2017 NASCAR Pit Road Week 21: Pocono

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Overton's 400

By Richard Tix

The Week 21 NASCAR Power Rankings after Kyle Busch's win at Pocono.

Pit Road Power Rankings: Week 21 (Week 20)

1. Martin Truex Jr (LW-1)- Rowdy in inching closer, but the number one spot is still Truex's to lose. He was strong again at Pocono after finishing third and leading 31 laps.
2. Kyle Busch (LW-3)- With the win-less monkey is finally off his back, will Rowdy start to really roll?
3. Kevin Harvick (LW-4)- It might be overlooked but Harvick is putting up some consistent runs right now and could get hot at the right time.
4. Brad Keselowski (LW-7)- For all the struggles he has gone thru, BK still is tied for the most top tens (14) and has the most top fives (11) all season (plus two wins).
5. Kyle Larson (LW-2)- I think the regular season points Championship is now gone (-85 behind Truex). The battle was fun while it lasted, now eyes on the bigger prize.
6. Denny Hamlin (LW-9)- Hamlin just keeps sticking around. Another fourth place finish at Pocono gives him a win and three top fives in his last four.
7. Matt Kenseth (LW-8)- Three straight top tens are nice, but Kenseth needs a win to get off the bubble hot seat.
8. Jimmie Johnson (LW-5)- Seeing this many poor finishes and crashes next to JJ's name is weird. Bad luck has a bunch to do with it, but will it turn around?
9. Chase Elliott (LW-6)- These guys can be fast at any given moment, well, except when that moment is closing a race during the third stage.
10. Daniel Suarez (LW-NR)-Speaking of closing, Suarez typically finds himself mid-pack until he learns a few things and eventually gets to the top ten. He now has three straight 7th or better finishes.
11. Clint Bowyer (LW-12)- Bowyer is in a win or go home situation unless Kenseth starts putting up 30+ finishes every week. Even then, nothing is guaranteed without a trip back to VL.
12. Kasey Kahne (LW-NR)- It was great to see Kahne win two weeks ago and it was just as nice to see him follow it up with a decent run at Pocono on Sunday. 

Dropped Out: Jamie McMurray (LW-10) and Joey Logano (LW-11)

Just Missed: Ryan Newman

2017 NASCAR Week 21: Pocono

Overton's 400

Pocono Raceway

By Richard Tix

What to Watch For?

Same Day Qualifying and Racing

• This has to be the biggest thing to watch for this weekend in my opinion. For the first time in a long time NASCAR is running Cup Qualifying prior to the race on a Sunday. Yes, both on Sunday (Weekend Schedule here). I am not sure how it will all work out but I am interested to see it unfold on Sunday. I know some race fans love their long drawn out weekend while staying at the track and soaking it all in, but for me I wouldn't mind seeing it condensed down into two days (for Cup). Fans still get Friday truck action, but starting the Cup series on Saturday and ending on Sunday with Qualifying and the Race on Sunday helps those who want more bang for there buck and can only make it a day or two days tops. It may or may not work, but I am glad someone is trying it out, for the fans, drivers, teams, and crew, a shorter weekend could be a good thing (or backfire).

Can a Win-Less 2017 Driver Win at Pocono?

• Just like IMS, Pocono is a track that has opened itself up to surprise winners and young guns. Earlier this year Ryan Blaney won his first career Cup race at Pocono and Chris Buescher won on a fuel mileage/weather call the year before. On top of that Erik Jones and Kyle Larson have both done very well here in their short sample sizes (same with Blaney). Twelve current drivers have at least one win here, but seven of them were their only win here. So, you can win one random one here and never win again, but either way it will get you into the Playoffs.

Kasey Kahne Watch

• With his ride for 2018 potentially looming on a small thread, KK won last weekend at IMS in dramatic fashion. The first question? Does that mean he is going to still be in the No. 5 in 2018? Kahne is under contract next year, but with sponsor woah's hitting him and HMS rumors have been flying around on if he will be back with HMS. I still think he will be in the seat one more year and then William Byron will move up and take the fourth HMS car, but it will be interesting to watch going forward including Pocono. Pocono is a track he has won at before in 2008 and 2013 and it would be a good sign for him and his sponsors if he had a strong showing just one week after his IMS win.

