Final Pocono Driver Ratings Following All Practice and Qualifying Sessions

Micah Roberts Top 10 Driver Ratings
5-Hour Energy 500
Pocono Raceway
Sunday, June 12, 2011 - 10:15 am (PDT)

Rating    Driver     Odds     Practice 1  Practice 2   Qualified   2010 Results* 

 1. Jimmie Johnson 6/1          3rd               5th            14th               10th       
Swept 2004 season; second fastest 10 consecutive lap average in Friday‘s practice.             
 2. Denny Hamlin 4/1             10th             1st              4th                5th
Four-time winner with track best 8.2 average finish; second best average practice speeds.     
 3. Tony Stewart 10/1             4th              12th            15th               2nd                           
Two-time winner with a series best 3.6 average finish in his last five starts.  
 4. Carl Edwards 7/1               1st               3rd              6th               3rd      
Two-time winner; using chassis that won at Las Vegas and was runner-up ant Darlington. 
 5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12/1    13th            13th             21st              27th                   
Two-time runner-up; top average speeds in final practice. Using Dover/Fontana car this week.               
 6. Mark Martin 40/1               15th             6th              10th              7th                                  
Six-time runner-up with 11.1 average finish in 48 starts; had a terrific final practice.
 7. Kurt Busch 25/1                 5th               9th              1st               33rd
Two-time winner; wrecked primary car in final practice and is using backup, but it’s very fast.                    
 8. Kevin Harvick 12/1            21st            25th             32nd              4th                           
Finished fourth in both 2010 races tying a career best; using winning 2010 Michigan chassis.       
 9. Ryan Newman 40/1           6th               8th               8th               12th            
2003 winner with 13.1 average finish in 18 starts; using fifth-place Fontana chassis this week.                  
10. Jeff Gordon 12/1               9th             20th               3rd                6th         
Four-time winner, the last coming in 2007. Career average finish of 10.5 in 36 starts. 
 
* Results from the August 1, 2010 race held at Pocono, the last race run there.

Note: This will be the first Pocono race since 2004 that all teams don’t have to abide by the same gear ratio rule which should allow for a lot more passing than seen the past six seasons.
                    
Odds courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former race and sports Director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more Roberts insights and post-practice analysis on the race, go to VegasInsider.com.

Pocono Starting Lineup

Hamlin Fastest During Pocono Happy Hour; Junior With Best Average Speeds

Denny Hamlin fastest during Happy Hour at Pocono

Denny Hamlin found himself in a familiar role at the top of the speed charts during Pocono's final practice session with a lap speed of 166.125 mph. The four-time Pocono winner should be coming into this race with a lot more confidence than we have seen all season as he still covets that elusive first win of 2011.

Brian Vickers had the second fastest lap with a speed of 166.067 mph, and was followed by Carl Edwards (166.030), Brad Keselowski (165.926) and Jimmie Johnson (165.700) was fifth fastest.

Rounding out the top-ten fastest in “Happy Hour” were Mark Martin (165.615), David Reutimann (165.554), Ryan Newman (165.529), Kurt Busch (165.456) and Jeff Burton (165.399). Kurt Busch spun out early in the first session and tore up his right rear and had to go to a backup which he only got 12 laps in with it.

Two drivers who really stood out were Dale Earnhardt Jr and Mark Martin who were both raving about theirs cars on radio while driving. Junior couldn't believe how he could keep catching Denny Hamlin throughout their runs while only being slower in and out of one turn. His comments were right on the money because he had the fastest average times of the day among drivers who ran at least 10 laps.

Mark Martin isn't one to boast about having a good car if it isn't and he told the crew that they have a really fast car, and his fifth best overall lap reflects those thoughts.

Top-5 Happy Hour Speeds:
#11-Hamlin 166.125
#83-Vickers 166.067
#99-Edwards 166.030
#2-Keselowski 165.926
#48-Johnson 165.700
slowest: #7-Wimmer 159.815 & #50-Bell 161.195
notes: #22-Busch spun in turn 2 and wacked the wall with the rear of the car early in practice, the team brought out the backup car. Busch was able to get a few laps in the backup.

Pocono Practice Speeds


Driver Quotes Following Friday's First Practice at Pocono

TONY STEWART ON HOW HIS FIRST PRACTICE WENT: “I think we’re okay. Not 100 percent sure but I think according to the times we’re okay so far. I’m not sure we can say we’re spectacular but we’re above average I think.”

TONY STEWART SHIFTING: “I don’t understand why anybody should have to shift on an oval in a stock car but here we are and here we are doing it again. It is what it is.”

DENNY HAMLIN ON THIS BEING A GREAT TIME TO RACE AT POCONO FOR HIM: “It certainly is — we feel like we’ve been in contention for a couple wins here these last three or four weeks. It comes at a good time. This is a new car and it seems to have some pretty good speed in it. It’s a good part of it. We’re racing here in the middle of the day — conditions are going to be hot and slick on Sunday. All those things factor into what usually caters to us. I think this is a good time and hopefully it’s a chance for us to get in victory lane for the first time this year.”

DENNY HAMLIN ON SHIFTING CHANGING HIS STRATEGY: “It does — it takes a little bit and it’s another element that gets changed. It will. I think that we’re really only shifting in one corner — it turn one. It’s tough for me to say. You’re still going to have the guys that typically run good here — looking at the practice speeds, it looked like the typical guys were pretty good. I don’t think it will change a whole lot, but I do think it’s going to be tough on the reliability of these race cars for 500 miles. Shifting takes its toll on engines for sure. Somebody will break one.”

CARL EDWARDS ON WHAT HE'S LEARNED FROM SHIFTING AT POCONO:“We have some different ratios for third gear. I tried shifting there in practice and I went the same speed shifting and not shifting. I think that will be something you can use maybe on restarts when the cars are bunched up. Right now with my limited race trim practice I don’t see myself shifting very much. There are a lot of cycles on the engines here and a lot of up and down on the RPM. Three times per lap and then if you add another shift in there it makes a lot of opportunity for mistakes. To me, I am going to do the best I can to not shift and have the car set up for that.”

CARL EDWARDS ON SHIFTING CHANGING FUEL MILEAGE FOR THE WORSE: “Yeah, I think you use more fuel shifting and getting into third gear and then lifting and standing on it again going into fourth you burn more fuel shifting. If it becomes a fuel mileage race there won’t be guys shifting that last run. You just never know. There have been a couple of fuel mileage races here that I have been a part of and it is a tough place to save fuel at. There are a lot of bumps and the car moves around a lot. It is really hard to run really smooth laps.”

Gordon has three Pocono wins shifting

JEFF GORDON ON SHIFTING AGAIN AT POCONO: “I’m glad it’s back. To me, I wasn’t a fan of when they (NASCAR) took it away. I feel like I have an opportunity to grab that third gear to get a little bit better launch up off the corner. I think it challenges you in a way as a driver and the team, to work on the car to be able to do that. And so I think that just kind of adds another set of skills in there that I think are important, especially here at Pocono, as well as more opportunity to pass. I think it gives you more opportunity there. And I think that’s important because we’ve seen how track position is so important and getting your car to be able to turn down underneath somebody and then grab that gear to be able to try to make a pass I think is important.

“Some guys were shifting the last couple of time we were here with the old transmission. I don’t know how they were doing it. I wasn’t one of them and we were still fast. But to me, it makes sense to have the right third gear in there to be able to shift with that really works for you all the way around this place.”

