While most drivers perform well at certain racetracks, the layout for the Pocono 400 seems to favor no one. In the last 13 races at the Pennsylvania track, there have been 12 different winners, including defending champion, Ryan Blaney.
Names such as 2016 winner Chris Buescher are alongside icons Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, proving that Pocono is a fairly democratic facility. The last person to win back-to-back races was Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2014.
Still for Sunday’s race the usual suspects are atop the betting board. Five-time winner Kevin Harvick is the favorite at 9/4, despite never winning at Pocono. Kyle Busch, who won there in 2017, and has won four times this year, is next at 3/1.
Despite the difficulty of the course nicknamed the Tricky Triangle, Busch said he enjoys the challenge.
“The hardest part of the track, for me, is probably turn one, and then turn two is the second-hardest, and then turn three is the third-hardest– turn three, last year, because of the patch they laid down.” Busch said. “We couldn’t go down low and get underneath somebody and get a run on them because, when you come off the corner, you’re 8 to 10 mph slower than the guy on your outside and they’re just going to blow right by you going down the straightaway.”
Crew Chief Shares Strategy
Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief for his two victories was Steve Letarte, who is now an analyst for NBC, and he told NASCAR.com that there are several subtleties drivers must figure out to have success at Pocono.
“It takes a mindset,” Letarte said. “If you don’t have track position, there’s not much you can do as far driving through the field. I think you just have to like going there — driver and crew chief.”
The 2.5 mile track is the lone venue on the circuit with just three turns instead of the traditional four found at most oval tracks that make up the majority of the NASCAR schedule.
“It just comes into a very honest compromise,” Letarte said. “What you have for a car. Which corner you are good in. Which corner are you are not good in. You have to have a very methodical approach because if you think you are going to be very good in all three (corners), you’re wrong.”
Other Busch Brother Longshot
Though Kurt Busch is winless this season, he has had as good a record as any current driver at Pocono. He has three victories there in his career and told Vegasinsider.com that it is one of his favorite events.
“It’s weird, I’ve had winning cars there a few different times and turn two always feels the best when my car has a chance to go to victory lane,” Kurt Busch said. “But, I think turn three, if you are able to pass cars and maneuver around them, you’ve got to get a good run off turn three to be ready to pass them in turn one. All of them are important. You can’t exclude one from another.”
He is listed at 35/1.