The Next Step in Silly Season

• We now know that Alex Bowman will fill the 88, Erik Jones will leave the 77 for the No. 20, and Brad Keselowski will stay with the No. 2 team (as will Paul Wolfe). The big moves peopled rumored have been squashed so far (Kenseth and BK to the 88). Now that those moves are in place, what is the next pawn to fall? My guess is pieces start moving soon so a ton of focus maybe on 2018 already this weekend at Pocono. Will Kahne be back with HMS? Will Kenseth be forced to retire without a competitive ride? Where will Paul Menard and Jamie McMurray end up? Will the 77 get enough sponsorship to field a car (Maybe Kenseth?). I doubt anything as shocking as Carl Edwards stepping away will happen, but I do think some interesting things that pertain to charters and team structure will break soon.
• Edit: After this was writen but before it was released the next set of Silly Season News broke. Paul Menard is heading to the Wood Brothers No. 21 and Ryan Blaney will be joining Team Penske in a third car, the No. 12. 

**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

• Kevin Harvick- In the last six races at Pocono Harvick has finished runner up 50% of the time. Yup, 2nd three times in six races without a win. Harvick actually has never won at Pocono, but with those types of numbers it's hard to count him out for his first.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr- Junior needs a strong run and a win this weekend at Pocono. In the last six he has two wins and a runner up finish.
• Kyle Larson- Small sample size alert, but Larson has never finished worse than 12th in his seven career starts at Pocono and has four top tens.

The Middle

• Clint Bowyer- Since 2008, Bowyer has finished outside of 18th just twice (18 total races in that time). He also has only seven top tens in that time, which puts him right in the middle of things.

The Bad

• Paul Menard- First, congrats to Paul on the No. 21 ride in 2018. However, that can't hide the fact that he has just two top 10's in 21 races at Pocono and only six top 15's.
• Jamie McMurray- JMac only has seven top tens in his 29 career starts here with the last one coming five races ago. In the last four races he only has one top 15.
• Joey Logano- JoLo has a win here and has produced in the past, but in his last four he has one top 5 and only two top 20's. I would bet he turns it around, but his recent struggles needed to be noted.

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 (14)
• Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, 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 10 races 8 of the last 13. 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

2017 NASCAR Schedule: Pocono

Overton's 400

By Richard Tix

All Times are Eastern (ET)


Friday, July 28th 2017

• 12-12:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series practice- FS1
• 2 p.m.-2:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series final practice- FS1

Saturday, July 29th 2017

• 9 a.m.-9:55 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice- CNBC
• 10 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying- FS1
• 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice- NBCSN
• 1 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overton’s 150 (60 laps)- FOX

Sunday, July 30th 2017

• 11:30 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN
• 3 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton’s 400 (160 laps)- NBCSN

2017 NASCAR Pit Road Week 14: Pocono

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Axalta Presents the Pocono 400

By Richard Tix

Yup, this week's power rankings are coming in all kinds of late. With that in mind I will be skipping most of the review which is normally just a bunch of rambling opinions anyways!

I do want to mention how fantastic the end of Pocono really was. Respect to Kyle Busch for running Ryan Blaney hard and doing everything he could to hold the lead while not wrecking him. Respect to Kevin Harvick for pushing as hard as he could for the win. And huge respect to Blaney on his first career Cup win. The win couldn't have been scripted any better and he couldn't have found a more deserving way to earn it. He worked his way around on of the best in the sport (Busch) and was being chased down by a guy nicknamed by some as "the closer" (Harvick).

The win on Sunday by Blaney and the Wood Brothers will go down as one of the most popular wins of the season and possibly even the last three (up there with Stewart's last and Gordon's last). Wood Brothers and Blaney doing well is overall good for the sport in my opinion, so soak it in while it lasts.

