Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards lead the field to the green flag to start the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Party in the Poconos 400 last season. [Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Images]
by Dan Margetta and John Wiedemann
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes its first trip to the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania as the Pocono Raceway hosts the Pocono 400 Sunday afternoon.
Pocono 400 Pocono Raceway 400 miles (160 laps) Sunday, June 8, 1 pm ET TNT, 12 pm ET
MRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
At 2.5 miles around, the Pocono Raceway is a unique circuit with three distinct flat turns connected by the longest straightaways on the tour. The long straights and the flat corners bring pit strategy into play especially on fuel mileage runs as crew chiefs plan races on the tricky triangle much like they would on a road course.
Certain drivers seem to excel at the flat tracks and here a few to watch on Sunday…
Jeff Gordon
Dan Margetta: I know Hendrick Motorsports stable mate Jimmie Johnson is on a roll now, having won the last two races, but let’s not forget about Pocono’s all-time winner with six victories. Jeff Gordon has raced as strong as Johnson all season and he tends to run well at Pocono. With his back issues from Charlotte behind him, Gordon can match Johnson behind the wheel. The question is can crew chief Alan Gustafson match Chad Knaus in the pits? If so, victory number two on the season could be on the line for Jeff Gordon.
Jimmie Johnson
John Wiedemann: Two wins in a row, do I hear three? Pocono is another track that is in Jimmie Johnson’s wheelhouse, although which track isn’t? One of Johnson’s three wins at the triangle track came in this race last year. In twenty-four races at Pocono has a series best average finish of 8.8 and also holds the track record in qualifying. Three wins in a row is a tough task, even for Johnson but once the 48 team gets on a roll they can be hard to stop. Add the fact that crew chief Chad Knaus is geeked up about the challenge of Pocono and can’t wait for this race, and a third win in three weeks seems to be a real possibility.
Brad Keselowski
DM: A tremendous amount of horsepower is needed to get down Pocono’s long straights and so far in 2014, the team that has shown the most get-go has been Penske Motorsports. Brad Keselowski already has a Pocono victory to his credit from 2011 and the team is in need of a strong run to emerge from their recent quiet spell. They’ve tweaked the crew on the #2 team in recent weeks and the driver has begun to get vocal on pit road performance. Keselowski finished second last week and Pocono should be a good test to see if the changes made pan out with their second victory of the season.
Kasey Kahne
JW: The last time Kasey Kahne won a race was at the last race at Pocono in 2013. Kahne has two wins at the track and could have had another win in this race last year if not for a mechanical issue that sidelined him early in the race. The promise of big success that came when Kahne joined Hendrick Motorsports hasn’t really come to fruition. The expectations were that Kahne would be challenging for more wins and even championships. Currently in eighteenth place in the standings, Kahne is on the outside looking in for a spot in the Chase. A win this weekend at Pocono would put Kahne right back into the mix. It will be interesting to see if the magic at Pocono returns for Kahne and provides the spark for a successful summer.
Denny Hamlin
DM: At one time, Denny Hamlin was a lock on any flat track on the circuit as he quickly knocked down wins at places like Pocono. That performance has curtailed in recent years, but Hamlin didn’t suddenly forget how to drive the flat circuits. The team has shown steady improvement over the last few weeks and with Pocono’s flat configuration right in Hamlin’s wheelhouse, this could be their best shot at a victory to qualify for the Chase. Crew chief Darian Grubb has guided Tony Stewart to wins here and should be up to the task to put Hamlin back on top on the flat tracks.
Matt Kenseth
JW: There are six tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule that Matt Kenseth has not won at and one of them is Pocono. Kenseth has an average finish at Pocono of fifteenth place with three top five runs in 28 races. Kenseth leads the point standings although he has yet to find victory lane this season. Now that Jimmie Johnson has won, all eyes are focusing on Kenseth to worry about when the seven time winner last season will get a win. Pocono may not be the track for that victory to come but it will be likely that Kenseth still posts a solid finish.
Kurt Busch
DM: The surprise Martinsville winner could also have a good run this weekend at Pocono as Kurt Busch has had some success on the flat circuits. He adapted well to the Indycars at Indianapolis and does have a victory on the old flat Homestead configuration. The Stewart-Haas cars have plenty of horsepower to get down the straights and Kurt Busch is a wheel man to get through the corners. Barring any miscues in the pits, Kurt Busch shouldn’t be forgotten this weekend at Pocono and like at Martinsville could sneak up there for the victory.
A.J. Allmendinger
DM: I’m going out farther on the limb than normal for my longshot pick this week with A.J. Allmendinger. Allmendinger has had a history of being good on the flat circuits and the #47 team has turned in some respectable runs of late. The technical alliance with Richard Childress racing has provided the team with the horsepower needed to be strong here and Allmendinger has kept them hovering near the top ten all season. Much like Paul Menard at Indy in 2011, as long as the leaders are kept in sight, A.J. Allmendinger could surprise some people at Pocono this weekend.