifth-best average finish (11.4) in the five races with the COT; Equaled best finish (fourth) and led first laps (5) in 19 starts in June; Will return in the same car that he raced in June.

2. Jeff Gordon: 10th-best average finish (13.6) in the five races with the COT; Four-time winner; Leader in laps led with 879; 10.7 average finish in 35 starts; 32nd-place finish in June ended streak of three consecutive top 10s.

3. Denny Hamlin: Ninth-best average finish (13.2) in the five races with the COT; Coming off fourth win in nine starts; Swept both races in 2006; Leads all drivers with a 8.6 average finish.

4. Jimmie Johnson: Leads all drivers with a 6.8 average finish in the five races with the COT; Has led 146 laps with the COT; Last of two wins came in 2004 when he swept both events; Won the pole for the 2008 August race; Has finished seventh or better on five of the last six races; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 592) that he finished 37th with at Charlotte in May.

5. Kurt Busch: 19.6 average finish in the five races with the COT; Finished sixth in June; Has scored one win and six top 10s in nine starts with Penske; Also won in 2005 with Roush; Has led 371 laps and posted 10 top 10s in 19 starts; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 712) that he finished 19th with at Dover in May.

6. Kyle Busch: 23.8 average finish in the five races with the COT; Coming off best finish (second) after leading 32 laps from the pole in June; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 277) in the Sunoco Red Cross 500.

7. Jeff Burton: Seventh-best average finish (12.6) in the five races with the COT; Finished seventh in June for 16th top 10 in 33 starts; Five of his top 10s have come with Richard Childress Racing; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 317) in the Sunoco Red Cross 500.

8. Matt Kenseth: Sixth-best average finish (11.4) in the five races with the COT; Last of eight top 10s came in the June 2008 event in seventh; Finished 17th in June for worst finish since this event in 2005; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 644) that he finished 14th with at Michigan in June.

9. Tony Stewart: Third-best average finish (10.2) in the five races with the COT; 4.7 average finish in three starts with Stewart-Haas; Won the 2009 June race in his track debut with SHR; Posted one win and 14 top 10s in previous 20 starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 515) that he finished 23rd with at Darlington in May.

10. Carl Edwards: Second-best average finish (8.4) in the five races with the COT; Second in laps led with the COT with 158; Last of two wins came in this event in 2008; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 639) that he finished 16th with at Charlotte in May.

11. Greg Biffle: Coming off second DNF in 15 starts with a 28th-place finish; 16.4 average finish in the five races with the COT; Last of two top 10s came in the 2006 June race; Will be back in the same car (chassis No. 696) that he finished third with last weekend at Indianapolis.

12. Clint Bowyer: 13.8 average finish in the five races with the COT; Scored best finish in nine starts last year in this event in third; Finished ninth in June for fifth top 10; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 298) that he led 59 laps with in June after starting second.

13. Mark Martin: Coming off worst finish (29th) in the last 12 races after a crash; 14.6 average finish in the five races with the COT; Last top 10 in three starts with Hendrick Motorsports came in this event last year in seventh; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 550) that he led 10 laps and finished 11th with at Indianapolis last weekend.

14. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Finished fourth in track debut with Rick Hendrick in first COT event at track; 18.0 average finish in five events with team; Five top fives and six top 10s in 21 starts with an average finish of 17.5; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 584) that he finished 19th with at Pocono in June.

15. Ryan Newman: Eighth-best average finish (13.0) in the five races with the COT; 11.0 average finish in three starts with Stewart-Hass; Best finish with SHR came in the 2009 June race in fifth; Posted six top 10s in previous 14 starts with Penske Racing.

16. Jamie McMurray: Finished 36th in first track start with Chip Ganassi since 2005; Last top-10 finish (ninth-place) came with Roush racing in second event in 2008; 21.7 average finish in 15 starts with three top-10s; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 1004) that he finished 24th with at Michigan in June.

17. Kasey Kahne: Won the 2008 June race from the pole after leading 69 laps; Finished fifth in this event last year after leading 35 laps; Fourth-best average finish (11.0) in the five races with the COT; Still holds track qualifying record, which was set in this event in 2004 during rookie season.

18. David Reutimann: 19.2 average finish in the five races with the COT; Finished third in the 2009 June race for only top 10 in seven starts.

19. Joey Logano: 21.0 average finish; 13th-place finish in June is best in three starts; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 278) in the Sunoco Red Cross 500.

20. Martin Truex Jr: 18.8 average finish in the five races with the COT; Two top 10s in nine starts came with the old car; Finished 25th in June in track debut with Michael Waltrip Racing.

