NASCAR Picks: The race to the Chase for the Sprint Cup is heating up with plenty of hot competition as Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are two of the most dominant drivers of this era while Dale Earnhardt Jr is the most popular driver and Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth are among the most consistent drivers on the circuit. All are top contenders to make the Chase for the Spring Cup. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will return to the “Tricky Triangle” of the Pocono Raceway for the running of the Gobowling.com 400 on Sunday afternoon with coverage on ESPN starting at 1 PM ET.
Pocono Raceway
The Pocono Raceway opened in 1971 and is a triangle configuration with an asphalt surface. Pocono has three turns with a turn one bank of 14 degrees, and turn two bank of eight degrees, and a turn three bank of six degrees. The seating capacity of Pocono Raceway is 76,812 and there are two Sprint Cup races run there each year. NASCAR has run at Pocono since 1971 and this race has run since 1974.
Standings Leaders
Jeff Gordon is having a resurgent season and leads the Sprint Cup standings after last week’s win at the Brickyard with 717 points, Dale Earnhardt follows with 693 points, Brad Keselowski with 666 points, Matt Kenseth with 661 points, and Jimmie Johnson with 628 points.
Top Pocono Drivers
As is the case at many tracks the Henrick Motorsports tandem of Johnson and Gordon has been dominant at Pocono.
Jimmie Johnson has 25 career starts at Pocono Raceway with three wins, ten top five finishes and 17 top ten finishes with an average finish of 8.7.
Jeff Gordon has 43 career starts at Pocono with six wins, 19 top five finishes and 30 top ten finishes with an average finish of 10.0.
Tony Stewart has a total of 31 career starts at Pocono with two wins, 12 top five finishes and 22 top ten finishes with an average finish of 11.0.
Denny Hamlin has a total of 17 career starts at Pocono with four wins, nine top five finishes, and 11 top ten finishes with an average finish of 12.1.
Our Pick
We’ll call for Denny Hamlin who should bring value!
