Flat Track Racing Continues
Congratulations to Paul Menard for winning the prestigious Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. This is Paul’s first career NASCAR Sprint Cup victory.
Good Sam RV Insurance 500
This week the series heads back to Pocono Raceway for the running of the Good Sam RV Insurance 500. Another 500-mile race on a long flat track that could be tough on engines.
Denny Hamlin: Denny is my pick to win this race once again. He very well could have won the race here in June and should have a car capable of getting him to victory lane this time.
Jeff Gordon: Jeff had a great car at Indy this past weekend and he won the June race at Pocono. I look for him to be Denny’s toughest competition in Long Pond, PA.
Tony Stewart: Tony is starting to come alive and he loves to run at Pocono. After having a so-so car at Indy I look for Tony to come to Pocono with a much better machine.
Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has finished in the top-10 at Pocono in seven of his last eight starts. This team is still struggling to hit their stride and the pit crew is very dismal although they had some pretty good stops at Indy.
Juan Pablo Montoya: Juan had a good car at Indy and he always seems to run well at Pocono. He has finished in the top-10 there in four of the last five races he has run. Including a runner-up finish in 2009.
Kevin Harvick: Kevin has three straight top-5 finishes at Pocono. He has been the most consistent driver over that stretch and should have the equipment to compete for the win next Sunday.
Carl Edwards: Carl had a tough time at Indy and will be looking to turn his fortunes around at Pocono. I’m not sure if his contractual status is affecting him right now but, he needs to make a decision soon on where he wants to race next season.
Kyle Busch: Kyle has a 2nd and a 3rd place finish in his last three races at Pocono. This team is struggling a little bit right now and seem to be finding trouble on the track a lot lately. He can still win at any track on any given day.
Kurt Busch: Kurt sat on the pole and finished 2nd in the race here in June. This is another driver who loves to run on the flat tracks and he should be a contender this coming weekend.
Mark Martin: Although he is not having a very good season, Mark is someone to watch at Pocono. He has never won a race here but he has a multitude of runner-up finishes here. A decent run at Indy last weekend will give this team a little confidence this week.
Yahoo Picks for Pocono Raceway
Yahoo Driver Group A
- Denny Hamlin
- Jeff Gordon
Yahoo Driver Group B
- Juan Pablo Montoya
- Mark Martin
- Jeff Burton
- Brian Vickers
Yahoo Driver Group C
- Paul Menard
- Regan Smith
Top 5 Overall at Pocono Raceway
- Denny Hamlin
- Jeff Gordon
- Kurt Busch
- Carl Edwards
- Kevin Harvick
Dark Horse: Brian Vickers
Stay Away From: Marcos Ambrose
Howdy Jeff, my NASCAR.com picks for this week are Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Jimmy Johnson on some teams and Klye Bush on others. Landon Cassill. And Brian Vickers or Travis Kvapil. I’m leaning toward Brian vickers over Travis. I see you picked Vickers as a Dark horse. As you know I pick drivers that are low in Qualifing to work their way through the pack. Last week I had Three first place teams. Two 2nd place and One 3rd place team. My question is who do you think will do better Jimmy Johnson or Kyle Bush?
I like Jimmie Johnson over Kyle Busch this week. Jimmie is more consistent on the flatter tracks like Pocono. I also like Vickers as he was always a contender at Pocono when he drove for Hendrick Motorsports. That just tells me that he knows how to get around this track pretty well.
Thank you Jeff, I’ll go that way