History at Pocono says this week should be a good one for Denny Hamlin.

We are back at Pocono Raceway this week for another round of racing on the unique track. The track itself is more triangular-shaped, giving it three turns and three long straightaways.

What makes this track trickier than most is that all three turns are different from each other. They have their own degree of banking, so the way you need to drive your car into one will be different than how you drive it into the others.  Drivers are happy to have their car doing well into two of the turns, and having one that does well in all three is nearly an unheard of feat.

This track’s unique set-up makes it not only run like an oval track, but also gives it the feel of a road course, as well, so a driver who wins here will need to know how to do both.

I am going back to my old pick from the first race here. It was not his fault he didn’t win it, so I think he will still have the know-how to get his car around Pocono the fastest. He won both races last year as a rookie and has been a solid contender for most of the year. Denny Hamlin could use another win to bolster his place in the points, and the extra points he gets for wins will be a boon once the actually chase begins.

The winner of the race here back in June cannot be counted out; then again, he can never be counted out at any track. Jeff Gordon will want to post another win to ensure his lead once we hit New Hampshire in September and the real points race begins.

Tony Stewart has had an interesting past few weeks. Between his two consecutive wins and his battle with ESPN, he’s back in the spotlight and not all of it is necessarily good. The feud with the sports channel that will be covering the race may mean he gets less on-air time, but I do not think it will hinder him when it comes to racing. He is a very focused individual, and a win here would give him another chance to turn his nose up, albeit a bit more subtly, maybe, at the ESPN reporters all week long.

Will Kurt Busch finally make a trip back to the winner’s circle this week, or will that honor go to his teammate who has had a long dry spell as well, Ryan Newman? They have both been out of luck more times than I can count this year and most of last year, so it is very hard to pin my hopes of a win on either one of them. They are both strong contenders and qualified well, second and fourth consecutively, and I can’t help but feel one of them will get the break he’s been looking for. Although I’d rather it was Newman, I have a feeling it will be the number two car crossing the finish line ahead of the number twelve.

My sentimental pick was going to be either Mark Martin or Jeff Burton, both excellent oval and road course drivers. They also both have yet to post a win here at Pocono. However, it has seemed as if they both have not had ‘the’ car to beat lately. They have been running consistently well, something they always do, but have a hard time getting to the front at the end of the race.

That being said, I am using my last pick for Martin Truex, Jr. He had a strong run here in June and the fact that he had a pretty good qualifying run, thirteenth, makes me believe he can get it done here. His rise to the top ten in points has been fun to watch, and I think he’s going to want to move up as high as he can and have good momentum for the Chase.

My dark horse pick is coming out of Roush-Fenway’s stables. Jamie McMurray had a rough time of it last week and is going to want to get some positive flow going again. His year was on an upswing, and he wouldn’t want to lose that. He didn’t qualify too well, but the way this race runs, I think his staring spot of twenty-second will not hinder him from a win.

Starting Positions

Questions and comments may be sent to jenniferpatterson@sportsgrumblings.com