The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers are set to race in the Overton’s 400 on the Pocono Raceway Sunday afternoon, July 30th.
The track is called the “Tricky Triangle” because of the shape. There are only three turns on the track and none of them are the same. Turn one has banking of 14 degrees, turn two has banking of just eight degrees and the third turn has a slight six degrees of banking. These track stats make it difficult for a crew chief to get the car set for the driver to like the handling of the car all the way around the track. They also make it easy for a driver to make a mistake while racing around the track and ending up against the wall or crashing into another car, or both.
When you add the handling issue to the fact that there are only six races (counting this week’s race) remaining before the beginning of NASCAR’s playoffs and four positions out of 16 on the Chase Grid not filled by drivers with a win, the pressure to win will be on for each race the rest of the regular season.
There are drivers that find themselves in a “must win situation” to make the Chase. These drivers are far enough outside the top 16 that the only way they will have a chance to race for the 2017 championship is to win at least one of the final six races in the regular season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of those drivers that need to win to get in. He is in his final year as a full-time NASCAR driver. He heads to Pocono in the 22nd position in the point standings. It would be very hard (more likely impossible) for him to make up the 213 points he is behind the 16th place in the standings without a win.
Joey Logano has a win this season. However, a rule infraction prompted NASCAR to encumber that win and it is not valid to get him into The Chase. While he is only 51 points out of sixteenth position, to make up that deficit without a win would not only require Joey to finish in say the top five of every race, but also for other drivers to finish in the last 10 spots or so each race. The odds of that happening are not very good. Therefore, Joey’s best bet to make the playoffs would be to win a race.
Clint Bowyer is just below the cutoff line for the Chase Grid heading to the “Tricky Triangle” and could also benefit from a win to make the playoffs. The four drivers currently in 13th through 16th position also need to do everything they can to win. If a driver below them in points is able to win, the cutoff line moves and they could find themselves on the wrong side of that line. Kasey Kahne is the perfect example of that fact. Heading into last week’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway he was in 22nd place in the point standings. Kasey won the Brickyard 400 and moved up to the 11th position in the standings for the Chase as a result.
With all of that in mind, let’s take a look at what active NASCAR drivers have performed well on the “Tricky Triangle” during their NASCAR Cup Series careers.
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Pocono Raceway
- Erik Jones – 112.7
- Kurt Busch – 105.6
- Denny Hamlin – 104.7
- Jimmie Johnson – 103.9
- Chase Elliott – 101.9
- Kyle Larson – 97.6
- Kevin Harvick – 94.4
- Brad Keselowski – 93.9
- Ryan Blaney – 93.4
- Ryan Newman – 91.5
NOTE: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2017 races (25 total) among active drivers at Pocono Raceway.
Denny Hamlin sits at the top of the active drivers list when it comes to visiting Victory Lane at Pocono. Denny has won four times at the track. He also has a win in 2017 and is already all but guaranteed a spot on the Chase Grid.
Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch both have three previous victories at Pocono in NASCAR’s top division. Jimmie has three wins this season which makes it hard to imagine a scenario where he wouldn’t be included in the playoffs. Kurt has a single win this year which makes him all but a lock on the Chase Grid.
Last week’s Brickyard 400 winner Kasey Kahne likely secured his spot in The Chase with that win (as mentioned earlier) and he has scored two Pocono wins during is Monster Energy career.
I also mentioned previously that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will need a win to make the NASCAR playoffs. Dale Jr. has two wins on the “Tricky Triangle” that came when he swept the 2014 races at the track. Adding another win to his career list in his last race at the track this weekend would get him the chance to race for a championship for the very last time.
There are seven drivers that have a single win at Pocono Raceway. That includes the winner of the 2017 June race at the track Ryan Blaney. Obviously that win puts Ryan on the Chase Grid.
This race was rain-delayed and fog-shortened in 2016. The race moved from Sunday to Monday because of the weather. When the weather again began to threaten the track on Monday, Chris Buescher and his team used some pit strategy to be the leader when NASCAR was forced to end the race after 138 laps of the scheduled 160 laps. Chris made last year’s Chase as a result of that win and needs another win to make the playoffs for a second year in a row.
There are three drivers among the remaining single Pocono winners list that have already scored at least one win in 2017 to make the playoffs. Those drivers are Martin Truex Jr. with three wins this season, Brad Keselowski with two wins this season and Ryan Newman who has a single 2017 win.
Matt Kenseth has won a race at Pocono. He is currently above the cut-ff line at #16 on the Chase Grid, but does not have a win to secure that place in the playoffs.
Joey Logano has a Pocono win on his resume and has a win in 2017. However, as mentioned earlier, that 2017 win will not get him into NASCAR’s playoffs this year.
With the individual situations I have mentioned above and many others I have not spelled out, this weekend’s race will likely be a pressure-cooker for the drivers. Add to that the stage racing of 50 lap segments for the stages one and two and 60 laps for the third and final stage and this weekend’s race should be exciting to watch.
What driver will get the win to make the playoffs or will a previous 2017 winner score the win to add more pressure to those who need a win to get in? We will find out when the green flag waives to start the action on the “Tricky Triangle” Sunday, July 30th at 2:00 PM central time (3:00 PM eastern time) in the Overton’s 400 at Pocono Raceway.
By: Buck Stevens
