2017 NASCAR Week 14: Pocono

Axalta Presents the Pocono 400

Pocono Raceway 

By Richard Tix

Last year we left the second Pocono race (which happens to be right after the first one) talking about Chris Buescher's fuel mileage win. This year we have already had two such strategy calls end in trips to victory lane for surprise winners (Ryan Newman and Austin Dillon). So, could it happen again?

Pocono and the way it runs does leave us with a high probability of a fuel mileage finish. Dale Earnhardt Jr beat out Brad Keselowski in 2014 when BK ran short. Just this week The Morning Drive on Sirius spoke about how sometimes Pocono ends up being run like a road course were a driver will make an early pit stop to change a fuel window and come out with a larger lead than they had before.

However, this year will also give us stages for the first time at Pocono and figuring out how that will play is intriguing. The last stage will still leave plenty of room for fuel strategy but how the field decides to pit around the end of stage one will also bring it's own strategy.

All in all Pocono seems to be shaping up to be a bit more interesting then in years past and give fans plenty of strategies to watch. For me, the strategies alone are enough to tune in, but hopefully we also get some quality racing as well.

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Brad Keselowski- BK has finished in the top three here three straight times and four times in the last six. He also has a win in 2011 and came up just short to Junior in 2014.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr- Speaking for Junior, he could use another good run here at Pocono. In his last eleven starts here he has two wins, six top fives, and nine top tens.
• Kyle Larson- We're still waiting for Larson to knock off a win here, but he has been fast in the past. In Six career starts Larson has finishes of 5th, 11th, 8th, 12th, 11th, and 6th.

The Middle

• Ryan Newman- The Pocono consistency king. Newman has 25 top 20's, 23 top 15's, 14 top tens, nine top fives, and a win here in 30 career starts. Not too bad, huh?

The Bad

• Kyle Busch- Pocono is a track Rowdy hasn't won at yet and in 24 starts has just four top fives and nine top tens. The two poles show he can be fast here, but he just has to finish.
• Jamie McMurray- If you were to bet on McMurray having a good run at Pocono, 2017 would be the year. However, he has only seven top tens in 28 tries here.
• Paul Menard- In the last eight races, EIGHT, Paul has finished better then 30th just twice (he has three top 30's in that same time). That's flat out embarrassing. 

About the Track: Pocono Raceway

Track Stats

• Of current drivers (full time), Denny Hamlin has the most wins (4)
• Of current drivers (full time),  Kurt Busch has the most top 5's (13)
• Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin have the most Pole's of current drivers (3)
• Jeff Gordon has the most career Pocono wins (6) followed by Bill Elliott (5)
• Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon have the most career Pocono top 5's (20)
• Ricky Rudd has the most career Pocono starts (55) followed by Mark Martin (54)
• Of drivers with at least 10 Pocono starts, Davey Allison has the best average finish (9.8 in 13 starts).
• A Pocono race has been won from the Pole 15 times in 76 Cup races
• Chevy has won the last 7 of 9 races 8 of the last 12. Including Dale Earnhardt Jr sweeping in 2014.
• The furthest back anyone has started and won was 29th in 2005 when Carl Edwards won in the first Pocono stop of the year.

Track Info

• Surface: Asphalt
• Length: 2.5 Miles
• Banking
• Turn 1: 14 degrees
• Turn 2: 8 degrees
• Turn 3: 6 degrees