Pit Road Power Rankings: Week 14 (Week 13)

1. Martin Truex Jr (LW-1)- Truex has been the best Toyota and Cup car all season. Just check out the nice cushion he is giving himself for the playoffs.
2. Kevin Harvick (LW-2)- Harvick was chasing Blaney down in the closing laps but couldn't get right to his bumper to either move him or make a pass (or both). It was good to see another strong run from the No. 4, but I am sure they're more than ready for that win.
3. Kyle Busch (LW-5)- Easily one of the best, if not the best, car on Sunday. He lead more laps this race then all of his other Pocono races combined. In the end, he did all he could to hold the lead and it wasn't enough, but mad props for making Blaney earn it.
4. Kyle Larson (LW-4)- Not enough on Sunday, but he lead a few laps including one to finish up a stage and grab a point. Larson is starting to gain some steam again.
5. Jimmie Johnson (LW-2)- A slip up by HMS or Chevy, the breaks at Pocono happened to be an issue. Luckily JJ was alright after a hard hit.
6. Brad Keselowski (LW-8)- Luck turned around for BK on Sunday. BK pitted and got back out just to see a yellow that put him in the front row with Rowdy. Unfortunately for BK he didn't have winning speed Sunday and fell back a bit.
7. Denny Hamlin (LW-7)- Hamlin is just hanging around, not really doing much, but not really being terrible either. Honestly, every week I struggle with what to say and where to put him.
8. Matt Kenseth (LW-9)- The JGR Toyota's are slowly moving up, but the only one showing real speed at the moment is Kyle Busch. Don't overlook Kenseth though, as he is moving up the standings after his second top ten in the last three races and four straight races with a top 12.
9. Jamie McMurray (LW-6)- Just like JJ, breaks were the story in the No. 1 camp. In fact, the brake failure hit JMac and JJ at the same time, crazy.
10. Ryan Blaney (LW-NR)- What a win. He wasn't just handed this win or have mother nature cave in, he took it from one of the best (Ky. Busch) and was chased down by another (Harvick).
11. Erik Jones (LW-NR)- Erik had his best overall run as a Cup rookie on Sunday and it also resulted in his best finish (3rd). After a crazy year that includes first time winners like Dillon, Stenhouse Jr, and Blaney I don't think it's 100% out of the realm of possibilities that Jones wins before the Playoffs start.
12. Ryan Newman (LW-11)- This final spot was a close call between Suarez, A. Dillon, and Newman. In this case the vet got the spot after a slight bobble at Pocono (14th). Perviously Newman had two straight top tens.

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

2017 NASCAR Schedule: Pocono

Axalta presents the Pocono 400

By Richard Tix

All Times Are Eastern (ET)

Friday June 9th, 2017

• 11 a.m.- 12:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice- FS1
• 1- 1:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice- FS1
• 3- 3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice- FS1
• 4 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole qualifying- FS1

Saturday June 10th, 2017

• 9:35 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole qualifying- FS1
• 11:30 a.m.- 12:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice- FS1
• 1 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Pocono Green 250 (100 laps)- FOX

Sunday June 11th, 2017

• 3 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Axalta presents the Pocono 400 (160 laps)- FS1

2016 NASCAR Pit Road Week 21: Pocono

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Pennsylvania 400

Photo: Joseph Ressler

By Richard Tix

Let's start out this weeks review with a huge shout out to NASCAR Cup rookie Chris Buescher and his first career Cup win on Sunday Monday. Everyday those guys on that Front Row team get up and work their butts off to put a car on the track for Chris. Day in and day out, long hours, all to just get to the track.

Well on any given Sunday Monday they are supposed to have a chance, right? Well, normally its tough for a small team to legitimately have a shot let alone a rookie on a small team, but after a rain out on Sunday and weather threats all day Monday the hard work by the team and strategic calls all payed off in a big way. Give it to this team and all the work they put in, they deserve a moment in the spotlight. 