JEFF GORDON ON HIS POSSIBLE ADVANTAGE OVER OTHERS WHO HAVEN'T SHIFTED: “It’s not difficult. No, what they were doing the last time we were here was difficult. And the guys that were doing it, I still shake my head at it because it was a huge jump from fourth to third and it got your attention. I tried it and I said no thank you. There is no way I’m doing this for 500 miles. But some guys did. And I think that now that we have the proper gearing it should be fairly straight-forward and simple. So I don’t think there is any advantage.”

Driver Quotes From Pocono Regarding Shifting

A few of the drivers talked with the media before Friday's first practice at Pocono with the main topic being about shifting this week.

Johnson's only two Pocono wins came while shifting 

JIMMIE JOHNSON TALKS ABOUT BRINGING BACK THE ELEMENT OF SHIFTING HERE AT POCONO: “We started shifting last year and even I tried some the year before that and didn’t see a lot of speed because the gear ratios we were allowed to use, there is just such a big gap between each downshift is one, very risky and two, we couldn’t run the coolers on the cars to keep everything cool, cold, because as you start downshifting…the transmission coolers…so if you are running in third gear a lot, you are going to build a lot of extra heat and you need to have coolers and stuff on the car in order to keep the transmission under it. It was kind of a risky thing, you only wanted to do it from time-to-time. Not-to-mention the power curve of the engine, if you are not shifting, you might want to move the power curve down and a lower RPM range where you will run and then if you shift you kind of want to do the opposite because you can stay in that peak RPM longer. So it really hasn’t been a strong effort to have a car shift and guys are dabbling with it."

"Now it just makes it easy where you can come in, you can put the coolers on the car, you can get the gaps closer so when you downshift you aren’t risking missing a shift and spinning the car out and crashing it. It won’t be as easy to tear up the transmission and you can build and engine package to suit what you plan on doing. So I think it has been a good move. It brings a lot of interest to the track and a lot of discussion from a fan standpoint and the media standpoint. Gives us drivers options. Gives the team options. The engine shops options. I think there is a lot of excitement coming into this race from the garage area.”

RYAN NEWMAN TALKS ABOUT SHIFTING AND HIS STRATEGY COMING INTO POCONO: “It will be interesting. It puts the driver back a little bit more into the equation of things with respect to the shifting. The second part of the shifting is that it does change the handling of the race car so getting into a car that drives good when you don’t shift versus when you do shift just because of the fuel mileage situation with the big race track, that makes a difference as well. The combination of driver, crew chief and race car, is probably more important than it is most other race tracks just with the asymmetry of the race. Three different corners; different banking; different length straightaways; shifting; not shifting-those types of things. A lot of communication has to be done here. You add into that your spotter talking you coming off of turn four the first couple of times, you get everything sorted out, you can have a good day.”

Kurt Busch's two wins came with mandated gear ratio

KURT BUSCH EXPLAINS HOW SHIFTING AT POCONO CAN CHANGE THE WAY YOU RACE AT POCONO? “Back in the day, we’d run third gear primarily all the way around the race track and put it into fourth gear down the long front straightaway. With the gear rule that we’re going to change to and what we’re going to adapt to today, we’ll see how it plays out. We might end up shifting more often because it’s a third gear that’s mandated, so we can’t change it at all. It helps you come off the corner stronger. With a lower gear like that, you’re able to get those rear tires to spin a little easier and you’re going to be on the looser side of things. It’s basically getting that squirt out of the corner, coming out of the corner stronger with that gear. We’ll see how much it loosens it up, yet you still have to be conservative because you don’t want to over-rev the engine. We’re seeing a lot of these races getting into fuel mileage. The more that you’re shifting, that’s going to take away your fuel mileage as well. Most likely, we’ll downshift right at the apex of the corner because it will over-rev the engine if we downshift into the corner.”

CLINT BOWYER TALKS ABOUT THE NEW GEAR RATIO AND SHIFTING: “Is that our push to pass button? I don’t know. There was a couple of times even in the last couple of years getting down into (turn) one you get really bottled up and you’d actually reach down and grab your gear anyway you’d be bogged down so much that you felt like you needed to. Only time will tell. We’ll have to get out there on the race track. I don’t know that it will be an every lap deal. Certainly, probably, maybe on restarts but we just have to get out there and feel it out and see what we’ve got. I’ve never shifted here before but like I said it’s not that big of a deal. We shift on the road courses all the time and it’s really kind of a given. You can tell by the pitch in the engine, you don’t even have to look at the tach and know what rpm you are, you can tell by listening to the engine if you need to reach down and get you a gear.”

MATT KENSETH ON WHAT WILL BE DIFFERENT AND IF HE LIKES IT: “I don’t really know but I think it will be a little bit better. I think it will be more forgiving if you get in traffic or if you miss the corner or whatever you will be able to down shift and have a little power to get back up out of there. I am looking forward to it.”

“It is easier not to shift but I like shifting because it adds another element to the race. I think it probably makes more passing and you have to be a little easier and careful on equipment. I think it gives you more of a possibility of things breaking. It puts it more in the drivers hands and I like that.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR. TALKS ABOUT SHIFTING AGAIN AT POCONO: “I don’t know. I’m going to try to find out. I haven’t shift here in a while. I think it’s unnecessary but they think the brakes are going to be better but it ain’t going to be no better.”

“Shifting is no big deal. Just hopefully you’ve got the gears all right and everything feels pretty comfortable. It should be fine. It will be the same as it was last year. Take last year’s race and replay it and just imagine all the drivers are shifting.”

Edwards Fast Early Lap Holds On To Be Quickest in Pocono's First Practice

Edwards topped the charts in the first practice session

Carl Edwards, with a lap speed of 167.729 mph, posted the fastest lap during the first practice session at Pocono Raceway.

Paul Menard was second fastest with a lap speed of 167.648 mph, and was followed by Jimmie Johnson (167.454) who was third fastest, Tony Stewart (167.264) fourth fastest and Kurt Busch (166.728) was the fifth fastest.

Rounding out the top-ten fastest were Ryan Newman (166.725), Brad Keselowski (166.636), Juan Pablo Montoya (166.392), Jeff Gordon (166.334) and Denny Hamlin (166.291).

Only two drivers ran more than 10 consecutive laps -- Montoya and Keselowski -- during the first session. Most all of the top times were done in race trim and done on the very first lap they ran. The exceptions were Stewart and Newman who put qualifying trim late in the session to crack the top-10.

“Happy Hour” for the teams is scheduled to run from 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM (EDT) this afternoon, and then the teams will return Saturday morning for their 11:10 AM (EDT) scheduled qualifying session.

Top-5 - 1st Pocono Practice:
#99-Edwards 167.729
#27-Menard 167.648
#48-Johnson 167.454
#14-Stewart 166.769
#22-Busch 166.728
slowest: #7-Wimmer 159.552 & #50-Bell 160.448
Note: Scott Wimmer is in the #7 Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge and Bliss is in the #32.
This session will set the qualifying order for Saturday's qualifying, with slowest out first and fastest out last, all cars, the field is not separated by top-35 in owners points anymore.

Practice 1 Speeds

Driver Chassis Selections For 5-Hour Energy 500 at Pocono Raceway

Note: Not all teams list chassis selections in their PR releases

Winning Vegas chassis also was runner-up at Darlington

1. Carl Edwards: Coming off sixth top 10 in 12 starts with a third-place finish; Winner of the 2008 August race; Second-best average finish (7.5) in the six races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 732) that he won with at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.

