By Matt Tuck
Contributing Editor
August 3, 2007
Just a little over a month ago, the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series hit the asphalt of the triangular-shaped Pocono Raceway. Six races after Jeff Gordon won a rain-shortened Pocono 500, the drivers are ready for a rematch with the four-time series champion.
While the close proximity of the Pocono races do not make for the most exciting schedule, it is advantageous to the fantasy owner. When it comes to Pennsylvania weather, June and the first of August are not very different in the Pocono Mountains, so the set-ups will be very similar from one race to the next.
Although Pocono is the most unique track on the circuit, it shares more likenesses with Indianapolis Motor Speedway than any other track. With both the Pocono 500 and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard both under the belt in less than two months, fantasy owners can look at those events and get an idea of who will be competitive on Sunday.
Favorites
Flat track driving is much like road course driving. It requires a great set-up and skill entering and exiting the turns. Since the Pocono 500 was shortened by rain, the data from that race is not going to be the end-all of information for the Pennsylvania 500. However, with both Infineon Raceway and Indy having been run in the past five races, there is plenty of data to be had.
Denny Hamlin broke an 11-race streak of top-10s on the flat tracks with his 22nd at Indy. However, he is still among the favorite picks for the tri-oval of Pocono. The sophomore's three career wins have all come on flat tracks; he swept the Pocono races from the poles in 2006 and picked up the victory at New Hampshire International Speedway earlier this year. He kept running into problems at the Brickyard, but he will avoid trouble and have a nice finish this weekend.
Hamlin's teammate Tony Stewart can make a case for himself as one of the flat track elite. He has two wins on the low-banked speedways since last season, picking up the checkered flag at Martinsville Speedway in 2006 and, more importantly, earning the win at Indy last week. So far in 2007, his Brickyard victory is one of three top-fives and four top-10s on the flat tracks. At the moment, "Smoke" is the hottest driver on the circuit with back-to-back wins and he has four straight top-10s in Pennsylvania.
Dark Horses
These are the most fun drivers to pick because there is such a high upside to finding that "diamond in the rough." With so many ways to find the better drivers for this week's race, there will be plenty of surprise choices to run inside the top-10.
Juan Montoya was a great story at the Brickyard. The 2000 Indy 500 winner started on the outside pole for the first time in his Nextel Cup Series career and ran in the top-five nearly all day. Eventually, he finished a well-deserved second. His progression on the flat tracks has been rather fast. The road racing veteran has only finished outside the top-20 once on a low-banked speedway. In June, he was 20th at Pocono. With a win at Infineon and a top-five at Indy, things are looking good for Montoya this week.
Clint Bowyer did not get the finish he would have liked at Indy, but he was better than his 13th-place result indicates. The sophomore was able to get into the top-five at the Brickyard, but he lost his handling late in the race and dropped out of the top-10. That was not totally unexpected; last year, he finished fourth at Indy. Earlier this year, he finished 10th at Pocono, giving him three top-20s and only one result below 22nd on the flat tracks in 2007.
Avoidance Principal
The rumor mill is running rampant when it comes to the No. 8 Chevrolet. At the moment, it has David Stremme taking over the ride in 2008. While it would help the negotiations for the sophomore to have a strong run at Pocono, don't look for that to happen. Although he showed promise on the flat tracks in 2006, he has not been up to task this year. So far, he has four finishes of 26th or lower and nothing better than a 23rd at Pocono. That also happened to be his career high in Pennsylvania.
Before Brian Vickers went to victory lane at Talladega SuperSpeedway in October, it looked like he would score his first career win at Pocono. Driving for Hendrick Motorsports, he had three finishes of second or fourth there in his last four Pennsylvania starts in the No. 25 Chevrolet. Driving the No. 83 Toyota is a different scenario. He lingered at the back of the pack in the Pocono 500 and was 35th when the rain fell. Team Red Bull is far from contending for wins, but Vickers has shown that he can crack the top 10. With that being said, he could be upgraded to a dark horse if his practice numbers are consistently strong and assuming he qualifies on time.
