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| Rain seems to always be the star at Pocono Raceway. |
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Rain Postpones Pennsylvania 400: New start time Monday,11 am ET
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Pocono Betting Notes: Catching the No. 78 will be tough
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| Martin Truex Jr. is going to be hard to chase down Sunday at Pocono. |
On the 26th of his 34 practice laps run, Truex laid down the fastest lap at 176.377 mph; and when he completed his simulated race run he also had the best 10-consecutive-lap average. His Toyota, powered by Joe Gibbs Racing equipment, immediately got the attention of everyone in the garages and also Las Vegas oddsmakers. He opened at 7-1 odds but now has been moved to the race favorite at 5-1.
In addition to all of Truex’s outstanding highlights from Friday and Saturday that make him the favorite Sunday, he had plenty of credentials showing he was already a solid candidate to win. The Joe Gibbs-Toyota angle is the first as the five cars have won 10 of the 20 Sprint Cup races this season. Last season, a Gibbs Toyota won the week following a Gibbs (Las Vegan Kyle Busch) Brickyard win.
The next angle is that Truex won at Pocono for the first time in June 2015. He’s also currently the series leader with 989 laps led this season and he’s using the same chassis this week that gave him his only 2016 victory in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. In a similar situation to this week, he started from the pole at Charlotte and set a NASCAR record by leading a whopping 392 of the 400 laps. He got out front and stayed out front, and Pocono is much a much tougher place to pass.
There’s also some history in his favor with 15 of the previous 77 Pocono winners coming from the pole. The last to do it was Jimmie Johnson in 2013.
Read More Here......Las Vegas Review-Journal
Final Pocono Driver Ratings
Final Pocono Driver Ratings/Practice Notes: 2016 Pennsylvania 400
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| Martin Truex Jr. is going to be hard to catch Sunday. |
His Toyota, which uses Joe Gibbs Racing equipment, is going to be hard to catch once the race starts just because of being fast both on short and long runs. It's almost impossible to pass, so we could possibly see him run away and hide for the 160 laps almost like he did at Charlotte in May when he started from the pole and led a NASCAR record 392 of the 400 laps for his only win of the season. He's using that same chassis this weekend.
Here's a look at the final Pocono driver ratings which consists of past track history, current form, qualifying and practices. It's roughly the same formula I've used weekly to create odds to win at Las Vegas sports books since 1994.
Micah Roberts' Sprint Cup Driver Ratings
Pennsylvania 400
Pocono Raceway
Sunday, July 31, 2016 - 10:50 am PT
RATING DRIVER ODDS PRACTICE 1 QUALIFIED PRACTICE 2 POCONO 1*
1. Martin Truex Jr. 7/1 6th 1st 1st 19th
2015 winner; fastest 10-consecutive lap average in practice - using winning Charlotte chassis.
2. Kevin Harvick 6/1 5th 17th 3rd 9th
No wins in 31 starts - runner-up in two of past four; third fastest 10-consecutive lap average..
3. Brad Keselowski 10/1 19th 7th 2nd 3rd
Gritty 2011 win driving with broken and severely swollen ankle; runner-up in two of past five starts.
4. Denny Hamlin 8/1 2nd 4th 15th 14th
Four-time winner, the last in 2010. Practiced well and comes off a solid fourth-place run at Indy.
5. Kurt Busch 12/1 14th 15th 4th 1st
Three-time winner, including June's race and he's using that same chassis this week.
6. Chase Elliott 15/1 8th 8th 5th 4th
Led race-high 51 laps in June, a reason to believe he'll shake 15th or worse slump in past five races.
7. Carl Edwards 8/1 4th 2nd 9th 8th
Two-time winner, the last in 2008. No top-fives since 2010, but practiced well and starts up front.
8. Kyle Busch 6/1 3rd 16th 6th 31st
No wins in 23 starts with 18.9 average finish, but dominating Indy win a good indicator for success.
9. Jimmie Johnson 8/1 12th 21st 10th 35th
Three-time winner with 10.3 average finish (19 top-10s) and 738 laps led in 29 career starts.
