NASCAR- Pocono 500 Preview

Ford Looking For Win # 2

Jun 8, 2007

After an eventful week following the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover, the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit heads to Pocono Raceway, the only triangular-shaped track on the schedule.

Last weekend, Martin Truex Jr became the second first-time winner in as many weeks, as he utterly dominated the Autism Speaks 400. Did anyone see that coming? The last time NASCAR had back-to-back first-time winners was in 2000 and 2001- Jerry Nadeau won his first Cup race in the 2000 season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and Michael Waltrip won his first Cup race, three months later, in the 2001 season-opening Daytona 500.

Before that, it was September of 1999- Tony Stewart won his first race at Richmond, and a week later, Joe Nemechek won his first race at New Hampshire.

Will there be another first-time winner at Pocono? Probably not, but if there were to be another first-time winner, Clint Bowyer and Juan Pablo Montoya come to mind as next in line.

Denny Hamlin won his first career Nextel Cup race last season at Pocono, so a first-time winner this weekend is not that far-fetched.

Kurt Busch will not be benched for his actions at Dover. Busch and Tony Stewart were aggressively vying for a top ten position when Stewart clipped the back of Busch, sending him into the wall. Busch obviously felt as if Stewart intentionally wrecked him, so he wrathfully charged into the pits and pulled alongside Stewart’s parked car while it was being serviced for damage. Jason Lee, a member of Stewart’s crew had to jump on the hood to avoid getting hit by Busch’s Dodge Avenger. Busch was parked for the remainder of the race, and after rumors of a one or two race suspension, Busch was penalized 100 points and $100,000. Additionally, he will be placed on probation until December 31st.

Who will win the Pocono 500? Carl Edwards. A Ford driver has not won a Nextel Cup race since Matt Kenseth won the Auto Club 500 at California back in February. To say that Ford is overdue for a win is an absolute understatement. Carl Edwards has picked up his performance of late, and after his third place finish at Dover on Monday, he clearly has momentum on his side. Also, it can be said that Edwards is well-overdue for a win- he has not won a Nextel Cup race since November of 2005 at Texas.

Edwards won the Pocono 500 in 2005, and typically runs well at the three-turn speedway.

Among those to watch are the usual suspects- Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, and Matt Kenseth.

Projected Top Ten

Keep an eye on Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kurt Busch, Casey Mears, and Kevin Harvick

Solid darkhorse picks include Clint Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeremy Mayfield, Robby Gordon

Who could use a good finish? Kurt Busch, Scott Riggs, Ricky Rudd, David Gilliland, and Dave Blaney

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