You may not see it this way, but teams view any win as a win and in the same light. In racing win's come in every way including because of the weather. That team gambled and put themselves in a good spot at that moment. Was it luck? Was it strategy? Was it smart? Yes to all of the above, but so is any other win. When a driver dominates by 10 sec to a win some luck still plays a part because at any given time a lapped car could come down on that race winner and ruin his day. A cut tire. A debris caution late. Anything. A bit of luck always plays in, but that doesn't downplay how much work a team puts in weekly to get just one chance at a moment like yesterday. That No. 34 team put themselves in that spot and deserve that win.

Buescher now has a chance at making the 2016 Sprint Cup Chase (currently 6 points outside of 30th place). Before we move deeper into the win, lets also give a shout out to Regan Smith for being at the right place to end the race (finished 3rd) and notching his first top 5 of 2016.

I also think NASCAR deserves a huge shout out this week as well. This isn't a common theme, but when it is earned it needs to be noted. Sports have to deal with the weather dealt to them and NASCAR did a wonderful job. On Monday they had plenty of time to call the race early, but they stuck it out and gave fans a chance to see a full race (what we all watch and pay for). 

NASCAR and Pocono even gave out and advanced tornado warning (one wasn't even issued by the National Weather Service) so that fans could get to safety "if" severe weather popped up. It was a smart and safe call since they were trying to hold on as long as they could, yet making sure everyone makes it home. 

In the end it was inevitable they had to call the race. The fog didn't dissipate in time before the next set of heavy rain showers came in. So, we are left with an underdog winner with his first sweet trip to victory lane. I for one am looking forward to watching the battle he and his team have ahead of them to get into the top 30. It truly will make watching battles throughout the field more entertaining. 

Its also a battle worth watching for guys trying to get in on points like Elliott, Blaney, Larson, McMurray, Dillon, Newman, etc. If he can get into the top 30 and stay there then one more spot is picked from under them. It will also be interesting how Watkins Glen picks shakes out next weekend. If A.J. Allmendinger can pull off another heroic underdog win then it will really shakes things up in the Chase picture.

As if it wasn't already, next week will be must watch TV as well as the other four regular season races that remain after WG. The pressure will continue to mount week in and week out until the last ten races where everything changes.

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 21 (Week 20)

1. Kyle Busch (LW-1)- Kyle holds on this week because last week was just so dominate. It doesn't hurt he notched another top 10 this week at Pocono. Finish: 9th
2. Kevin Harvick (LW-2)- Harvick had a great car Monday but we will never know if it was a winning car because of the weather. Monday was his fourth straight top 10. Finish: 4th
3. Brad Keselowski (LW-4)- Would BK's fuel strategy he was on have been enough to win? Again, we will never know but if anyone knows how to stretch it it is the No. 2 team. Finish: 2nd
4. Joey Logano (LW-3)- One of the best cars on the day, JoLo had contact with the No. 24 when Chase got a little too aggressive and drove a bit over his head. He gets a break this week after looking like the winning car most of the day. Finish: 37th
5. Tony Stewart (LW-6)- This is a fun run. Boy I thought the first week I put Smoke on here it was for the "good ole times." Well, he has legitimately started a trend towards a Chase push. Finish: 5th
6. Matt Kenseth (LW-5)- After a hot three races run Pocono was disappointing for Kenseth. JGR is still the class of NASCAR at the moment so he shouldn't worry too much. Finish: 17th
7. Kyle Larson (LW-11)- How fun was Larson v Dillon while it lasted? Larson v Dillon, Larson v Elliott, those things have one thing in common, Larson. Larson is going to eventually collect some wins, he just has to finish off "all the ways Larson can lose a race," first. Finish: 6th
8. Kurt Busch (LW-7)- Rough to drop a spot after a top 10, but Kurt just hasn't been the same lately. Maybe they're saving something for the Chase? Maybe they're testing some for the Chase? Whatever it is they lost the consistency that got them on top of the standings. Finish: 10th
9. Carl Edwards (LW-9)- It doesn't feel like Carl has collected the 5th most points so far in 2016, but he has. On Monday he picked up his first top 10 in his last three races. Finish: 8th
10. Denny Hamlin (LW-10)- Hamlin was one of the three JGR cars to notched a top 10 on Monday. It was his third straight, but I just don't feel he is all the way there yet. Finish: 7th
11. Austin Dillon (LW-NR)- AD gets to jump back into the top 12 after his run at the front with Larson. He has five straight season's finishing 16th or better, four of those 13th or better, and two of those top 10's. Finish: 13th
12. Martin Truex Jr (LW-8)- Not a fun day for the No. 78 team on Monday after grabbing the weekend pole at a track Martin has run well at. The plus side? They got a head start out of town. Finish: 38th