10. Joey Logano 10/1 7th 10th 17th 5th
2012 winner; top-five in three of past four starts -- 20th last fall after leading 97 laps (ran out of fuel).
* Results from the June 6, 2016 race at Pocono. Another good handicapping guide is reviewing last week's Brickyard race, which has similar features to Pocono.
Odds courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.
Micah Roberts, a former sports book director, has been been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1994. Follow on Twitter @MicahRoberts7
Pennsylvania 400 Betting Notes
Friday, July 29, 2016
Martin Truex Jr. captures Pocono pole
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| Martin Truex jr. is 7/1 to win Sunday at Pocono. |
Truex claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot at the three-turn, 2.5-mile track with a lap of 179.244 miles per hour in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. It was the third pole of the year and the 10th of his career for the Mayetta, N.J., native.
And the competition should be very worried about Sunday. Truex won at Pocono last year and this time he is driving the same car that in May he won the Coca-Cola 600 with, a car that led 392 of 400 laps to set a NASCAR record with.
Read More Here....Fox Sports
Qualifying Results
Time for NASCAR to consider Sprint Cup format changes?
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| Brad Keselowski makes a good point about current Chase format. |
the driver with the most wins hasn't made the final round in the last 2 years, maybe we should start there? twitter.com/frontstretch/s…
Yes, Brad, maybe we should start there.
NASCAR, which is so quick to change race set-up packages for teams whenever it feels necessary, might be able to quickly address a few things before the start of this year's Chase, which is scheduled to begin Sept. 18 at Chicagoland Speedway, or before the start of the 2017 season.
The past two postseasons have produced outstanding drama, but some of the 16 Chase participants each year might have been rewarded too much for excelling in the final 10 races rather than for what they did during the first 26 races. Maybe a format similar to the NFL's postseason could properly reward excellence during NASCAR's regular season.
Here, then, is a solution to ensure NASCAR's final eight will include its top performers from the season: The driver with the most wins and the driver with the most points would automatically advance to the Round of Eight.
Read More Here.......Sporting News
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch favored to win Pennsylvania 400
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| Will it be a Chevrolet or Toyota winning Sunday? |
This will be the second race of the season at Pocono's 2.5-mile tricky triangle and results from the June 6 race will be a key component to handicapping the race, as well as last week's Brickyard 400 because Indianapolis Motor Speedway has similar traits, such as the longest straights in the series.
MORE: Pocono forecast: Rain
Let's take a look at all the driver odds and how they've done at Pocono over the years.
ODDS TO WIN PENNSYLVANIA 400
Kevin Harvick: 6/1 — He leads the series in points (671) and top-10 finishes (16), which is why he's considered a favorite. No wins in 31 Pocono starts, but he does have seven top-fives and was ninth in June.
Kyle Busch: 6/1 — His win last week at the Brickyard gives him four on the season and ties him for the most in the series. His 11 top-five finishes through 20 races this season is three more than the next closest. He's been close to winning at Pocono several times, but only has an 18.9 average finish in 23 starts.
“I think I’ve been a bit inconsistent or streaky there over the years," Kyle Busch said. "I started off early in my career with some top-five finishes and then went through a stretch where we weren’t very good. Lately, we’ve certainly been better there and I’ve had some second-place finishes and third-place finishes, so I feel like I’ve figured it out better there, lately. With the way our cars at JGR have been overall, I’m very optimistic that we could score a victory there this weekend with our M&M’S 75th Anniversary Camry.”
Martin Truex Jr.: 7/1 — He's finished 19th in his past two Pocono races after capturing his first victory there in June 2015. Like Busch, with the Joe Gibbs Racing equipment, he's a real contender to win this week.
Read More Here.....complete list of odds on Sporting News
Kevin Havick still searching for first Pocono win
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| Kevin Harvick is 6/1 co-favorite to win Sunday at Pocono. |
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for SHR, will share similar paint schemes to the Nos. 10 and 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS cars driven by teammates Danica Patrick and Tony Stewart, respectively. The slight differences will be in the color of wings on the front quarterpanels of the cars. Harvick’s No. 4 will have blue wings, Patrick’s No. 10 will have silver, and Stewart’s No. 14 will feature red.
While the cars will look similar, it is the fuel mileage, engine efficiency and reliability that Mobil 1 delivers under the hood that should prove to be the biggest advantage for each car and driver at the demanding three-turn, 2.5-mile triangle-shaped track. Mobil 1 touches every major moving part in SHR’s cars and that translates to better lap times.
The No. 4 team also will have to thrive in the face of adversity this weekend after Rodney Childers, crew chief of the No. 4 Chevrolet SS team for SHR, is serving a one-race suspension for violating NASCAR Rule Book Section 12.1; Section 10.11.3.4 for a lug nut not properly installed at the completion of the Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis. In addition, he has been fined $20,000 and placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31.Dax Gerringer, race engineer with the No. 4 team, will serve as the interim crew chief at Pocono. Additionally, Greg Zipadelli, SHR’s vice president of competition, will be on hand to support Gerringer.
Harvick will work with Gerringer to try to win a Sprint Cup race that has proven to be elusive for Harvick over his Sprint Cup career.
Pocono is one of only four Sprint Cup racetracks where Harvick has yet to record a Sprint Cup win. Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and Kentucky Speedway in Sparta are the other three.
The Bakersfield, California native has run well at Pocono, scoring seven top-five finishes and 12 top-10s in his 31 career Sprint Cup starts there, but he’s yet to reach victory lane in NASCAR’s top series. He seems to be getting close, however, as he’s scored two top-five finishes and three top-10s while leading laps in his last four Sprint Cup starts at Pocono.
In August 2014, Harvick started sixth, led five laps and finished second to Dale Earnhardt Jr., by .228 of a second. Last June, he started fifth, led 39 laps and was runner-up to Martin Truex Jr. by 1.346 seconds.
Harvick does have a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Pocono, scoring the win from the pole position while driving for his own team on Aug. 7, 2011. He led 44 of 53 laps to beat Kyle Busch to the finish line by 1.140 seconds.
The Sprint Cup points leader would like nothing more than to score his first Sprint Cup win Sunday at Pocono. A win would be Harvick’s second of the 2016 season. He scored his first of the year in the season’s fourth race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Harvick clinched a top-30 points position with his ninth-place finish July 9 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. He needs an additional win to clinch his spot in the 2016 Chase field after race No. 26 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.
While Harvick and the No. 4 team are virtually a lock to make the Chase field, gaining bonus points for additional wins is now their top priority through the next six races starting this weekend at Pocono.
KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing:
Do you have a favorite Pocono memory?
“Pocono is one of those places where I haven’t had a ton of success. I think right before they repaved it is when I started to figure the old Pocono out and we were starting to run better. Probably the best memory I have there is winning a (Camping World) Truck (Series) race, so that’s about the extent of it for me.”
How do you approach each corner at Pocono Raceway?
“The first thing you do is you’ve got to survive the restart. We learned last time that practice didn’t really matter. If you could get a good restart and survive going through the corner and get in line, then you were in good shape. It’s really fast and the thing I like about what they did at Pocono is that all the bumps are now kind of swells, and you have the same kind of feel that you had there, they are just not extreme bumps. Each corner is fast. Turn one is a corner where you drive in and downshift. The key to Pocono now is getting up off the corners and in the throttle and being able to stay in the throttle, really, in all three (turns).”
- True Speed Communication for Stewart-Haas Racing
While the cars will look similar, it is the fuel mileage, engine efficiency and reliability that Mobil 1 delivers under the hood that should prove to be the biggest advantage for each car and driver at the demanding three-turn, 2.5-mile triangle-shaped track. Mobil 1 touches every major moving part in SHR’s cars and that translates to better lap times.
The No. 4 team also will have to thrive in the face of adversity this weekend after Rodney Childers, crew chief of the No. 4 Chevrolet SS team for SHR, is serving a one-race suspension for violating NASCAR Rule Book Section 12.1; Section 10.11.3.4 for a lug nut not properly installed at the completion of the Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis. In addition, he has been fined $20,000 and placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31.Dax Gerringer, race engineer with the No. 4 team, will serve as the interim crew chief at Pocono. Additionally, Greg Zipadelli, SHR’s vice president of competition, will be on hand to support Gerringer.
Harvick will work with Gerringer to try to win a Sprint Cup race that has proven to be elusive for Harvick over his Sprint Cup career.
Pocono is one of only four Sprint Cup racetracks where Harvick has yet to record a Sprint Cup win. Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and Kentucky Speedway in Sparta are the other three.
The Bakersfield, California native has run well at Pocono, scoring seven top-five finishes and 12 top-10s in his 31 career Sprint Cup starts there, but he’s yet to reach victory lane in NASCAR’s top series. He seems to be getting close, however, as he’s scored two top-five finishes and three top-10s while leading laps in his last four Sprint Cup starts at Pocono.
In August 2014, Harvick started sixth, led five laps and finished second to Dale Earnhardt Jr., by .228 of a second. Last June, he started fifth, led 39 laps and was runner-up to Martin Truex Jr. by 1.346 seconds.
Harvick does have a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Pocono, scoring the win from the pole position while driving for his own team on Aug. 7, 2011. He led 44 of 53 laps to beat Kyle Busch to the finish line by 1.140 seconds.
The Sprint Cup points leader would like nothing more than to score his first Sprint Cup win Sunday at Pocono. A win would be Harvick’s second of the 2016 season. He scored his first of the year in the season’s fourth race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Harvick clinched a top-30 points position with his ninth-place finish July 9 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. He needs an additional win to clinch his spot in the 2016 Chase field after race No. 26 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.
While Harvick and the No. 4 team are virtually a lock to make the Chase field, gaining bonus points for additional wins is now their top priority through the next six races starting this weekend at Pocono.
KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing:
Do you have a favorite Pocono memory?
“Pocono is one of those places where I haven’t had a ton of success. I think right before they repaved it is when I started to figure the old Pocono out and we were starting to run better. Probably the best memory I have there is winning a (Camping World) Truck (Series) race, so that’s about the extent of it for me.”
How do you approach each corner at Pocono Raceway?
“The first thing you do is you’ve got to survive the restart. We learned last time that practice didn’t really matter. If you could get a good restart and survive going through the corner and get in line, then you were in good shape. It’s really fast and the thing I like about what they did at Pocono is that all the bumps are now kind of swells, and you have the same kind of feel that you had there, they are just not extreme bumps. Each corner is fast. Turn one is a corner where you drive in and downshift. The key to Pocono now is getting up off the corners and in the throttle and being able to stay in the throttle, really, in all three (turns).”
- True Speed Communication for Stewart-Haas Racing
Carl Edwards looking to use Indy notes at Pocono
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| Carl Edwards is 8/1 to win at Pocono. |
Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway
No. 19 STANLEY Toyota News and Notes:
POCONO: Edwards and the No. 19 STANLEY team head to the Pocono Mountains which is located in the Magic Triangle – New York, Philadelphia and Pocono Raceway are all 90 miles away from each other. The track is known as the Tricky Triangle and provides a unique experience for our Northeastern fans.
EDWARDS’ STATS AT POCONO: In 23 starts at Pocono, Edwards has completed 3,926 of 4,092laps (95.9 percent) and has led for a total of 237 laps. Edwards has earned two wins, five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes there. His average start is 15.7 and his average finish is 14.9.
RACE INFO: Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway (2.5-mile) begins at1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 31st. The race will be broadcast live on NBCSN, Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN Radio.
Edwards’ 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 20 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 685 | 7.6 | 12.2 |
Edwards’ Career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 429 | 27 | 122 | 214 | 19 | 5903 | 14.4 | 13.5 |
From the Cockpit:
Carl Edwards: “We’re going to Pocono for the second time. It’s a very unique racetrack, but hopefully we can use some of the stuff we learned at Indy and apply it there. Two really long straightaways, three different corners. It’s a really fun racetrack when everything’s going well. Restarts are hugely important just like they were last week at Indy, so we’ll work on that and try to get another victory. We’ve got STANLEY on board again. They’ve been an amazing partner. We want to get them to victory lane.”