21. AJ Allmendinger: Coming off first top 10 in six starts; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 294) that he finished 11th with at Michigan in June.

22. Juan Pablo Montoya: Coming off three consecutive top 10s; Second-place finish in this event last year is best in seven starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 910) that he finished eighth with at Pocono in June.

23. Paul Menard: Has yet to finish better than 15th in seven starts; Coming off best finish in 16th; Average finish is 27.4; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 653) that he finished 30th with at Darlington in May.

24. David Ragan: Only top 10 in seven starts came in this event in 2008 in fifth; 23.1 average finish; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 670) that he finished seventh with in the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte.

25. Brad Keselowski: Finished 21st in June in track debut; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 733) in the Sunoco Red Cross 500.

26. Scott Speed: 25.0 average finish in three starts; Coming off best finish in 20th.

27. Marcos Ambrose: 23.3 average finish in three starts; Only finish inside the top 25 came in the 2009 June race in sixth.

28. Elliott Sadler: 21.5 average finish in 23 starts with two top 10s; Finished 25th, 24th and 31st in three starts with Richard Petty Motorsports; Will return in same car (chassis No. 283) that he finished 21st with at Bristol in June.

29. Sam Hornish Jr: Best track on the circuit based on 18.6 average finish; 8.3 average finish in last three starts; Finished a NASCAR career-best fourth in this event last year.

30. Regan Smith: Coming off best finish in four starts in 18th; 26.0 average finish.

Hamlin has become the man to beat at Pocono
By: Steve Makinen

NASCAR continues its march towards the Chase when it travels to Pocono Raceway again on Sunday for the Pennsylvania 500. This will be the second time in two months that the Cup Series will have visited Pocono, following Denny Hamlin’s win in the June race. Hamlin just happens to be the defending champion of this race too, and accomplished the season sweep at this track in the 2006 season. Is it any wonder why he is the race favorite for Sunday at 4-1 odds according to Sportsbook.com?

The rest of the favorites board includes Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch, at 6-1, plus Jeff Gordon, at 9-1. Of the three, none really commands any respect due to recent performance at this venue. Busch‘s career is actually littered with struggles at Pocono, as he owns just three Top 10 finishes in 11 prior starts. One of those came in June though, in his runner-up finish. Johnson has two career Pocono wins, but none since ’04. Gordon is tied with Hamlin at the top of the active career wins board, with four. However, since the advent of the COT, he has just a single Top 5 and average finish of 13.6 in five starts.

Hamlin truly is the man to beat this week, as he had led 179 of 404 laps in the last two races here and has been in the Top 15 in 403 of those, or 99.8%! He is the career average finish leader at 8.6 and owns seven Top 10 finishes in his nine starts. Oddsmakers might want to adjust their second tier favorites though, as several other drivers figure to have a better shot to win than Johnson, Gordon, or Busch. Instead you might want to consider Carl Edwards (20-1), Tony Stewart (10-1), Kasey Kahne (20-1), Juan Montoya (20-1), or Clint Bowyer (12-1). Edwards is second to Hamlin in laps led in the COT at 158, and has a win and average finish of 8.4 in those five starts. Stewart, like Hamlin, has three Top 5’s in those races, including a 3rd place finish in June. Kahne has a ’08 win and 145 laps led in the COT to his credit, while Bowyer is among the other drivers who seems to run out front at this track, evidenced by his 82 laps led. Finally, there is Montoya…victim of what seems to be the worst luck of any driver on these 2.5-mile flat superspeedway’s. He finished eighth here in June but has two DNF’s in the COT to go along with consecutive DNF’s at Indy.

A series sweep at Pocono is not uncommon, as the only real difference between this race and the June one figures to be that the track has heated up over the course of the summer. In addition, the schedule of recent years has this race always the week after the Brickyard 400, meaning a second consecutive race on a 2.5-mile flat track. While Indianapolis Motor Speedway's rectangular shape is significantly different than the Pocono triangle, many of the same skills are required to go fast on both. Drivers who ran well last week also should dominate the front of the pack this week. Of course, there always is the uncertain intangible of luck. Jamie McMurray (25-1) was the beneficiary of the luck last week, as he won the Brickyard 400 only after Montoya, who dominated most of the race, hit the wall late in a desperate attempt to get back out front after a miscalculated pit road choice.