Dropped Out: Jimmie Johnson (LW-12)

2016 NASCAR Week 21 Preview: Pocono

Pennsylvania 400

Pocono Raceway

By Richard Tix

Last time NASCAR took a trip to Pocono Raceway the weather forced them to move the rained out race to Monday. Coincidentally, I also started my new position at work that same Monday which meant I caught none of the race. Nothing. Not on TV, not on the radio, not on twitter, not on any racing app, nothing. 

But, sometimes weather and more importantly life gets in the way of our favorite hobby's and passions. These things tend to happen more and more over the Summer months or weekend Saturday night races for many fans.

The night race in NASCAR started as a nice switch up, it was something of a spectical for fans used to daytime NASCAR racing. A few spots on the calendar a year made it a special event worth tuning into. Just like when NASCAR was booming and added a bunch of 1.5 mile tracks during its heyday, the night race was over expanded and lost its luster. All of this being much the same as the luster of Indy has worn off, things need to be looked at to make night racing more significant again. Taking a few off the schedule might be the start of things. 

While I miss many Saturday night races, this weekend is a Sunday day race and I will be in Northern Minnesota. I will pop in and out to catch some of the race, but again life is going to get in the way of racing and I am ok with that. 

Hopefully you'all enjoy the race and this time around we don't get rained out. Unlike Indy, Pocono has made a nice comeback as of late and put on some good shows so this weekend I have an optimistic outlook. Pocono always has the possibility of being a fuel mileage ending, but it always seems to catch your attention (unless you're that fan that always has to complain unless its a win by less then 0.5 sec. Don't be that guy!). So, strap in and forget that we normally turn left four times, its the "Tricky Triangle."

**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

• Kyle Larson- Larson has already been running better in the second half of this 26 regular season stretch, now he gets one of his better tracks in Pocono. In his five starts he has one top 5, two top 10's, and average finish of 9.4, and no finishes higher then 12th. Could this weekend be his first NASCAR Cup win?
• Jeff Gordon- Welcome back to the review Gordon! Filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr again this week, Gordon brings in a career of accomplishment at Pocono to the No. 88. Six wins, 20 top 5's, and 32 top 10's in 46 career starts.
• Brad Keselowski- I am not sure any current driver has been better then BK has at Pocono in the last few stops here without winning (he has one win here in 2011). He has come close (losing to Junior after running out of fuel late) but he hasn't closed. This weekend might finally be the time to get another Pocono win.

The Middle

• Denny Hamlin- Chance to be a front runner? Check. Chance to finish 15th-20th? Also check. Denny was much better at Pocono earlier in his career then he has been lately, but anything is possible with how strong JRG has been.

The Bad

• Kasey Kahne- Not many times does a driver with two wins at a specific track get on my "bad" list, but somehow bad luck follows Kahne at Pocono. Wrecking more often then winning in his last 14 races, Kahne is the dark horse in this group to pull out a top 5.
• Jamie McMurray- 27 career Pocono starts, zero top 5's and seven top 10's. Not numbers to go crazy over if you're a JMac fan this weekend.
• Paul Menard- Just like JMac Menard has yet to finish in the top 5 at Pocono in his career. 22 starts and only two top 10's means it could be another rough weekend for the No. 27.