From the Pit Box:
Dave Rogers: “Other than Daytona, Pocono is the first second race at a given venue in the season. It’s time to put our notebook to good use and expand on the things that we learned the first time around. We had decent speed at Pocono one and feel we learned some things this past weekend at Indy. I’m excited to get back to the track and see if we can put it all together.”
No. 19 Stanley Toyota / Joe Gibbs Racing Team:
Driver – Carl Edwards Crew Chief – Dave Rogers Car Chief – Eric Phillips
Engineer – Lee Hallman Engineer – Kenny Oates Tire Specialist – Jamie Turski
Mechanic – Zack Miller Mechanic – Jerad Hewitt Mechanic – Joe Florelli
Engine Tuner – James Dudley Spotter – Jason Hedlesky Shock Specialist – Ron Denton
Jackman – Trey Burklin Front Tire Changer – Clay Robinson Rear Tire Changer – Kip Wolfmeir
Pit Support – Matt Tyrrell Front Tire Carrier – Kevin Harris Rear Tire Carrier – Matt Ver Meer
Pit Support – Ben Surface Gasman – Kenneth Purcell Truck Drivers – Kyle Bazzell & Jeff Icenhour
About Stanley Black & Decker:
Stanley Black & Decker, an S&P 500 company, is a diversified global provider of hand tools, power tools and related accessories, mechanical access and electronic security solutions, healthcare solutions, engineered fastening systems, and more. Well-known brands include: STANLEY, BLACK+DECKER, DEWALT, Porter-Cable, Bostitch, Facom, Mac Tools, Proto, Vidmar, Lista, and more.
- Joe Gibbs Racing
Denny Hamlin goes for fifth Pocono win
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| Denny Hamlin is 8/1 to win Sunday at Pocono. |
#11 FedEx Ground Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Pennsylvania 400
Date/Time: July 31/1:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 160 laps/400 miles
Track Length: 2.5 miles
2015 Winner: Matt Kenseth
EXPRESS NOTES
Brickyard Recap: Denny Hamlin finished fourth in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, overcoming a mid-race speeding penalty to capture his ninth top-10 finish of the 2016 season in the #11 FedEx Express Toyota. Hamlin lined up fifth for the overtime restart at the famed 2.5-mile speedway, and picked off one spot during the two-lap shootout, barely edged by Jimmie Johnson for third in the race won by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch. Matt Kenseth finished second. Hamlin started fourth and immediately climbed to second behind Busch in the early going. A long stretch of green flag racing through the event’s midpoint saw a handful of pit stops, and during one, Hamlin was caught speeding exiting pit road and forced to serve a pass-through penalty. The penalty dropped him back to 18th in the running order, but still on the lead lap. A rash of late-race cautions provided the FedEx team the opportunity to put on tires battle among the top-10 for the final laps.
Giving Back: Hamlin is assisting those affected by the flooding in West Virginia by delivering toys to children in Greenbrier County, W.V. on Thursday, July 28. Hamlin and fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor Kyle Larson purchased toys in Concord, N.C. on Tuesday, July 26. Hamlin will be available to the media at 5:00 p.m. ET at the main entrance of The Greenbrier resort, and will deliver toys to children from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. ET at the White Sulphur Springs, W.V. train station.
Pocono Preview: This weekend marks the 10-year anniversary of Hamlin’s sweep of the Pocono races as a rookie in 2006. After coming from the back of the field to win his first-ever Cup race in the spring event at the track, Hamlin dominated the summer event at Pocono, leading 151 of 200 laps from the pole to sweep the season’s races at the “Tricky Triangle.” Hamlin has posted 13 top-10 finishes in 21 career races at Pocono, and has led 669 laps at the track. He started 10th and finished 14th in the June race earlier this year.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Pocono
Races: 21
Wins: 4
Top-5: 9
Top-10: 13
Average Start: 7.0
Average Finish: 12.4
Laps Led: 669
Hamlin Conversation — POCONO:
What does the FedEx team need to do in these last few races before the Chase?