2. Jimmie Johnson: Has finished 10th or better in six of the last seven races; Swept both races in 2004; Leads all drivers with a 7.3 average finish in the six races with the COT; Second in laps led with 517; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 650) that he finished ninth with at Dover International Speedway in May.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr: 19.5 average finish in six starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Only top 10 with HMS came in this event in 2008 in fourth; Posted five top-10s in previous 16 starts with Dale Earnhardt, Inc; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 649) that he finished 12th with at Dover International Speedway in May.

4. Kevin Harvick: Seven top-10s in 20 starts; Only laps led (5) came in this event last year; Finished fourth in both events in 2010; Fourth-best average finish (10.2) in the six races with the COT; Will race the same car (chassis No. 288) that the team used eight times in 2010, including a win at Michigan International Speedway.

Kyle Busch using his Richmond winner this week (Getty)

5. Kyle Busch: Won the pole and finished second in this event last year; Finish is only top 10 in six starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Posted two top-10s in previous six starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 302) that he most recently won with at Richmond International Raceway in April.

6. Kurt Busch: Six top-10s, including one win (2007) in 10 starts with Penske Racing; Also won in 2005 with Roush Racing; 371 laps led in 20 overall starts.

7. Matt Kenseth: Last of eight top-10s came in this event in 2008; Tied for the Eighth-best average finish (13.3) in the six races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 751) that he last finished 21st with at Richmond International Raceway in April.

8. Tony Stewart: Two-time winner; 4.0 average finish in four starts with Stewart-Haas; Posted 14 top-10s in previous 20 starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Best average finish (2.5) in both races in 2010; Third-best average finish (8.8) in the six races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 640) that he finished seventh with at Darlington Raceway in May.

9. Clint Bowyer: Has finished 15th or better in the last five races; Five top-10s in 10 starts; Finished ninth in this event last year; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 350) that he finished second with at Texas Motor Speedway and 15th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

10. Ryan Newman: 11.3 average finish in four starts with Stewart-Haas; Posted six top-10s, including a win (2003) in previous 14 starts with Penske Racing; Seventh-best average finish (12.8) in the six races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 609) that he last finished fifth with at Auto Club Speedway.

11. Denny Hamlin: Defending race winner; Win was fourth in 10 starts; Second-best average finish (3.0) in both races in 2010; Tied for the fifth-best average finish (11.8) in the six races with the COT; Third in laps led with 498.

12. Greg Biffle: Coming off first win in 16 starts; Win was first top 10 in last nine races; Will return in the same chassis (No. 706) that he finished 28th with at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

13. Jeff Gordon: Coming off 25th top 10 in 36 starts; Four-time winner with the last coming in this event in 2007; Tied for the sixth-best average finish (12.3) in the six races with the COT; Leads all drivers with 918 laps led.

14. Mark Martin: Leads all drivers in top-fives (19) and top-10s (33); 15.5 average finish in four starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Tied for the Eighth-best average finish (13.3) in the six races with the COT; Fourth in laps led with 444.

15. Juan Pablo Montoya: 8.5 average finish in last four starts; Finished eighth in this event last year; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 1103) that he finished 10th with after starting from the pole at Auto Club Speedway in March.

16. AJ Allmendinger: Scored only top 10 (10th) in seven starts in this event last year; Has yet to lead a lap; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 729) that he most recently finished 20th with at Darlington Raceway.

17. David Ragan: Scored only top 10 (fifth) in the 2008 August race; 22.0 average finish in eight starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 759) that he finished 28th with at Dover International Speedway in May.

Ambrose could be a driver to excel at Pocono with shifting

18. Kasey Kahne: Won this event from the pole in 2008 with Gillett Evernham Motorsports; Last of five top-10s (fifth) came in the 2009 August race with Richard Petty Motorsports; Will make first track start with Team Red Bull; Tied for the sixth-best average finish (12.3) in the six races with the COT.

19. Marcos Ambrose: 27.2 average finish in four starts; Finished sixth in this event in 2009; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 754) that he most recently finished third with at Dover International Raceway.

20. Paul Menard: Has yet to finish in the top 10 in eight starts; Making first track start with Richard Childress Racing; Will return in the same car that he most recently finished 24th with at Dover International Speedway in May.

- compiled by Jeff Wackerlin, MotorRacingNetwork.com

Pocono Preview: Hamlin a Huge Favorite to Win Fifth Time

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Keselowski was third 100/1 or higher payout of 2011

We’ve had 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup series races thus far and three of them have been won by drivers at 100-to-1 odds or higher. Last weeks fuel mileage win by Brad Keselowski at Kansas was another in the growing list of 2011’s improbable winners as he joins Trevor Bayne’s Daytona 500 win (100/1) and Regan Smith’s Darlington surprise (500/1).

When mixing in the fact that we’re seeing a whole new change on the landscape of NASCAR's hierarchy, it could be argued that 2011 may be the most competitive season ever. The reigning five-time champion Jimmie Johnson has only one win on the year and it came at a track, Talladega, that almost anyone has a chance to win at. He’s not dominating the intermediate tracks like he used to.

Current points leader Carl Edwards looked like he was going to recreate his nine win 2008 season early on, but still only has the lone Las Vegas win to his credit. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is running well sitting in third, but even though he can't fins a win, the NASCAR Nation is loving it as TV ratings have reflected. Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin all are winless thus far into the season as well.

For the first time I can ever recall, there are at least 25 drivers that have a legitimate shot at winning each week. We still have the heavy hitter teams doing well with Hendrick, Childress, Roush, Gibbs and now Penske, but the gap between them and the lesser teams is closing.

Stewart-Haas racing is an extension of Hendrick while Michael Waltrip and Red Bull racing are gaining steam. The Ganassi team of Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya are also going to be better going forward; it’s amazing mix of parity never seen before.

Hamlin could be ready to get first 2011 win (Getty)

This week at Pocono Raceway we have an opportunity to see another first time winner as Denny Hamlin’s team comes in with things just starting to click for them. Last weeks third-place finish at Kansas gave Hamlin only his second top-five finish of the season. At this juncture last season Hamlin already had three of his eventual eight wins on the season.

At Pocono, no one has been better than Hamlin since he made his debut there in 2006. He made a splash there in his first season like never seen before as he swept both races. He also won the fall race of 2009 and this race last season giving him four wins in 10 starts with an average finish of 8.2.

The only case you could make for Hamlin not winning is just because of the climate of parity going on. Hamlin also has been in somewhat of a hangover since blowing the Championship in the final two races last season that no aspirin has been able to cure. However, momentum and being the best at the track should counter most negative assertions of Hamlin this week.

The Las Vegas Hilton Super Book feels so good about his chances to rebound this week that they have posted Hamlin as the huge 4-to-1 favorite, a major chnage from the double digit odds routinely seen on him weekly.

The main component to doing well at Pocono always rests with horsepower and who can get the most out of it on the long straight-aways. Getting a cars balance set exactly to a drivers liking is never possible because each of the three turns are vastly different which usually makes the driver choose what corner they want to be the best at. They can only be really good on one of them, but not all three.

This season the fans get the added boost of seeing the drivers being able to shift at Pocono which gives it more of a road course feel. 2004 was the last season where the drivers shifted. The majority of race fans have complained about the last few Pocono races because they can get pretty boring with everyone running the same gear ratio with not enough passing. With the change we should see a lot more passing with drivers ability coming to the forefront moreso than other tracks.

