Pocono Raceway 400 Preview

The 35th Annual Axalta We Paint Winners 400 at Pocono Raceway is set to go down on Sunday, June 5th at 1 pm E.T. on Fox Sports One. Roger Penske’s Brad Keselowski will start from the pole position, followed by his teammate Joey Logano. The unique 2.5 mile oval tri-oval saw last week’s winner Martin Truex Jr. race to victory here last spring, and the #20 Dollar General of Matt Kenseth in the fall event.

After Martin Truex Jr.’s complete performance in Charlotte, leading all but 12 laps in the race, all NASCAR enthusiasts will be looking to see if the #78 Furniture Row team can deliver a repeat performance. Truex Jr. qualified outside the top ten for Sunday’s race and will start out of the 17th spot.

The #2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion, driven by Brad Keslowski, captured the front row on Friday’s qualifying run. Keslowski showed decent speed in the first practice round by posting the 12th best time. His teammate Joey Logano and his #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford will start right next to Keselowski, qualifying three tenths of a second slower. Logano has never claimed victory at the mammoth raceway but managed a solid fourth place finish here in the spring race in 2015.

The last time the Sprint Cup Series raced at Pocono Raceway in the fall, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Matt Kenseth took the checkered flag. He will be starting in the third position right behind pole sitter Brad Keselowski. With two other teammates nestled into the top ten, it appears that the teams are sharing information and are dialed in for a solid run. Kenseth is the top B fantasy driver and has to be a must pick for the race on Sunday.

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup points leader Kevin Harvick sits in the fourth starting position. The #4 Freaky Fast Chevrolet was the second fastest in the first practice round and started second here in the fall. A blown engine prevented the NASCAR stand-out from performing up to his capabilities, but has to be considered a favorite to drive to victory. LLas Vegas has him second on the odds list at 6/1 to capture the win.

Carl Edwards will be pushing the pedal to the metal out of the fifth spot when the green flag waves to start the Axalta We Paint Winners 400 at Pocono Raceway. The #19 ARRIS Toyota Camry team finished ninth here last fall. The savvy veteran knows his way around this track and has won here twice in his career. He could be a great bang for your buck considering Las Vegas oddsmakers have him slotted in at 10/1.

NASCAR legend and former Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart found his way into the top ten starting grid for his swan song season. Stewart will be starting sixth and has won here twice in his career, with the last one coming in this spring race in 2009. The #24 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet is still slated in the C fantasy category, so Stewart is an obvious pick on fantasy tickets for that location.

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are side by side in the seventh and eighth qualifying positions. Johnson has won here on three different occasions including sweeping both contests in 2004 and once more in 2013. Earnhardt Jr. has also found success here in 2014 when he also swept the spring event and then the fall race. The #48 Lowes Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson is a 7/1 favorite and Earnhardt Jr. is slated at enticing 18/1.

Rounding out the top ten is Kevin Harvick’s teammate Kurt Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin. Busch is quietly having a great season and sits second in the points behind his running mate. Denny Hamlin is also finding success on the larger speedways. The #11 FedEx Toyota won at Daytona and is no stranger to victory lane at Pocono. Hamlin has recorded back to back wins in 2006 and twice more in 2009 and the spring of 2010.

Erik the Hun’s Fantasy Picks:

A: Joey Logano

B: Matt Kenseth  Denny Hamlin  Dale Earnhardt Jr.

C: Tony Stewart

Starting Order for the 35th Annual Axalta We Paint Winners 400 at Pocono Raceway: