NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono

 

Last weekend's racing in Chicago was pretty awesome. I could have done without the rain, but I loved how the racing unfolded and how unpredictable it was. Going into race weekend, I doubt that Alex Bowman was on many rosters, although I did pick him as a long shot on DraftKings SportsBook.

Hopefully, rain won't play a role this weekend, although you can never count out a stray shower in Turn 2 at Pocono. I'll be looking at both Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. Coming off a ninth-place finish at Chicago it would be nice to see Kyle get back-to-back Top 10s. Denny's racing has been a bit lackluster and inconsistent as of late. Denny is typically iconic at Pocono, so he should be able to get his groove back here. Stay tuned.

 

This Week's Pick Strategy: I'm going heavy on Toyotas this weekend. They always seem to be dialed in for Pocono. I'll add a sprinkling of Chevys, and one to two select Fords. Don't be afraid to pick some drivers some smaller teams this week. Drivers like Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Todd Gilliland are pretty strong here. Once we get qualifying in I'll take a serious look at the pole winner and the driver starting third on the grid.

 

Drivers with Most Top 10s at Pocono from 2019 to 2023:
Denny Hamlin - 6

All with 5 - Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, and Erik Jones
All with 4 - William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott

Active Drivers with Most Wins at Pocono

SOURCE: NASCAR.com

 

Active Drivers with Most Runner-Up Finishes at Pocono

SOURCE: NASCAR.com

 

Recent Pole Winners:
2023    William Byron
2022    Denny Hamlin

2021    Race 1: Kyle Larson
2021    Race 2: Chris Buescher

 

Recent Race Winners:
2023    Denny Hamlin
2022    Chase Elliott
2021    Race 1: Alex Bowman

2021    Race 2: Kyle Busch

 

The Likely Suspects: My Pocono elite drivers are Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., William Byron, Alex Bowman, and Chris Buescher.

My 2 Cents: My no-brainer pick this week is Denny Hamlin. My next picks are Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs, Erik Jones, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. I will complete my team with Todd Gilliland and Noah Gragson.

My Final Four: Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs, and Todd Gilliland.

Points to Ponder:

• Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Pocono Raceway with seven victories (2006 sweep, 2009, 2010, 2019, 2020, 2023). He also leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in Top 5s with 15, in Top 10s with 22, and in laps led with 827 laps led in 34 starts.
• 16 of the 90 (17.78%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono Raceway have been won from the pole and 11 wins came from the third on the grid.
• Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in team wins at Pocono with 19.
• Eight different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono, led by Chevrolet with 34, followed by Ford with 24. 
• Brad Keselowski leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in runner-up finishes at Pocono Raceway with four.
• William Byron leads all active Cup Series drivers in average finishing position at Pocono with an 9.9 in 10 starts.

Remember, if you're playing Driver Group Game, make your initial picks by 11:45 a.m. ET on July 13th and final picks by 2:30 p.m. ET on race day Sunday, July 14th. 

 

Enjoy the race!

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Carol D'Agostino has been playing Fantasy NASCAR for 17 years. She launched  NASCAR Fantasy Fusion for Skirts & Scuffs in October 2011. Each week, Carol pores through statistics and combs through her personal notebooks to arm fans with analysis and picking strategies that will leave their friends wondering how they got so smart. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond Raceway and occasionally at her home track, Dover International Speedway. She is also part of the distinguished NASCAR Expert Picks panel at frcs.pro. formerly called Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet.

When she isn’t wielding her fantasy-racing superpowers, you’ll find Carol hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat or executing downtown revitalization projects for a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.