Shifting adds a new/old element to Pocono racing

Even though Juan Pablo Montoya hasn't had a very good season, he could be a driver to keep and eye on during practice because of his road racing skills. Marcos Ambrose, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick should also be conisdered a little bit more just because of the new/old element we have this week.

The top horsepower teams right now appear to be the stable of drivers at Roush and Childress, with Gibbs and Hendrick just a notch behind.

Stewart has also been able to get his cars set pretty well in his last two seasons at Pocono that include a win in 2009, third in this race last season and runner-up in the fall. Stewart will be using his seventh-place Darlington chassis. Beyond what car he brought, the real key for all drivers and their crew chiefs is what gear ratio turns out to be the best. If Stewart can gain any edge there, his driving ability and horsepower will be the winning combination Sunday.

Carl Edwards is a two time winner who won as a rookie like Hamlin did in 2005, the first year NASCAR changed the gear ratio for Pocono. He also won in his magical year of 2008 and was third in the fall race last season. He would seem like the most logical choice on paper to stop Hamlin’s look at win No. 5. He's bringing an excellent car this week too. It's the same one that won at Las Vegas and finished runner-up at Darlington.

Greg Biffle won the fall race here last season and was part of the late season surge by all the Roush cars that has spilled over to this season. Matt Kenseth has had only two top-five finishes at Pocono over his career, but because of how solid the entire Roush team has been he could be in store for his best career finish.

Last season all three Childress cars looked good enough to win in both races. Between Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and Jeff Bowyer they had five top-10 finishes in the six combined starts. Harvick ended up showing the best with fourth-place in both races. With the way that Harvick has been stealing wins this season, taking one here wouldn’t be a surprise. It doesn't hurt that Harvick will be using his winning Michigan car from last season, a track that requires lots of horsepower.

Top 5 Finish prediction:
1) #14 Tony Stewart (10/1)
2) #11 Denny Hamlin (4/1)
3) #99 Carl Edwards (10/1)
4) #16 Greg Biffle (15/1)
5) #29 Kevin Harvick (12/1)

Driver Notes & Quotes for 5-Hour Enegy 500 at Pocono Raceway

Biffle looking to get back to the winner's circle at Pocono

GREG BIFFLE ON RETURNING TO POCONO WHERE HE WON LAST FALL: “Well, I’m definitely looking forward to Pocono this weekend for several reasons. It’s always good to go back to a track where you are the most recent winner but I’m also excited that we’ll be shifting again. Pocono is really more like a road course than a traditional oval so shifting is important to make the car perform properly and allow for better racing. It can be a difficult track because all three corners are completely different which makes handling an obstacle. We can just go there and try to run as well as we did when we won and hope for the same result. I’m also excited to go do a little fishing up there on Saturday afternoon.”

GREG ERWIN, BIFFLE'S CREW CHIEF, ON POCONO: “NASCAR has relaxed the gear ratio rule to allow shifting at Pocono which I think will make for a better show for the fans. By being able to shift, the drivers will be able to accelerate better off of the slower corners for faster and more competitive racing. It just adds another element to the race and I think it will obviously be an advantage to the drivers who are better at shifting and road course racing. We’d love a repeat win there and that’s what we’re aiming for.”

DENNY HAMLIN ON WHY HE'S HAD SO MUCH SUCCESS AT POCONO: “It’s tough to say, I mean, because we’ve won there in different cars, different lines. The patch is no longer a huge advantage like it used to be in turn three and I run a much different line than what other guys run. I don’t know. I just search around and seem to find what works. The thing is, though, I’ve got cars good enough to where I can run 80 percent all day and still be able to keep up with the guys. That’s what makes it easy for me to look really good is the fact that I don’t have to push my car over the limit and it still has speed.”

HAMLIN'S GOALS FOR THE NEXT 13 RACES BEFORE THE CHASE STARTS: “My goal right now, if I had to set out where I want to be going into Richmond — I’d like to be top-five in points. Fifth is a good number and a feasible goal where we can reach. If we go on a run and win every race, sure we can be first, but a feasible goal is to be top-five so we don’t have to race our way into Richmond. That’s the goal. We don’t want to have to go to Richmond and still not know whether we’re going to be in the Chase or not. We need to be consistent and we need to learn how to finish races consistently in the top-five, not top-10 — top-five. Obviously, we are getting better and our cars are getting better. I’m pretty sure we’re going to be good and in that position when we get to Richmond and not panicking whatsoever. We’ve made up a lot of distance in these last few weeks, so we have to keep that going.”

Harvick bullied Logano at Pocono last season (Getty)

JOEY LOGANO ON POCONO: “I’ve ran really good there and I’ve run really bad there. I’ve been kind of confused there before. I like it. I think it’s fun. It’s really interesting because you have three way different corners, so trying to get your car to handl e good in all three corners is really tough. Trying to figure all that out and racing there is fun. You have that long straightaway in the front and even the one down Long Pond is really, really long too. It’s always good racing there and on restarts, it’s nuts because you can go four and five-wide into turn one, so it’s a lot of fun.”

LOGANO CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 20 Home Depot Team is taking chassis #309 to Pocono for the 200-lap race. This will be the first race of the season for this chassis. It’s new to The Home Depot Team’s stable of cars. The back-up chassis is #275 that Logano most recently drove in the Martinsville race following a practice crash that damaged his primary car. He went on to finish the race in the 13th position.

BRAD KESELOWSKI ON VISITING POCONO AS A CHILD: “Pocono is a place that I’ve been to many times with my family. My dad always ran well there in the family ARCA car and those are my earliest recollections of the track. He did make one Cup start there, which is pretty cool. His experience is something that I’ve definitely leaned on as I continue to get up to speed there. It’s a pretty tricky place but I feel like I made a lot of gains there last year. I think some of the speed that we’ve found over the last few weeks will transfer to Pocono and that has me excited that we can grab a good finish.”

KESELOWSKI CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-736 during Sunday’s 5-Hour Energy 500 at Pocono Raceway. Brad Keselowski drove this chassis to a 36th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway in April.

JIMMIE JOHNSON ON HOW TEAMS CALCULATE FUEL MILEAGE: “Really it’s kind of a basic science. As the runs develop, you see some trends based on speed of the laps. Kind of the fuel-air mixture at times makes a difference if it’s a dense night. Some other small, decimal point adjustments that they make in the overall scheme of things. Really what happens is they plug the gas tank into the car, assume it’s full, judge how much is possibly laying on the ground and then weigh the can and figure that all out through kind of eye balling it and kind of the weight of the gas can when it’s done to see what’s in there. It’s not a very exact science and it’s amazing how close the guys get when they say you’re going to run out on the backstretch and damn if you don’t.”

JOHNSON CHASSIS CHOICE: He's using the same car that raced at Dover and Fontana this season.

DALE EARNHARDT JR. ON RACING AT POCONO SITTING THIRD IN POINTS: “Definitely this year, I’ve run some really good cars and I’ve had some real good times racing and being in those cars. I just enjoy competing where I feel like I should be able to compete. I have an opinion, personally about what kind of talent I’ve got and where I should be running in the races. When I’m close to that or doing that or matching that then I get happy and I feel content and satisfied and obviously this year has been a better year for me. It could be even better and hopefully we’ll get to that next level, but for the most part definitely having fun. Definitely having more fun. When the race weekend sneaks up on you week after week after week, you’re not so upset about it. Sitting at home is pretty fun, but now when Thursday and Friday rides around, creeps up on you out of nowhere, you’re not disappointed about it, you’re like, ‘Alright man, let’s go to the next one and let’s see what we can do. Let’s see if we can go out there and make some more good things happen.”

