DFS NASCAR: Axalta Pocono 400 Track Breakdown

Pocono Raceway comes beckoning this Sunday for the Axalta Pocono 400. Pocono is the only track on the schedule with just three turns, hence the nickname “The Tricky Triangle” for the Pennsylvania track. Last year’s spring race saw Kurt Busch notch his first win of the season as it broke down to a fuel mileage race, much the same as the Charlotte race did. As is typical with longer tracks, two miles or longer, it is hard to predict whether there will be a laps led dominator or not. In half of the spring races over the last six years at Pocono, there has been one driver to lead 90+ laps and in the other half the top laps led number is in the 50’s. As a side note, this is the only track on the schedule at which a transmission change is allowed to be made between qualifying and the start of the race without a move to the back having to happen.

Track Data

Top-15 Historically at Pocono Raceway

Top-15 at 2.5-mile Tracks since 2015

Drivers to watch this week:

Martin Truex Jr.: Truex had another race last week in which he simply ran out of laps to catch the leader. This week we head to a track at which Truex has a win in the past four races with the second most laps led (119) in the field. Historically however, he has only led 11 laps in the 18 other races he’s run here and has seven top-10s in 22 total races. He is the most expensive driver on Sunday but he maybe more geared towards a GPP format.

Brad Keselowski; Brad has the best average finish in the field at sixth, over the last four races. He also has three top-fives and three top-10s with 11 laps led. He does have a win and 151 total laps led in his 14-race history at the Tricky Triangle, in addition to the best finishing position of any driver in the field with 10 or more races at the track. His consistency adds him to the list of cash game roster options.

Joey Logano: Logano has two top-fives and two top-10s in the last four races at Pocono while leading the field in laps led with 152. Over his 16 races at the track he has a win, four top-fives, and six top-10s and 275 laps led. He has been up and down the last few races but may be able to right his ship at a track he has found success at before.

Kurt Busch: As mentioned in the intro, Busch won this race a year ago, with a new Crew Chief to boot. In addition, he also has three top-10s in the last four races to go with 45 laps led. Historically though, he is a three-time winner and has 13 top-fives in 31 career races. He is third on the list with 538 laps led. Before the last lap crash took out several cars, he had been running very well at Dover and is in a great position to do well again this week.

Denny Hamlin: Denny hasn’t been talked about much this season given his ho-hum performance so far this season. However that is changing this week with his history at the track as a four-time winner. In 22 career races here, he also has nine top-fives and 14 top-10s with 669 laps led. Recently though he has just two top-10s in the last four races with two laps led. Unless he shows his old form in practice and qualifying, he is a GPP only play this week.