2020 NASCAR Preview: Weeks 14 & 15 – Pocono

Two days in the Poconos!

Rob Schulz on June 27, 2020

A double shot of Pocono on tap today and tomorrow, first up the Pocono Organics 325 (in partnership with Rodale Institute) and the Pocono 350 tomorrow. Exciting times for NASCAR; this was actually planned before the whole COVID-19 realignment and not forced this way. We’re hitting the Tricky Triangle twice this weekend, something last week’s winner (and former Pocono winner) Ryan Blaney has to love.

Here’s what to look for:

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–Kyle Busch won the Spring Race last year, and hasn’t had a really “Kyle Busch” year yet. This is the place he can really get things cooking. He’ll launch from 4th alongside a Joe Gibbs Racing teammate..

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-..and his name is Denny Hamlin, who also took the checkers at the Fall race in 2019. It had been a long time coming back to Victory Lane, last getting victories in Fall 2009 and Spring 2010. Even more amazingly, he won the Pole AND the Race..for both 2006 events..in his Rookie year!

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–Aric Almirola will start Saturday’s race from Pole (we don’t know of Sunday’s lineup yet, pretty sure they’re “doing an invert”), and this is a track where he needs all the help he can get. He’s joined the Top 12 in points after his record-setting 8th straight Top 10 at Talladega last week, and he’ll need to build on last seasons 10th and 12th at Pocono to keep him there.

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–Erik Jones is our best over the last ten races, six total starts for a 8.3 average. There is a gross 29th in there, but his other finishes are 3-8-X-5-3-2. Impressive!

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–Brad Keselowski has been driving a little longer than ten races here, but has seven Top 5s in that span. Very impressive for our second best driver by average (8.7), a 38th in the Fall ’18 race really bringing things down. He, too, like That Jones Boy, has yet to win at Pocono.

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–William Byron has four starts here, and carries a 9.3 average in that span. He opened with a 16th, but has rattled off a 6-9-4 since then. This is unsurprisingly he best track on the circuit.

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-We’ve got two races this weekend in one entry, so what the heck let’s throw another in. Kevin Harvick is the favorite according to numerous sources, so we’ll tack him on the bottom of this thing, too. He has finished 2nd or 4th in six of his previous ten races here, but has yet to capture the flag. Each of these last four guys here are thirsty for a Tricky Triumph; is today the day?

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Coverage of today’s race starts on FOX at 3:30pm, green flag scheduled for 3:54pm. Tomorrow’s tilt on FS1 hits the airwaves at 4:00pm.

Published by Rob Schulz

Well if you MUST know, it's the "Jumbo Cheeseburger" from the Cooperstown Diner.

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