“Obviously, we still have to clean up a little bit our mistakes on pit road. In these races, you have to execute flawlessly to win, and we haven’t done that each week. We have shown the speed we need to compete for race wins and set ourselves up for the Chase, but we need to execute a little better to close races out. I’m confident that we’ll be ready to go, and Pocono has been a great place for our team in the past. Hopefully we can put it all together this weekend.”
Midwest District Along for the Ride at Pocono: The Midwest district of FedEx Ground will be recognized for extraordinary safety improvements with its district code “MWST” on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota this weekend. Operating through the Chicago hub, the Midwest district serves that metro area as well as other parts of Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin.
FedEx Office – Closest to Pocono Raceway: 940 Schecter Drive, Ste 1, Wilkes Barre, PA 18702, (570) 819-0813
| 2016 FedEx Racing Team Results | |||||||||
| DATE | EVENT | LOCATION | START | FINISH | LAPS | STATUS | LED | PTS | TREND |
| Feb. 21 | Daytona 500 | Daytona | 11 | 1 | 200/200 | Running | 95 | 1st | ▬ |
| Feb. 28 | Folds of Honor 500 | Atlanta | 12 | 16 | 328/330 | Running | 4th | ▼ | |
| March 6 | Kobalt Tools 400 | Las Vegas | 9 | 19 | 267/267 | Running | 10 | 8th | ▼ |
| March 13 | Good Sam 500 | Phoenix | 3 | 3 | 313/313 | Running | 6th | ▲ | |
| March 20 | Auto Club 400 | Fontana | 3 | 3 | 205/205 | Running | 2 | 4th | ▲ |
| April 3 | STP 500 | Martinsville | 8 | 38 | 221/500 | Crash | 9th | ▼ | |
| April 9 | Duck Commander 500 | Texas | 6 | 12 | 334/334 | Running | 8th | ▲ | |
| April 17 | Food City 500 | Bristol | 4 | 20 | 500/500 | Running | 9th | ▼ | |
| April 24 | Toyota Owners 400 | Richmond | 5 | 6 | 400/400 | Running | 1 | 8th | ▲ |
| May 1 | GEICO 500 | Talladega | 8 | 31 | 170/188 | Running | 5 | 12th | ▼ |
| May 7 | GoBowling.com 400 | Kansas | 3 | 37 | 240/267 | Crash | 13th | ▼ | |
| May 15 | AAA 400 | Dover | 6 | 7 | 400/400 | Running | 15 | 13th | ▬ |
| May 29 | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte | 4 | 4 | 400/400 | Running | 11th | ▲ | |
| June 5 | Axalta 400 | Pocono | 10 | 14 | 160/160 | Running | 12th | ▼ | |
| June 12 | FireKeepers Casino 400 | Michigan | 4 | 33 | 188/200 | Crash | 13th | ▼ | |
| June 26 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Sonoma | 6 | 2 | 110/110 | Running | 33 | 11th | ▲ |
| July 2 | Coke Zero 400 | Daytona | 9 | 17 | 161/161 | Running | 7 | 10th | ▲ |
| July 9 | Quaker State 400 | Kentucky | 10 | 15 | 267/267 | Running | 11th | ▼ | |
| July 17 | New Hampshire 301 | New Hampshire | 5 | 9 | 301/301 | Running | 5 | 10th | ▲ |
| July 24 | Brickyard 400 | Indianapolis | 4 | 4 | 170/170 | Running | 10th | ▬ | |
| Averages/Totals | 6.5 | 14.6 | 94.0% | 173 | |||||
#11 FedEx Racing – 2016 Crew Roster
Crew Chief – Mike “Wheels” Wheeler
Car Chief – Leo Thorsen
Engineers – Matt Beckman, Sam McAuley
Shock Specialist – Drew Bible
Tire Specialist – Kerry Ferris
Mechanics – Troy Welty, John Furino, Sean Kerlin
Spotter – Chris Lambert
Front Tire Changer: Dustin Necaise
Front Tire Carrier: Brandon Pegram
Rear Tire Changer: Mike Hicks
Rear Tire Carrier: Heath Cherry
Jack Man: Nate Bolling
Gas Man: Caleb Hurd
Transportation – Frank Hodel, David Ott
- Weber Shandwick Worldwide for FedEx Racing
Pocono Betting Preview: Gibbs dominating in 2016
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| Can Chevy win again at Pocono over dominant JGR Toyotas? |
We should have a leg up on handicapping Sunday's Pocono race because we've already done the process needed twice this season, including last weeks prep work for the Brickyard 400. Mix in what happened June 6 in the first Pocono run and you should be armed with just about everything needed prior to Friday and Saturday's important practices.