About the Track: Pocono Raceway

Track Stats

• Of current drivers (full time), Denny Hamlin has the most wins (4). Gordon is filling in and has 6.
• Of current drivers (full time),  Kurt Busch has the most top 5's (12)
• 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 8 races 8 of the last 11. 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

2016 Pocono NASCAR Schedule

Pennsylvania 400

By Richard Tix

**All Times are Eastern Time Zone (ET)**

Friday July 29, 2016

• 11 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice- NBCSN
• 12:30-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice- FS1
• 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice- FS1
• 4:15 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN

Saturday July 30, 2016

• 9:05 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying- FS1
• 11 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice- NBCSN
• 1 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Pocono Mountains 150 (60 laps)- FS1

Sunday July 31, 2016

• 1:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pennsylvania 400 (160 laps)- NBCSN

2016 NASCAR Pit Road Week 14: Pocono

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Axalta We Paint Winners 400

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

By Richard Tix

Ran forced this past weeks race to Monday and a I also started a new position within my real job the same day of the race (yes, I don't get paid for this and it isn't my full time job). So, even this weeks articles got pushed back.

So, sorry for the rain delay folks. Because of the new position and a day weekday race I missed almost the whole race including twitter updates. However, I still took a peak at the results and some data and in the spirit of getting Behind the Wall, got the rankings up.

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 14 (Week 13)

1. Kurt Busch (LW-2)- This win has been in the making for awhile now. Kurt had quietly been one of the most consistent drivers of 2016. It was his eighth straight top 10 and the win came by fuel strategy which shows a full team effort. Finish: 1st
2. Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- Not the best day for the No. 4 team but they still finished in the top 10. They have been fast and if they are just testing for the Chase then they could make a huge push. Finish: 9th
3. Brad Keselowski (LW-6)- BK gets the nod over Chase even after being ranked behind him last week because of two 2016 wins. Finish: 3rd
4. Chase Elliott (LW-5)- However, do not overlook how well Chase continues to do just because he got hopped by BK. Chase was a legit threat to win on Monday which would have been his first career Cup win. Instead he notched his fifth straight top 10 and his fifth top 5 of 2016. He now has 10 total top 10's which is third most. Finish: 4th
5. Matt Kenseth (LW-7)- Kenseth's hot run continues with a strong run at Pocono. He lead 31 laps on his way to his fourth straight top 10. Finish: 7th
6. Martin Truex Jr (LW-4)- Tough day for the No. 78 team after a strong win last week. Pocono was such a fun track for this team last year it was tough to see. Finish: 19th
7. Joey Logano (LW-10)- After starting the race second JoLo finished his second straight race in the top 10. This might be the time he turns things around. Finish: 5th
8. Kyle Busch (LW-3)- The rough patch continues. This team is fast, but wow bad luck. Finish: 31st
9. Carl Edwards (LW-9)- After a cold spell Carl Edwards snapped out of it at Pocono. He is still fourth overall in points even after a four race streak where he had three finishes outside the top 15. Finish: 8th
10. Jimmie Johnson (LW-8)- Just went JJ gets back on track he gets caught up in another wreck. Finish: 35th
11. Denny Hamlin (LW-11)- Hamlin took his back to back top 10's into Pocono and then the streak stopped. He didn't run bad but he didn't run well enough either. That really has been his 2016 story. Finish: 14th
12. Kyle Larson (LW-12)- I'm giving Larson a one week break because of how fun he has been to watch the few weeks before Pocono. Pocono was a step back but he has a chance to get it together at MIS. Finish: 11th