Harvick finished fourth in both races last season (Getty)

KEVIN HARVICK ON RACING AT POCONO: “I enjoy driving the track. It’s fun to try to get your car set up right because the corners are so different and there are some bumps and things that give the race track character. This part of the season over the past several years has been really good. Pocono’s a fun race track to race on. The past couple of years, it’s come down to strategy and we’ve been solid. It’s got that unique patch in turn 3 that seemed to kind of lose some grip last year, so hopefully that’s gone and it’ll be kind of even from top to bottom as far as which groove you choose."

"It’s a fun track, and really rough in Turn 1 on the bottom. A lot of times you run through the middle. If your car’s working really good you can run anywhere you want through Turn 1. The tunnel turn is a really fast corner that you run right at the bottom. It’s got a really big curve at the bottom that you really don’t want to hit at all, because it jumps you up in the air. It’s a challenging race track, and has three totally different turns. The tunnel turn is a very challenging corner. It’s very inviting to drive the car in too far and then you push up in the center of the corner. When you get it right, it’s a really, really fun corner to go through because it’s really fast and the car’s right on the edge getting into the corner and you’re in the gas really early on exit. The car just kind of has that loose swing as you come up off the corner and you’re right up against the wall. It’s really flat. There’s a little bump in the middle of it that you hit. It’s really fun when your car is right. If it’s not right, you lose a lot of time there.”

HARVICK CHASSIS CHOICE: Kevin Harvick will race chassis No. 288 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. The team utilized this race car eight times in 2010, earning three top-five and six top-10 finishes. The top-five runs includ second-place finishes at Auto Club Speedway (2/21) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (7/25), and Harvick’s win at Michigan International Speedway (8/15).

Stewart has two wins at Pocono, including 2009 (Getty)

TONY STEWART ON RACING AT POCONO: “All three corners are different – that’s the most challenging part. It seems like you can always get your car good in two of the three corners, but the guys who are contending for the win are the guys who can get their car good for all three corners, which is very hard to do. It seems like if we can get our car to go through the tunnel turn well, then we’re normally able to get it to go through the rest of the racetrack well. The tunnel turn seems to be our toughest turn on the racetrack. Getting through turn two and the last corner of the racetrack that’s flat, long and sweeping – those seem to be the toughest two corners to get through. And if you’re a little bit off, you’re a bunch off. If there’s a guy who can get all three of those corners right, then that’s the guy who’s going to win the race.”

STEWART CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis No. 14-640 - This car debuted in May at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway where it enjoyed a solid outing, qualifying ninth and leading six laps before finishing seventh. It’s since been tested in the wind tunnel, and Sunday’s race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway will mark its second career start.

CLINT BOWYER ON POCONO RACEWAY: “It’s fun. I’ve gotten to where I enjoy Pocono. I think it’s one of the tracks that we can win at. It (the patch) has (changed the racing), but it’s starting to wear out now. I think by the time we come back this year, we’re going to be going back down around the bottom of the track and making some head way.I’ll never forget the day when I was catching Jeff (Gordon) and getting ready to pass him. He was four or five car lengths ahead of me and we went down into turn one. All of the sudden, his brakes went out. I’ll never forget until the day I die how fast he accelerated away from me because I was hard on the brakes and decelerating myself. He stayed the same speed. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I couldn’t believe how fast he went off into that corner. It really opened my eyes to how fast you’re going.”

BOWYER CHASSIS CHOICE: Clint Bowyer will pilot chassis No. 350 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This Chevrolet Impala, built new for 2011, has now seen action twice this season. The first being a runner-up finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April and the most recent coming two weeks ago in the Coca-Cola 600 when Bowyer brought home a 15th-place effort.

RYAN NEWMAN ON POCONO: “Pocono is about as complex as the road courses are. Road courses, you get a lot of different turns and straightaways. You can easily package that into three or four different corners the way a car drives. Pocono is very different in all three corners, so it’s very complex when it comes to setting the car up and from the driver’s standpoint. It’s all about matching up the combination of how the crew chief sets up the car relative to how the driver drives the racecar to make a happy package and have a shot at victory. Fuel mileage can also be crucial at Pocono. The bigger the racetrack, the more sensitive it is when it comes to fuel mileage. Each lap is 2.5 miles, there. Getting back to pit lane when you’re close to running out of fuel, it tends to be a place where the driver really has to manage his fuel when the crew chief asks you to save some fuel. There are a lot of great things that could happen at Pocono that we don’t really have at some other racetracks. You get to places like Pocono, Indianapolis and Michigan and fuel mileage can be as much of a crew chief’s friend as a foe.”

Gordon's fourth Pocono win came in 2007

JEFF GORDON ON POCONO: “It is just long. I mean, 500 miles at Pocono is like 600 miles Charlotte. It is just very long. The corners are all unique and challenging, so, when you have a long race and you have challenging turns like you have at Pocono, and if the weather is warm too, it can make for a very long day that can be very challenging mentally and physically. They are going to let us shift this time so I am pretty excited about going back to shifting at Pocono. That is one thing, getting the gearing right and getting those shifts smooth. And power. You have got to have good horsepower. At a place like that, the straightaways are so long but, you know, you have three distinct corners that are all unique and different. Trying to get the car balanced to go those three corners fast is also a big challenge. I think taking away the shifting eliminated some opportunities to pass. I think by bringing it back is going to make it yes, more competitive. More exciting racing I believe.”

MARK MARTIN ON RACING AT POCONO: “Well, it looks like Mother Nature may be our biggest competitor right now. (LAUGHS.) We’ve struggled a bit at Pocono in both races last year. The tires would be so, so good at the start of the run, but as soon as they wore out we were just too loose. We showed improvement in the second race and I think we learned a lot. Hopefully we’ll unload off the truck pretty good and not be fighting the handling too bad early on.”

Montoya should benefit the most with shifting allowed

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET – 15TH IN STANDINGS: “Pocono is a long race. It is one of those places where you think, we should just run 400 miles there, you know? It almost makes the Coca-Cola 600 seem short! It’s very challenging because it’s really old asphalt and it’s really bumpy and every corner is different. So to get the car right, is really hard. You’ve just got to learn to drive it where it’s okay in a couple of turns. If you can get it good in two out of three (turns), you’re good. Our Target Chevrolet has been good there over the last few years so we’re expecting a strong finish this weekend.”

MONTOYA CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis #1103 - Crew Chief Brian Pattie and the No. 42 team will bring chassis #1103 to Pocono Raceway this weekend. The last time Montoya used this chassis, he finished in the 12th position in the Sprint All-Star Race. Prior to the race at Charlotte, this chassis started on the pole and had a tenth-place run at Auto Club Speedway in March of 2011.

MATT KENSETH ON RACING AT POCONO: “There are a lot of things about Pocono that we focus on heading into this weekend. Fuel mileage is a big deal because it is such a big track and you can’t run very many laps on fuel there. All three corners are very unique; Turn one is really rough and bumpy which makes it hard to find a good groove, and honestly, all three turns are a challenge to get through fast. The straightaway is really long and you tend to spend that time thinking about the corners. It is the corners I guess that are the biggest focus for me because it is a challenge to get your car handling all three of them correctly, and it will be even more of a challenge now with shifting again.”