Because Pocono and Indy are both 2.5-mile tracks with the longest straights in the series, we can lump them together as being similar even though Indy is rectangular with four equally flat turns and Pocono is triangular with banking that gets progressively flatter at each turn. If a driver does well at one of the places, they're likely to do well at the other.
So let's recap the information gathered from those two races where all the teams notes are still fresh and relevant. Kurt Busch won at Pocono in June for his only win of the season and third overall on the track. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was second, Brad Keselowski third and Chase Elliott led a race-high 51 laps before finishing fourth. Four of the top-six finishers were Chevrolet with the Penske Fords taking the other two spots. Matt Kenseth, who won at Pocono last fall, was the highest finishing Toyota in seventh. A Chevrolet has won seven of the last eight at Pocono.
Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas came in fast off the hauler last week at Indy with three of its cars finishing in the top-four, including Kyle Busch winning there for the second consecutive season. Kenseth would finish second, Jimmie Johnson third and Denny Hamlin fourth. The new low downforce package produced some crummy racing with only four lead changes among three drivers as Busch led 149 of the 160 laps. It was impossible to pass.
Chevrolet has been strong at both Pocono and Indy in recent years, but if looking at last season as an example, Toyota has made a considerable move. After Kyle Busch ended a 12-year Chevrolet win streak at the Brickyard, Kenseth won at Pocono the next week to end a six race Chevrolet win streak. Because Indianapolis happened most recent, we should look to last week as being just bit more important than the June Pocono race.
Read More Here....Top-5 Finish Prediction
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Jeff Gordon has 6 wins and 20 top-fives at Pocono Raceway
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| Jeff Gordon is 25/1 to win Pennsylvania 400 driving the No.88. |
“I really liked working with (No. 88 team crew chief) Greg (Ives) and the whole No. 88 team. I’m looking forward to going to Pocono.
“I want Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. back in the car as soon as possible … but to go to Indy and finish a decent 13th, I think I can do better this week for him and then we’ll just go from there. We are all going to work together to do our best to continue to keep that excitement and momentum in the team there for when he is ready to come back, so he comes back and doesn’t miss a beat and can win some races.”
Jeff Gordon, substitute driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS, will be available to members of the media on Friday, July 29, at 1:30 p.m. ET in the Pocono Raceway media center.
EARNHARDT UPDATE: Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet SS for Hendrick Motorsports, will sit out his third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event as he continues to recover from concussion-like symptoms. He will miss Sunday’s event at Pocono Raceway after not competing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Earnhardt gave an update on his condition this week on his "The Dale Jr. Download" podcast. He will not travel to Pocono or be available for interviews this week. A timetable has not yet been established for his return.
GORDON CONTINUES: Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Gordon will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet SS for the second week in a row. Gordon, who filled in for Earnhardt last week at Indianapolis, finished 13th in his first race since last season’s finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Following the race, he shared a special moment with Tony Stewart as the two competitors and friends completed a final lap together at the Brickyard.
FIRST AT POCONO: Gordon, who will be driving the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS this weekend, holds the record for most wins at Pocono Raceway with six. The 44-year-old leads active drivers in top-five finishes (20) and top-10 results (32) at the track.
UP FRONT AT POCONO: The 93-time NASCAR Cup Series winner has led 1,040 laps at the “Tricky Triangle” during his 24-year career. That ranks Gordon first on the all-time list at the 2.5-mile track, 231 more than second.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: On Aug. 4, just four days after he competes at Pocono, Gordon will celebrate his 45th birthday.
NATIONWIDE SUPPORTS THE NASCAR FOUNDATION: Nationwide will once again be the presenting sponsor of The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. The award will be showcased on Sept. 27 at the Foundation’s inaugural Honors Gala at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. The award honors volunteers – who are also NASCAR fans – who dedicate themselves to children’s causes in their communities throughout the United States. This year’s finalists include Jim Giaccone of Bayville, New York, representing Tuesday’s Children; Andy Hoffman of Atkinson, Nebraska, founder of the Team Jack Foundation; Logan Houptley of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a founding member of Mikayla’s Voice; and Parker White of Greensboro, North Carolina, founder of BackPack Beginnings. The award winner will be determined via an online vote now underway and running through Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. ET. The winner will receive a $100,000 donation to the charity they represent and the three other finalists will receive $25,000 for their respective charitable organizations. To vote and to learn more about The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award presented by Nationwide and each of the national finalists, please visit:www.NASCAR.com/Award.
HOMETOWN CONNECTION: The shock specialist for the No. 88 Nationwide team, Jason Seitzinger, hails from Shartlesville, Pennsylvania, which is just over an hour southwest of Pocono Raceway. Nicknamed “Penske” for his first job in racing – he worked in the parts room at Penske Racing Shocks in Reading, Pennsylvania – Seitzinger has been with Hendrick Motorsports for more than 15 years. He initially started at Hendrick Motorsports as a shock specialist on the No. 24 team, and was part of Gordon’s 2004 Brickyard 400 victory.
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Jimmie Johnson's third at Indy, good sign for Pocono
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| Jimmie Johnson is 8/1 to win Pennsylvania 400. |
“I’m looking forward to the challenge this weekend at Pocono. We really rallied last weekend at Indy and are making gains. It’s been a tough summer for all of us and I am just so proud of this team and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports for sticking together and digging deep. I’m really proud to have been able to give (Hendrick Motorsports owner) Mr. (Rick) Hendrick his 1,000th top-five finish last weekend at Indy. Pocono is a great track for us – I like going there, enjoy the surrounding area for cycling, and am ready to get back in the Lowe’s Chevy.”
MILESTONE FINISH AT INDY: When the No. 48 Lowe's Red Vest Chevrolet SS crossed the finish line in third at the Brickyard last weekend, Jimmie Johnson gave Hendrick Motorsports its 1,000th top-five result since the team was founded by Rick Hendrick in 1984. It was Johnson’s 214th top-five finish and his seventh this season.
RALLY AT INDY: Johnson had an up-and-down day at the Brickyard. After starting 13th, he ran as high as second on the scoring pylon but a speeding penalty on pit road eventually put the No. 48 team a lap down and running as low as 23rd. According to NASCAR’s loop data, Johnson made 38 quality passes – more than any other driver – to get back to the front of the field. He passed four cars on the final lap to finish third.
CHASE BOUND: With Johnson’s third-place finish at Indianapolis, he became one of only five drivers to have locked themselves into the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which begins with the Chicagoland Speedway event on Sunday, Sept. 18. Due to Johnson’s two wins this season in Atlanta and Fontana, California, the driver of the No. 48 now has enough points to guarantee that he cannot fall outside of the top 30 in the standings. The only requirement remaining is that Johnson attempt to start the remaining races of the regular season.
THIRD-HIGHEST DRIVER RATING AT POCONO: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Johnson has the third-best driver rating at Pocono with a score of 106.3 during the past 10 years at the track. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.
HOMETOWN CONNECTIONS: Two members of the No. 48 team have personal connections to Pennsylvania. Engine tuner John Boydston hails from Oswego, New York, but attended Luzerne County Community College in nearby Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. Shock specialist Mike Ellershaw is from Levittown, Pennsylvania.
POCONO JIMMIE JOHNSON TICKET PACKAGE: There are still tickets left for the Jimmie Johnson kids ticket package at Pocono Raceway this weekend. The package includes exclusive access to a question-and-answer session with the six-time champion as well as a NASA Rockets to Racecars activity experience. Log on to PoconoRaceway.com using promo code JJNASA or call 1-800-722-3929 to purchase.
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