I don’t know about you, but I always find the Summer races more entertaining than Spring races. This season has been great so far, so I expect a good Summer. Let’s look at the first race in June: Pocono.
Pocono is without a doubt Nascar’s weirdest track.Shaped like a triangle, none of it’s turn have the same length, shape, or banking. There is no way that a team can perfectly prepare a car for this track. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a dominate car.
Denny Hamlin is the best Pocono driver, with 4 wins at the track. His teammate Matt Kenseth is the latest winner at the track, winning last year’s second race here. Carl Edwards has a win here, but it came in 2005. Kyle Busch almost won here last year, leading 97 laps, and it is one of just two track he has yet to win at. Other than Edwards, Joe Gibbs Racing is a team to watch.
At least their equal is Stewart-Hass Racing. Kevin Harvick has yet to win here, but he’s finished 2nd twice in the last three races at this track. Kurt Busch has two wins here, and 12 top-fives to go with that. And don’t forget team owner Tony Stewart. Stewart has 2 wins here, and he’s finished in the top-ten here in two-thirds of his races here, including his last race here. Danica Patrick may be the team’s weak link, but in races where she hasn’t been wrecked, she is usually in the top-15. Good team all around.
Hendrick Motorsports was the dominate team at Pocono, but Jeff Gordon’s retirement stripped the team of it’s best driver. Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson have both won here, but neither is outstanding. Chase Elliot is impossible to predict. He has never raced here, but he tends to excel on Nascar’s big tracks, and this is one of the biggest. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won both races here in 2014, but had some rather unpleasant moments here last year. While none of these drivers are particularly impressive, they are all possible winners.
Martin Truex Jr. is coming off an amazing race last weekend, and he won this race last year. He’s a good pick for this weekend.
Chip Ganassi Racing is a team to watch to. Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson both ran solidly here last year. McMurray had 2 top-15 finishes, including a 7th place in the Spring. Larson had 2 top-12s, and he has never finished worse than 12th here. With the speed Larson’s shown lately, he may be a winner this weekend.
Now for the big question, who wins? I think the winner may come from Stewart-Hass Racing. Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, and Kurt Busch have all had success here, and both Stewart and Busch have yet to win this year. Great opportunity. But as always, the only way to know who will win is to go racing. note: Rain is in the forecast this weekend. Should it come down to racing the rain, Stewart is the most experienced driver in the field, and also one of the best fuel milage racers.