KENSETH CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-751 (last run at Richmond)

PAUL MENARD ON POCONO RACEWAY: “Pocono is very similar to Indianapolis, and we had a really good test there a few weeks ago. All of the things that we learned will transfer over to Pocono, I’m sure. You have to set the car up for three different corners and a long straightaway. It’s definitely a unique place. It’s a great track. The mountains are really nice. It’s a nice change from the bigger cities that we go to. I really like going to Pocono.”

MENARD CHASSIS CHOICE: Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 347 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 27 Chevrolet Impala was a brand new addition to the RCR fleet for the 2011 season and was last seen on track at Dover International Speedway where Menard brought home a 24th-place result after starting from the 20th position. This car also saw paces earlier this year at Auto Club Speedway where Menard started 15th and finished 16th.

Burton had great practices at both 2010 Pocono races

JEFF BURTON ON POCONO RACEWAY: “I haven’t really thought that we’ve been in position to win races there (at Pocono). We’ve run solid top six, top seven but being able to win there, we haven’t quite gotten there yet. We struggle with getting the car to rotate in (turns) one, two and three and still get off of four and five. I don’t get why every race track we go to has four corners and Pocono has five, yet it really has three. I have yet to understand that. However, it’s very difficult to get the car right on both ends of the race track. This biggest thing is it’s so rough. The thing about Pocono is you start your braking while you’re still going straight. So you really don’t get the sensation of speed like you do at Texas (Motor Speedway) or somewhere like that. But, when you get there (to the turn), you’re going a lot faster than you should be. It gets really, really rough. The car is bouncing around and moving around a lot. It will get your attention, but it doesn’t feel that fast. When something goes wrong in turn one, you feel like you’re going really fast. A lot of that speed sensation goes away because you’re straight-line braking.”

BURTON CHASSIS CHOICE: Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 317 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built new for the 2010 season, Burton drove this Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala to an eighth-place finish at Pocono Raceway in August before piloting this No. 31 racer to a 24th-place result at Michigan International Speedway two weeks later and to a 23rd-place result at Auto Club Speedway in October. After going through offseason modifications, this RCR entry last competed at Bristol Motor Speedway in March and Dover International Speedway last month where Burton was credited with 17th- and 11th-place finishes, respectively.

JAMIE MCMURRAY ON POCONO: “Pocono is a fun place to race, but it is a difficult track to get set up just right with all three corners being so different. Trying to find a balance to get through each of the different corners is a challenge. Horsepower is also key. You need to motor past people up off the corners, especially off turn four with that long front straightaway. I look forward to having a strong run in our McDonald’s car this weekend. We certainly need to have a swing of good luck here soon and this would be a great place to make that happen.”

McMURRAY CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis #1102 - Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion has elected to bring Chassis number #1102 to Pocono Raceway. This is the same chassis that McMurray drove earlier in 2011 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and most recently at Dover International Speedway in May.

Busch had career best runner-up finish at Pocono in 2010

KYLE BUSCH ON THE HARDEST PART OF POCONO: “The hardest part of the track, for me, is probably turn one, and then turn two is the second-hardest, and then turn three is the third-hardest. Turn three, last year, because of the patch they laid down. We couldn’t go down low and get underneath somebody and get a run on them because, when you come off the corner, you’re 8 to 10 mph slower than the guy on your outside, and they’re just going to blow right by you going down the straightaway.”
Since the track is unique, where is the best place to make a pass at Pocono?

BUSCH ON HIS FAVORITE PART OF THE TRACK TO PASS ON: “Most of your passing is going to be done probably through turn one and off of turn one and getting into turn two, if somebody can get a good run off of turn two, get back up high and get in line to get on that patch getting into turn three. Besides that, in turn one, we just can’t get the cars to turn down there because there’s so much load on the bump stops from going 210 mph down the front straightaway and then trying to slow it down to about a ‘buck-40’ (140). Turn two is kind of bumpy and kind of rough. There are different areas where you’ve got to maneuver through the tunnel turn to get your car right. If you miss it just by a little bit, you tend to knock the wall down off the corner, so it’s tight.”

KYLE BUSCH CHASSIS CHOICE - Chassis No. 302: This chassis will make its third career start in Sunday’s 5-Hour Energy 500 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, as this car has finished no worse than third in its two previous starts. No. 302 made its debut in April at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, where Busch started 11th and led a race-high 151 laps before bringing home a solid third-place finish. The No. 18 team brought this chassis to Richmond (Va.)International Raceway in late-April, where Busch started 20th and led four times for a race-high 235 laps en route to the Crown Royal
400 victory.

REGAN SMITH ON POCONO: “If we can have an error-free race I think we can come out of Pocono with a strong finish. We were decent there last year, and after only five career races at Pocono I am understanding the tunnel turn and the configuration of the track much better. It’s a different place and experience is important. Pocono is where we need to start nailing down consistent performances in our Furniture Row Chevrolet. Lately, it’s been one good race, one bad race. You can’t have that, we need to start stringing some good runs together. The potential is there, but we need to avoid mistakes and mechanical issues.”

DAVID RAGAN ON POCONO: “NASCAR relaxed the transmission ratio rule allowing drivers to shift, which will be something new for me at Pocono. Pocono is a good track for us and a place our engines run really well. Should be a good weekend to keep the momentum we’ve built up going for our UPS team.”

RAGAN CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-759 Last ran Dover – finished 28th; Backup: RK-695 Last ran Phoenix in 2010 as the No. 99 – finished first

CARL EDWARDS CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis: RK-732 – Ran at Vegas (1st) & Darlington (2nd).

Stewart's Last Five Pocono Starts Average Out Better Than Anyone

Stewart's first team win came at Pocono in 2009

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (June 8, 2011) – To say that Pocono (Pa.) Raceway is a unique racetrack might be a bit of an understatement.

The 2.5-mile triangular layout was designed by two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Rodger Ward, and it has three different corners that were each modeled after a different track. Turn one, which is banked at 14 degrees, is modeled after the now-closed Trenton (N.J.) Speedway. Turn two, banked at eight degrees, is a nod to the turns at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And turn three, banked a six degrees, is modeled after the corners at The Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis.

It’s an anniversary of sorts for Pocono as 40 years ago this summer the late, great Mark Donohue won the first 500-mile race conducted at what has become known as the “Tricky Triangle.” But Donohue wasn’t driving in NASCAR competition during the July 3, 1971 Schafer 500, but rather in the USAC Champ Car Series – a forerunner to what is now known as the IZOD IndyCar Series.

What does any of this have to do with Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet team of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) as they prepare for this weekend’s 5-hour Energy 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono? Well, not really anything, except that not much has changed at Pocono since Donohue won 40 years ago in a Penske Racing-prepared McLaren/Offenhauser.

Stewart's other Pocono win came in 2003

While the garage area has changed since the 70s and other minor adjustments have been made to the infrastructure at the facility, the challenge for man and machine remains no different than it was for Donohue, Joe Leonard, Gary Bettenhausen, Sammy Sessions and Jimmy Caruthers who were among the 33-driver field four decades ago.

Sprint Cup Series drivers began the pilgrimage to Pocono in 1974 and starting coming twice a year in 1982. And with each trip, crew chiefs and drivers have attempted to build and set-up a car capable of negotiating each of the three different turns as smoothly and as quickly as possible – a challenge unlike anywhere else on the 36-race schedule.

