Points Leader Kenseth Finds Pocono Tricky, Indeed

Points Leader Kenseth Finds Pocono Tricky, Indeed

Something’s gotta give.

Matt Kenseth has finished third in each of the last two races. He now has 10 top-10 finishes, more than any other driver in the series. He also now has the points lead, ending Jeff Gordon’s six-race stranglehold on the top spot.

But, he still doesn’t have a win.

A win at Pocono would check off two boxes: a first 2014 win (and near-guaranteed Chase spot) and a first Pocono win (it’s one of six tracks at which Kenseth has not won).

Bottom line – Kenseth is arguably the most prominent name on the 2014 winless list, and that fact gets magnified each week. So, could the series points leader’s recent momentum turn into a trip to Victory Lane on Sunday? Let’s take a look at the stats:

Three top-five finishes at Pocono

In 28 races, average finish is 14.9

Driver Rating at Pocono is 89.6, which ranks in the top 10

A veteran, Kenseth’s keeping calm about the absence of winner decals affixed to the No. 20 car. “Panicking has never helped anything,” says Kenseth. “Like I said, I feel like we're gaining on it.  We've just been off a little bit all year… We're digging hard trying to figure it out.  We're just not quite there yet.”

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Etc.

The long wait is over. At Dover, Kyle Busch led 81 laps to eclipse 10,000 laps led for his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career. He became the 15th driver in NSCS history to accomplish the feat. … Though he limped home 38th at Dover, Greg Biffle extended his streak of races without a DNF (did not finish) to 85 consecutive races – a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series record. … TNT will begin its six-week “NASCAR Summer Series” this weekend at Pocono Raceway, following a 13-week race broadcasting stretch by FOX to open the season. … Eight drivers will attempt to make their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Pocono, including Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings leader Kyle Larson. He’ll have at least some in-race experience prior to Sunday; he’s entered in the ARCA race scheduled for Saturday. … Also on the “first-timers” list is Justin Allgaier, who will make his 200th career NASCAR national series start Sunday.