The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pennsylvania this week for the Pocono 400 from Pocono Raceway. It will mark the first of two scheduled trips to Pennsylvania this year and it shouldn’t be too long of a stop. Three of the last four editions of this race have finished in under three hours so there is a good chance this race will be done before dinner on the east coast. Kurt Busch returns to defend his title after winning this race in 2016. However, the last champion to repeat at the Pocono 400 is Jeff Gordon, who accomplished that feat in 1996-97.
Details
Event: Pocono 400
Category: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Date: Sunday June 11th, 2017 – 3:00 PM ET
Location: Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pennsylvania
There were 14 different lead changes in last year’s Pocono 400 with Busch ultimately picking up his first victory at this track. Track position won’t be important this week as drivers can make their way through the field with a fast car even if they don’t produce the best qualifying result. Six drivers have produced a driver rating over 100 in the last four races at Pocono so we made sure to list them below.
Past Five Winners
2016: Kurt Busch
2015: Martin Truex Jr.
2014: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2013: Jimmie Johnson
2012: Joey Logano
What To Know About The Track
Pocono is unlike any other track on the Monster Energy NASCHAR Cup Series. It is known as the “Tricky Triangle” because of its shape and the three distinct turns that cover the track. Setting up a car for Pocono can be very difficult because it’s almost impossible to get the car to turn freely through all three corners. Experience should count for something this week. However, Busch did win last year’s race with an interim crew chief. The bulk of the pressure is on the driver to figure things out and dictate to his crew exactly what he needs to win. The driver’s ability to figure out where to shift and brake in the corners will also be among the most important factors for this week’s race at Pocono.
The Field
Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth, Kurth Busch, Chase Elliott, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick are the six drivers that have produced driver ratings above 100 over the last four races at Pocono. There might be decent value betting on any one of those drivers considering none of them is among the top-five picks on the board in terms of the sports betting odds to win this week’s event outright. Martin Truex Jr. is the sports betting favorite at +500 odds. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson are both listed at +600 odds to win this race outright, followed by Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch at +700 odds. Harvick is next in line at +800 odds with Elliott coming in at +1000 odds. The defending champion Busch is listed at +4000 to repeat and win the Pocono 400 outright for the second year in a row.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Jimmie Johnson over Denny Hamlin
Hamlin is coming off three consecutive top-10 finishes but he hasn’t finished higher than fifth in any of those starts. There is a good chance he can keep his run going this week but even then it makes sense to bet Johnson to finish ahead of him as a decent value pick. Johnson is a two-time Pocono 400 winner and he had finished seventh or better in 12 of his last 19 appearances overall at Pocono Raceway. Johnson delivered with a win at Dover last week and it won’t be a surprise if he contended for a second straight victory at Pocono this weekend.
Top-Five Pick: Joey Logano
Logano has the highest driver rating of anybody over the last four races at Pocono and yet he is listed at +1000 odds to win this event outright. That makes him a smart pick to finish in the top-five, especially when you consider his recent struggles overall. Logano finished fifth in last year’s Pocono 400 and he placed fourth in this race the year before. We are banking on him bouncing back with a strong performance this week and extending his streak of top-five finishes in the Pocono 400.
Click here to get all of the latest NASCAR betting lines at BetDSI including head-to-head matchups, props and odds to win each NASCAR and NASCAR Xfinity tournamen