Contributing Editor
August 3, 2007
Just a little over a month ago, the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series hit the asphalt of the triangular-shaped Pocono Raceway. Six races after Jeff Gordon won a rain-shortened Pocono 500, the drivers are ready for a rematch with the four-time series champion.
While the close proximity of the Pocono races do not make for the most exciting schedule, it is advantageous to the fantasy owner. When it comes to Pennsylvania weather, June and the first of August are not very different in the Pocono Mountains, so the set-ups will be very similar from one race to the next.
Although Pocono is the most unique track on the circuit, it shares more likenesses with Indianapolis Motor Speedway than any other track. With both the Pocono 500 and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard both under the belt in less than two months, fantasy owners can look at those events and get an idea of who will be competitive on Sunday.
Favorites
Flat track driving is much like road course driving. It requires a great set-up and skill entering and exiting the turns. Since the Pocono 500 was shortened by rain, the data from that race is not going to be the end-all of information for the Pennsylvania 500. However, with both Infineon Raceway and Indy having been run in the past five races, there is plenty of data to be had.
Denny Hamlin broke an 11-race streak of top-10s on the flat tracks with his 22nd at Indy. However, he is still among the favorite picks for the tri-oval of Pocono. The sophomore's three career wins have all come on flat tracks; he swept the Pocono races from the poles in 2006 and picked up the victory at New Hampshire International Speedway earlier this year. He kept running into problems at the Brickyard, but he will avoid trouble and have a nice finish this weekend.
Hamlin's teammate Tony Stewart can make a case for himself as one of the flat track elite. He has two wins on the low-banked speedways since last season, picking up the checkered flag at Martinsville Speedway in 2006 and, more importantly, earning the win at Indy last week. So far in 2007, his Brickyard victory is one of three top-fives and four top-10s on the flat tracks. At the moment, "Smoke" is the hottest driver on the circuit with back-to-back wins and he has four straight top-10s in Pennsylvania.
Dark Horses
These are the most fun drivers to pick because there is such a high upside to finding that "diamond in the rough." With so many ways to find the better drivers for this week's race, there will be plenty of surprise choices to run inside the top-10.
Juan Montoya was a great story at the Brickyard. The 2000 Indy 500 winner started on the outside pole for the first time in his Nextel Cup Series career and ran in the top-five nearly all day. Eventually, he finished a well-deserved second. His progression on the flat tracks has been rather fast. The road racing veteran has only finished outside the top-20 once on a low-banked speedway. In June, he was 20th at Pocono. With a win at Infineon and a top-five at Indy, things are looking good for Montoya this week.
Clint Bowyer did not get the finish he would have liked at Indy, but he was better than his 13th-place result indicates. The sophomore was able to get into the top-five at the Brickyard, but he lost his handling late in the race and dropped out of the top-10. That was not totally unexpected; last year, he finished fourth at Indy. Earlier this year, he finished 10th at Pocono, giving him three top-20s and only one result below 22nd on the flat tracks in 2007.
Avoidance Principal
The rumor mill is running rampant when it comes to the No. 8 Chevrolet. At the moment, it has David Stremme taking over the ride in 2008. While it would help the negotiations for the sophomore to have a strong run at Pocono, don't look for that to happen. Although he showed promise on the flat tracks in 2006, he has not been up to task this year. So far, he has four finishes of 26th or lower and nothing better than a 23rd at Pocono. That also happened to be his career high in Pennsylvania.
Before Brian Vickers went to victory lane at Talladega SuperSpeedway in October, it looked like he would score his first career win at Pocono. Driving for Hendrick Motorsports, he had three finishes of second or fourth there in his last four Pennsylvania starts in the No. 25 Chevrolet. Driving the No. 83 Toyota is a different scenario. He lingered at the back of the pack in the Pocono 500 and was 35th when the rain fell. Team Red Bull is far from contending for wins, but Vickers has shown that he can crack the top 10. With that being said, he could be upgraded to a dark horse if his practice numbers are consistently strong and assuming he qualifies on time.
