Listen to Sam’s answer to my question this week…

Unique Pocono A Challenge

Defending Pocono 500 winner Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge) has been on the move in recent weeks with a seventh in the Coca-Cola 600 and a sixth at Dover. A repeat Pocono win would help Kahne rise from his current 14th place in the standings toward a place in the top 12.

Kahne’s 2008 Pocono win was his first at a track where crew chiefs and drivers have to make compromises for speed’s sake.

Pocono’s irregularly shaped triangle also features three turns of varying degrees, forcing teams to pick their turn for the best set-up, knowing in return they’ll not have their cars as good as they would like elsewhere on the track.

Continue reading “Defending Pocono Winner: Kasey Kahne”

Hamlin, Pocono A Perfect Statistical Match — But Watch Out For Kurt Busch, Stewart

The last trip the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series took to Pocono must have felt like a complete nightmare for Denny Hamlin.

He finished 23rd, a respectable enough result – if it weren’t Hamlin at Pocono.

Hamlin has owned Pocono in his short three-year career. Ever since his first trip around the quirky and unique tri-oval, Hamlin was a natural.

In his first Pocono trip in 2006, he won the pole – then the race. In his second trip, he did the exact same thing.

Hamlin’s first five Pocono races all resulted in top-10 finishes, and four of the five were top-three finishes.

Only in last August’s Pennsylvania 500 did Hamlin struggle, and the statistics suggest that his run was much better than his result.

In that race, Hamlin had a Driver Rating of 89.5 and an Average Running Position of 11th. So it’s no wonder that Hamlin has the top statistics at Pocono – by far.

Continue reading “Look out for Denny, Tony, and Kurt at Pocono”

Fan Favorite Format Change Begins This Week At Pocono

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 4, 2009) – The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) today announced a change to its race format with the addition of “Double-File Restarts – Shootout Style” throughout each race. Beginning with this weekend at Pocono Raceway, the first- and second-place drivers will line up side-by-side as the green flag flies for each restart.

Continue reading “Double File Restarts Begin at Pocono”