Twice in 24 career Sprint Cup starts at Pocono Stewart has found the proper combination in order to claim victory. He led 37 laps in June 2003 to score his first win at the 2.5-mile triangle while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. And in June 2009, he claimed the first ever point-paying victory for SHR, when he started on the pole and led 39 laps en route to winning the Pocono 500.

That victory, coupled with his win three weeks prior at the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, helped set the stage for an impressive summer stretch which saw Stewart capture three more victories at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the road course at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International and Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.

Stewart and crew chief Darian Grubb would love nothing more than to score a victory at Pocono and jump-start the summer stretch as the battle for the 12 spots in the Chase for Championship heats up.

Perhaps history could repeat itself, too. Following his 1971 victory at Pocono (which came about two months after Stewart was born), Donohue went on to win the next USAC Champ Car race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. Ironic, considering the next event on the Sprint Cup schedule following Pocono takes place at, of all places, Michigan.

TONY STEWART QUOTES:

Explain a lap around Pocono: “Turn one is probably the easiest of the three – you drive it in kind of deep and then try to float the car through the corner. You go down the backstretch and into the tunnel turn and it’s basically one lane. It’s flat and very line-sensitive. You’ve got to make sure you’re right on your marks every lap when you go through there. Then you’ve got a short chute into turn three. It’s a big, long corner and it too is very line-sensitive. Add the fact that we’ve got a straightaway that’s three-quarters of a mile long after that, and it’s very important that you get through the last corner well. You need to come off the corner quickly so that you’re not bogged down when you start down that long straightaway. Each corner has its challenges, and each one tends to present a different set of circumstances with each lap you make.”

From a driver’s standpoint, what’s your biggest challenge at Pocono? “All three corners are different – that’s the most challenging part. It seems like you can always get your car good in two of the three corners, but the guys who are contending for the win are the guys who can get their car good for all three corners, which is very hard to do. It seems like if we can get our car to go through the tunnel turn well, then we’re normally able to get it to go through the rest of the racetrack well. The tunnel turn seems to be our toughest turn on the racetrack. Getting through turn two and the last corner of the racetrack that’s flat, long and sweeping – those seem to be the toughest two corners to get through. And if you’re a little bit off, you’re a bunch off. If there’s a guy who can get all three of those corners right, then that’s the guy who’s going to win the race.”

Your victory two years ago at Pocono was the first point-paying victory for Stewart-Haas Racing. What do you remember about that victory? “I knew it was big when we were there in victory lane, obviously. Getting the first one at Charlotte (the non-points Sprint All-Star Race) was a huge accomplishment for the organization, but that first official points win was big, too. The feeling was the same as it was in Charlotte, but it was different because you knew it was a points race. It just meant a lot. It meant so much to a lot of people because it had been a long road to get this organization to where it could win races. Everybody put a lot of hard work into getting this program where it’s at, so it was nice to get to victory lane for a points race.”


Your win at Pocono two years ago came in a fuel mileage race. Can you explain what you did to make sure you had enough fuel to go the distance while many of your competitors did not? “I’ve lost a lot more races like that than I’ve won. It was between Carl (Edwards) and I. We were the strongest two cars at the end of the race and we were able to get the track position we needed. Our guys did a great job of getting us out of the pits in the lead and that gave us the opportunity to make Carl push harder in the beginning to get the lead. Once he went into that fuel conservation mode, we had to follow suit. To be in a situation where your speed is dictated off the guy behind you and not off of what you can do, it’s a different style of racing. It’s hard. It’s just as hard, if not tougher, than trying to run 100 percent.”

Last week at Kansas you had to pit with 10 laps to go and gave up what potentially would have been a victory. Looking back, would you do anything different? “We didn’t get all the fuel in it to make it to the end. We had a problem getting the fuel in and we didn’t get it full at that second to last stop so we had to pit there with about 10 laps to go. There’s nothing you can do. Our guys are doing a great job. They did a great job all day. We kind of had to roll the dice on the chassis setup. I’m really proud of our engineers and Darian (Grubb, crew chief). They did a great job of getting us there and making good, educated guesses.”

Chassis No. 14-640: This car debuted in May at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway where it enjoyed a solid outing, qualifying ninth and leading six laps before finishing seventh. It’s since been tested in the wind tunnel, and Sunday’s race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway will mark its second career start.

- True Speed Communication for Stewart-Haas Racing, Press Release

Edwards Looking For Third Pocono Win; Using Winning Vegas Chassis

Edwards is a two-time winner at Pocono Raceway

Carl Edwards
Team: No. 99 Kellogg’s Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Bob Osborne

Chassis: RK-732 – Ran at Vegas (1st) & Darlington (2nd)

Carl Edwards on racing at Pocono Raceway:
“I really like racing at Pocono. The first time I ran there I won so it’s been a favorite ever since. It is a very difficult track, both mentally and physically, and it taxes every part of the car as well. We’re going into Pocono with a big point lead so we are definitely going for the win. With a cushion in the points we are able to gamble a bit more and I can drive more aggressively to go for the win. It’s also TNT’s first broadcast and Kellogg’s first primary race of the season so that will be fun as well.”

Crew Chief Bob Osborne on racing at Pocono Raceway:
“Pocono is the most unique race track we go to on the circuit. It is a challenging race track, but I enjoy racing there. With three different corners and a very long straightaway, there is a fine line between being good and being good enough to win. It takes a series of compromises to the set-up to run fast there.”

Fast Facts
* Carl Edwards will make his 13th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Pocono Raceway in this weekend’s Pocono 500.
* STANDINGS… Edwards currently leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings by 40 points over Jimmie Johnson with one win, seven top fives and 10 top 10s.
* FOR THE RECORD…In 12 starts at the 2.5-mile track, Edwards has two wins, five top-five and six top-10 finishes. He has an average start of 22.9 and an average finish of 12.4.
* ON THE TRACK… The No. 99 team will be unloading chassis RK-732 this weekend. This is the same Ford Fusion that Edwards won with at Vegas and finished second at Darlington. The team will debut the Kellogg’s paint scheme for the first of two primary races this season.
* IN THE LOOP… According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics compiled over the last 12 races at Pocono, Edwards has turned 143 of the track’s fastest laps which is fifth highest, spent 1,444 laps (62.4%) in the top 15 (10th highest) and led a total of 210 laps (fourth highest). Edwards’ driver rating (98.6) is sixth best among active drivers.
* REWIND, POCONO, June 2010…After starting 26th, Edwards and the team worked on the handling all day and seemed to hit on a good set-up in the closing laps to help Edwards finish 12th.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release

Johnson Using Runner-up Fontana Chassis at Pocono

JIMMIE JOHNSON 2011

Johnson has two Pocono wins, both coming in 2004

FANS AND MEDIA CAN NOMINATE CHARITY FOR JIMMIE JOHNSON FOUNDATION HELMET OF HOPE

The Jimmie Johnson Foundation launched the 2011 Helmet of Hope program in Kansas on June 3 and announced the American Red Cross would be the first charity to be featured on the helmet and to receive a grant of $10,000. The American Red Cross was selected by the Johnsons to help raise awareness of disaster relief efforts in the wake of the recent tornados across the country.

The Helmet of Hope allows fans and media members across the country the opportunity to nominate their charity of choice to be featured on Jimmie Johnson’s race helmet for the Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway in Sept. In addition, each selected charity will receive a $10,000 grant.

A total of 12 charities will be selected to be featured on the one-of-a-kind helmet – six chosen from fan and six by media submissions.