Of the potential dark horses to consider, or those drivers who don’t boast the best Pocono stats, Kevin Harvick (10-1) finished fourth in the first Pocono race and enters the weekend with top-fives in his past two flat-track races and there is every indication he will add another at Pocono. Sam Hornish Jr. (25-1) is a bigger longshot but last year, he swept the top 10 in both races there and narrowly missed adding a third such finish with an 11th earlier this year. Dollar for dollar, he might be the best value in the game this week. Jamie McMurray is developing a reputation for stepping up for the big races after winning this year's Daytona 500, finishing second in the Coke 600, and winning last week's Brickyard 400. It remains to be seen if he can level out his results and also run strong on smaller stages, but considering that he earned a fifth at Chicagoland two weeks ago, he's well worth the risk. So far it's been difficult for McMurray to string together good results. This week, he enters Pocono with consecutive top-fives for the first time all season. Greg Biffle (20-1) is also noteworthy in that he had a strong third place run at Indy and may be readying himself for a late charge to ensure a Chase spot.

Other drivers you may want to avoid include Joey Logano (35-1), Kurt Busch (20-1), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (35-1), and Mark Martin (25-1). Of the four, there is just a single Top 5 finish, belonging to Junior, in the five races run in the COT.

With just six races to go till the cutoff for the Chase, Kevin Harvick continues to lead the points standings by a wide margin, 184 points over Jeff Gordon. Denny Hamlin is 260 points out, while Jimmie Johnson trails by 261, and Kurt Busch 262. Hamlin & Johnson’s flip flop in the standings was the only move after the Brickyard 400 results were counted. Outside of the Top 12, Mark Martin moved past Dale Earnhardt, Jr. into 13th. He trails Clint Bowyer by 62 points and leads Junior by 31 points. Ryan Newman seems to be the only other driver within striking distance, but he trails Bowyer by 147 points and needs some luck over the next six weeks. The last thing any of the contending drivers need at this point is to encounter trouble on the track in any given race. Keep that in mind, as many of the Chase contenders will simply be “point racing” during the month of August, not going for wins quite as hard while hoping to avoid the dreaded DNF. Pocono is the type of track where most DNF’s are caused by equipment problems, such as blown motors, not wrecks. This is a big facility where cars get spaced out significantly by virtue of horsepower. Trying to push that envelope too far can expire a motor quickly. Most Crew Chiefs know this, and many of them choose to play the track positioning game, opting to make pit strategy moves while sacrificing engine strength

The action gets started with qualifying at 3:40 pm ET on Friday. Denny Hamlin started 4th in the June victory, and runner-up Kyle Busch started 2nd. In short, qualifying is very important here. In fact, of the last 16 races, six winners have started on the pole and six others were in the first three rows. Practice is also highly important, as the last nine Pocono winners have averaged a 5.0 Happy Hour rank with only one finishing worse than 6th in the session. Sunday’s race comes around at 1:18 pm ET. Of course, the StatFox NASCAR FoxSheet, Driver Pages, and Matchup Analyzer are also below to assist with all of your race wagers…

Racing at Pocono
By Bodog

Kevin Harvick extended his lead in the Sprint Cup standings over Jeff Gordon to 184 points last week, while Denny Hamlin moved one point past Jimmie Johnson and into third place in the driver standings. One point behind Johnson sits Kurt Busch, and his brother Kyle is in sixth place, only 28 points back of Kurt. All these drivers will be looking to have a big day at the second summer visit to Pocono this Sunday, and the Bodog Sportsbook is offering action on which driver will take down the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500.

One driver who has stood out at Pocono over the last few years is this week’s favorite, Denny Hamlin. Hamlin won the first race here this year and is the defending 2009 Sunoco Red Cross 500 champion. In 2006 Hamlin won both races at Pocono, a feat he’s attempting to repeat this year. At 7/2 Hamlin is just about every expert’s pick for Sunday. If his team can make the proper adjustments to the car for the second Pocono run, and he can manage to stay out trouble, Hamlin should be a factor at the finish.

Kyle Busch and Johnson are co-second picks at 11/2. Kyle usually does well on this track and has won at Pocono twice. Pocono is also a consistent track for him; he has 10 top-10 finishes at this track in his career. Jimmie Johnson also has 10 top-10 finishes at this track; including one win here back in 2004. It’s only a matter of time before Johnson starts his run at the Sprint Cup driver’s championship, and Pocono has always been a place where he likes to get that ball rolling.

Gordon and standings leader Harvick are next best at 10/1. It’s unlikely that either driver will push too hard for the win, but if the action gets rough in the turns, either of these drivers could be the winner on Sunday afternoon. Both Gordon and Harvick have numerous top-10 finishes here, but they will need a bit of luck at some point in the day to take the checkered flag at Pocono.