Dropped Out: None

Just Missed: Dale Earnhardt Jr and Ryan Blaney

2016 NASCAR Week 14 Stats: Pocono

Current NASCAR Driver Averages for Charlotte

By Richard Tix

Active NASCAR Cup Driver Statistics at Pocono Raceway
#	Driver	Avg FN	Avg ST	Races	W	T5	T10	T20	Lap Led	Pole
1	Kyle Larson	9.00	14.30	4	0	1	2	4	12	1
2	Jimmie Johnson	9.50	9.50	28	3	11	19	26	738	3
3	Tony Stewart	12.00	13.20	34	2	12	23	25	183	2
4	Denny Hamlin	12.30	6.90	20	4	9	13	15	669	3
5	Brad Keselowski	12.75	13.30	12	1	4	5	9	143	0
6	Ryan Newman	12.79	10.90	28	1	9	14	23	184	2
7	Kevin Harvick	14.17	17.10	30	0	7	11	25	52	0
8	Clint Bowyer	14.30	18.50	20	0	2	9	16	91	0
9	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	14.81	14.80	32	2	10	14	23	178	1
10	Kurt Busch	15.14	10.30	29	2	12	16	19	506	2
11	Carl Edwards	15.23	16.10	22	2	5	9	16	237	0
12	Matt Kenseth	15.25	18.10	32	1	4	12	23	60	0
13	Martin Truex Jr.	15.30	17.70	20	1	3	7	15	114	0
14	Greg Biffle	15.35	18.10	26	1	5	8	18	124	0
15	Joey Logano	15.93	11.10	14	1	3	5	9	220	2
16	Austin Dillon	16.00	8.00	4	0	0	0	4	5	0
17	Ty Dillon	18.00	29.00	1	0	0	0	1	0	0
18	Brian Vickers	18.06	12.00	16	0	4	5	9	160	0
19	Kyle Busch	18.41	12.40	22	0	4	8	12	82	2
20	Kasey Kahne	18.67	10.40	24	2	5	8	13	219	2
21	Jamie McMurray	19.12	16.50	26	0	0	7	17	21	1
22	Bobby Labonte	20.10	19.20	42	3	5	9	21	89	0
23	Regan Smith	20.67	20.00	9	0	0	1	4	0	0
24	Michael Waltrip	21.68	21.80	47	0	3	6	26	64	1
25	Justin Allgaier	21.75	26.80	4	0	0	0	2	6	0
26	Paul Menard	22.89	19.30	18	0	0	2	7	0	0
27	David Ragan	23.17	27.70	18	0	1	1	6	4	0
28	Casey Mears	23.46	24.20	26	0	1	3	8	29	1
29	Sam Hornish Jr.	23.80	26.10	10	0	1	2	5	25	0
30	David Reutimann	24.07	25.50	14	0	1	1	5	1	0
31	A.J. Allmendinger	24.50	21.60	16	0	0	2	6	2	0
32	Michael Annett	25.50	34.50	4	0	0	0	1	0	0
33	Aric Almirola	25.63	20.00	8	0	0	0	3	2	0
34	Travis Kvapil	25.88	34.50	17	0	0	0	4	1	0
35	Ryan Truex	26.00	39.00	2	0	0	0	1	0	0
36	Cole Whitt	26.50	36.30	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
37	Dave Blaney	26.66	29.20	29	0	0	2	7	8	0
38	Alex Bowman	28.25	33.00	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
39	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	29.33	22.50	6	0	0	0	2	0	0
40	David Stremme	29.36	34.40	11	0	0	0	0	0	0
41	David Gilliland	29.61	31.40	18	0	0	0	2	4	0
42	Mike Bliss	29.86	31.10	7	0	0	1	1	0	0
43	Brett Moffitt	30.50	34.00	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
44	Matt DiBenedetto	30.50	38.50	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
45	Danica Patrick	30.67	22.00	6	0	0	0	1	5	0
46	Landon Cassill	31.00	30.20	11	0	0	0	1	6	0
47	Mike Wallace	31.25	33.90	12	0	0	0	0	2	0
48	Reed Sorenson	31.93	30.60	14	0	0	0	1	5	0
49	Trevor Bayne	32.00	28.00	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
50	J.J. Yeley	32.56	31.00	16	0	0	0	3	1	0
51	Timmy Hill	33.50	40.30	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
52	Jeb Burton	34.00	39.00	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
53	Josh Wise	34.57	35.90	7	0	0	0	0	0	0
54	Brendan Gaughan	35.67	28.00	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
55	Michael McDowell	36.00	34.50	8	0	0	0	0	1	0
56	Alex Kennedy	36.75	42.00	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
57	T.J. Bell	39.00	43.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
58	Johnny Sauter	39.67	41.30	3	0	0	0	0	0	0