Visit www.HelmetOfHope.org to nominate a charity. Jimmie will select two charities each week beginning with the Pocono Raceway event race and concluding with New Hampshire Motor Speedway event in July.

JOHNSON TO RUN LOWE’S SUMMER SALUTE CAR IN PRELUDE TO THE DREAM AT ELDORA SPEEDWAY
Johnson will participate in Tony Stewart’s charity dirt race Wed. evening at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Johnson is the defending winner of the event and it’s his fourth time participating. He will drive a special No. 48 Summer Salute Chevrolet. The car features the names of 48 people nominated through the Lowe’s Racing twitter account (@LowesRacing) who have served or are currently serving in the military.

The Prelude to the Dream is a team event. There is an individual race winner, but there is also a race within the race, with the field broken up into four teams, each representing a children’s hospital. Johnson, along with teammates Denny Hamlin, Bill Elliott, David Reutimann, Austin Dillion, Ray Evernham and Cruz Pedregon, will race for Team Levine (Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, N.C.).

RACE NOTES
Pocono Raceway
• Johnson has made 18 Sprint Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway, where he has two wins, six top-five and 12 top-10 finishes.
• Johnson has completed 99.7% (3480 of 3489) of competition laps at the 2.5-mile tri-oval and has led 517.
• He has an average start and finish of 7.7 and 9.6.

Chassis
• Johnson finished ninth in primary chassis No. 650 at Dover International Raceway in May. The car also finshed eighth at Texas and second at Fontana.
• Backup chassis No. 623 crossed the finish line 16th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.


JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTES

YOU WON THE PRELUDE TO THE DREAM LAST YEAR. CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT THAT WIN MEANS TO YOU COMPARED TO SOME OF YOUR CUP WINS?
“Yeah, that was a really cool night for me. To qualify where we did and start up front and lead every lap with a ton of pressure from Kyle (Busch) and then Clint (Bowyer) and then knowing all those guys were back there coming, especially Tony (Stewart) in his car. It meant a lot to me. I think it was my third time in that race. I think I tested a couple of other times. So my fifth time sitting in one of those cars and to go out and win it at Eldora, and to qualify fourth like I mentioned, was really cool. It’s just so neat to drive different vehicles and to figure out how to be fast in them. It’s one thing to get within a second or a half a second of the fast guys in a vehicle, that’s just one hurdle. But to find that last bit of speed and really be competitive is the toughest thing in any type of racing. And that’s what makes it so sweet. So to go in and perform like that was really cool. And then also to have a year of bragging rights over Clint and to give him a hard time whenever I see him, because he was my car owner, makes it even that much better.”

HOW ABOUT BEATING TONY STEWART AT HIS OWN TRACK? WAS THAT SPECIAL TOO?
“It was. I mean he did start at the back, so I have to give him fair credit (laughs). If he had started up there on the front row, I don’t know how things would have turned out. He does an amazing job putting on that event and I think it’s something that all of motorsports is proud of, and drivers, and why we’re interested in competing in it, and his relationship with HBO and the money raised and the hospitals that benefit from it, I’m really proud of what he’s done.”

SPRINT CUP SERIES CAREER NOTES
Career Wins
• Johnson has 54 wins in his Sprint Cup Series career, his most recent coming at Talladega Superspeedway on April 17, 2011.
• The El Cajon, Calif.-native is currently 10th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list, one victory behind Lee Petty.
• He is second in total wins among active drivers, behind Jeff Gordon (82).
• Johnson needed only 296 starts to hit the 50 mark. Only three drivers have reached 50 victories quicker – Gordon (232), Darrell Waltrip (278) and David Pearson (293).
• Johnson has won at least three Cup races a season since he posted his first victory in 2002. He is the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first eight full-time seasons.
• Johnson has won Sprint Cup Series races at all but four (Michigan, Chicago, Watkins Glen, Homestead) of the 22 tracks on which the series competes.
• Johnson’s 10 wins in 2007 was the highest number recorded in a single season since Jeff Gordon posted 13 victories in 1998.
• The four-consecutive wins scored by the No. 48 team in the 2007 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ties a modern-era NASCAR record.

Career Poles
• Johnson has collected 25 poles in his Sprint Cup career.
• The championship driver has earned at least one pole a year since his first full-time season in 2002.
• He had a career-high six poles in 2008.
• Johnson’s most recent pole position was at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 24, 2010.

Career Starts
• Johnson has finished in the top five in the Sprint Cup Series point standings each year since his first full season in 2002.
• Johnson is the only driver to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup every year since the format was adopted in 2004.
• In 339 Sprint Cup Series starts, Johnson has posted 138 top-five and 211 top-10 finishes.
• He has a top-five finish at every track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.
• Johnson has led a total of 11,469 laps (of 98,550) in his Sprint Cup career, covering over 131,571 miles.
• He has finished on the lead lap 264 times.

Career Recognition
• Johnson was named by Forbes as the Most Influential Athlete in 2011.
• In 2009, Johnson became the first race car driver to be named Male Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in its 78-year history.
• Voted Driver of the Year four times in his career (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010), Johnson joins Jeff Gordon as four-time winners of the prestigious award.
• Johnson has won an ESPY for Best Driver three times, in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Jeff Gordon Going For Fifth Pocono Win

Gordon's last win at Pocono was 2007

LONG POND, Pa. (June 7, 2011) – In the 5-hour ENERGY 500 on Sunday, Jeff Gordon and Team DuPont are looking for the right shift – in momentum – at The Tricky Scalene. Pocono Raceway’s nickname, “The Tricky Triangle,” is due to its three unique corners, and it proves to be a challenge to the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers each and every trip.

“The straightaways are so long but you have three distinct corners,” said Gordon, who has four wins, two poles, 16 top-fives and 25 top-10’s in 36 starts at the 2.5-mile track. “Trying to get the car balanced to go through those three corners fast is a huge challenge.

“They call it ‘The Tricky Triangle?’ It’s definitely a very tricky scalene.”

Gordon’s fourth-place finish last Sunday at Kansas was his first top-10 since a third-place finish at Talladega in the middle of April. But while the finishing positions have not been indicative of how the No. 24 team has performed during that stretch, the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion knows momentum can change quickly.

“We’ve had good runs, we just need to start getting the finishes to match,” said Gordon. “Whether it was getting caught up in a wreck (at Richmond) or a caution coming out right after we pitted (at Charlotte) or whatever, we’ve been running much better than the finishes show.

“But that’s part of racing, and we just need to do whatever we can to learn from it and do our best – by qualifying better or doing this or doing that – so that we don’t put ourselves in those positions again.

“Hopefully, we can shift momentum the other way through the summer.”

And shifting of another sort will return to the Poconos this weekend.

“NASCAR is going to let us shift here again, so I’m pretty excited about that,” said Gordon, who is 13th in the point standings. “By allowing us to shift again, I think it’s going to make it more competitive and provide more opportunities to pass.
“You have to have good horsepower, and getting the gearing right and getting those shifts smooth is vital.”

A focus of No. 24 crew chief Alan Gustafson, as well.

“If you unload your car and you’re struggling with balance, the driver may not even shift,” said Gustafson. “But as you work through practice and get better, how you shift and where you shift changes.

“We may even see someone try to shift six times a lap – upshifting and downshifting along each straightaway.”

That would mean 1,200 shifts during the course of a 200-lap race. It could also mean a trip to “The Tricky Triangle’s” Victory Lane.

- Performance PR Plus for DuPont Motorsports, Press Release