The other drivers with a real chance to win at Pocono would include Tony Stewart at 11/1 and Clint Bowyer at 14/1. Bowyer will be looking to keep Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin at bay for the twelfth and final spot in the Chase for the Cup, and he is probably the best value in the field at 14/1. Stewart will be looking to close the 376-point gap between him and the point standings leader, but he will also need some good fortune in front of him to pay out at 11/1.

Two factors beyond the racers will likely play a role at Pocono on Sunday. The length of the race always creates a fuel-mileage battle between teams, so the one that gets it right will have a big edge. Weather conditions show potential rain showers on Sunday, which will throw racer predictability off, or even end up delaying the race.

Stewart a master of fuel at Pocono
By GREG ENGLE

It’s only been six races since the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series last visited the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway, the site of this Sunday’s Pennsylvania 500. You’d think that not much has changed since the last visit.

But you’d be wrong.

Drivers will be the first to say that the surface of the track is much different in the heat of the summer rather than the cooler conditions found in early June.

One would also think that coming off the race at the Brickyard last weekend at a relatively flat 2.5-mile track very similar to Pocono, the favorites this week might be the same as last week.

Again, you’d be wrong.

"The thing about Indy is that it's glass smooth,” said this week’s favorite Tony Stewart (+1,000). “It's got a couple little bumps here and there, but you go to Pocono and it's rough and bumpy. The setups are quite a bit different now."

Stewart should know what he’s talking about. He rolls in here as the 2009 June race winner. Last year, Stewart scored his first points paying win as a driver-owner by using smart fuel strategy - something that Stewart and his crew are experts at and that can be the key to winning at Pocono and what makes Stewart the favorite Sunday.

Stewart’s former teammate Denny Hamlin (+450) also knows how to win here. Hamlin won in June giving him a total of four wins, six Top 5s, seven Top 10s and two poles. Should Stewart falter, Hamlin could be ready to pounce.

Others to watch

Carl Edwards (+2000)

Edwards ran a strong race at Pocono last year, nearly sealing the deal before running out of fuel. Overall, he has two wins, four Top 5s and five Top-10 finishes. Edwards seems to be slowly coming out of his slump and could break out for a win at any time.

Jamie McMurray (+2000)

While he doesn’t exactly have a stellar record at Pocono, with only three Top 10s, he was on the pole last year but never got a chance to show what he had after being caught up in a crash. McMurray has been surprising this season and could surprise again this weekend.

Head-to-head

Kevin Harvick vs. Jimmie Johnson

Harvick has three Top 5s and six Top 10s while Johnson boasts two wins, six Top 5s and 11 Top-10 finishes at Pocono. While Johnson has a better record here, Harvick has been showing a strong consistency that has kept him on top of the points for three months. On the other hand, Johnson, while he’s threat everywhere, has been struggling lately. Look for Harvick to come out on top of this battle.

Kyle Busch vs. Clint Bowyer

Busch has one pole, two Top 5s and three Top 10s here. Bowyer has one Top 5 and five Top 10s. Looking at the stats would make it seem as though Busch is the clear favorite, however, Bowyer has been running strong lately and while this will be the battle of the week, look for Bowyer to finish ahead of Busch.

Practice Notes - Pocono
By Micah Roberts

Top 8 Driver Ratings After All Practices & Qualifying Completed

Rating Driver (Odds) Practice 1 Qualifying Practice 3 Practice 4

1. Jimmie Johnson (5/1) 1st 6th 2nd 3rd
Two-time Pocono winner (swept 2004); Finished in top-15 in 16 of 17 career races.

2. Kevin Harvick (10/1) 11th 14th 3rd 7th
Using fourth-place chassis from June race; one of two drivers with top-5s at Indy and Pocono.

3. Tony Stewart (10/1) 5th 1st 26th 26th
Two-time Pocono winner; won from pole last year. Using winning 2009 All-Star chassis this week.

4. Denny Hamlin (9/2) 2nd 3rd 22nd 14th
Four-time Pocono winner, including June’s race. However, he's not using the same chassis this week.

5. Jeff Gordon (8/1) 7th 4th 1st 24th
Four-time Pocono winner with a 10.7 average finish in 35 career starts; 16 top-fives.

6. Jeff Burton (15/1) 20th 8th 4th 1st
Has collectively been the strongest in the combined practices of both Pocono races and Indy.

7. Mark Martin (25/1) 17th 10th 8th 8th
Using same chassis that led 10 laps finishing 11th last week at Indy. Six time runner-up at Pocono.

8. Greg Biffle (18/1) 10th 12th 5th 28th
Using same fast car from last week at Indy that led 38 laps and finished third.

Note: The one track similar to Pocono on the circuit is Indy because of the long straightaways and flat, sweeping turns each possess.