Pocono Weekend Preview
June 4, 2015
Staff Report
NASCAR Wire Service
Dale Earnhardt Jr. goes for third straight win at Pocono
Drenched
in sweat after completing 400 miles at Pocono Raceway on a sizzling hot
summer day last August, an ecstatic Dale Earnhardt Jr. raised a push
broom over his head in triumph to celebrate his season sweep of the two
races at the track known as the “Tricky Triangle.”
Earnhardt
hopes to celebrate again this weekend as he returns to Pocono for
Sunday’s Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 (1 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1).
The
12-time most popular driver can join NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison
(1982–83) and Tim Richmond (1986-87) as the only competitors to notch
three consecutive wins at Pocono. Seven wheelmen have swept Pocono in
their careers and Earnhardt, along with Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson
can become the first drivers to do it twice.
“It
seems like guys that run well at Pocono can sustain it,” Earnhardt
said. “I've seen guys sweep there and we were able to do it last year.”
Earnhardt
had never won at Pocono until last year, but has been successful at the
Pennsylvania track since its repave in 2012 with finishes of eighth,
32nd, third and fifth prior to his two wins last season.
“I
like the track, and we have run well there since the repave,” he said.
“I anticipate us being competitive again and hopefully getting three in a
row.”
The drivers Earnhardt should be most worried about ending his Pocono win streak: His Hendrick Motorsports teammates.
Hendrick
Motorsports has won the last five Pocono races with all four of its
drivers: Earnhardt (2014 sweep), Kasey Kahne (2013 summer), Johnson
(2013 spring) and Jeff Gordon (2012 summer).
“The
track is all about compromise to find the best total speed possible,”
explained Kahne’s crew chief, Keith Rodden. “The best part about the
races there of late is the multiple strategies that the teams employ to
try to get ahead of one another. It is very exciting on top of the pit
box.”
Johnson
has all the momentum going into the race after taking the checkered
flag last week in Dover for his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series-leading fourth
win. Already virtually qualified for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint
Cup, the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet driver can take a “win or wreck”
approach because he can gain three bonus points for NASCAR’s playoffs
with every victory he accumulates.
“(I’m)
just excited to get up there, and what's neat about the position we're
in with these wins, fuel strategy is such a player in how the outcome of
that race works out, and we can go up there and not care,” Johnson
said. “So that gives us an advantage, and the guys with wins right now
can take advantage of that situation in the race on Sunday.”
Reddick readies for Texas with his eyes on a championship
Tyler Reddick delivered a clear message last weekend at Dover International Speedway.
He let the rest of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series know that he is a bona fide contender for the championship.
Reddick
cleared Erik Jones on Lap 193 of 200 and held off eventual second-place
finisher Daniel Suarez for his second win of the season and the third
overall for his Brad Keselowski Racing organization.
“As
a team, we wanted to prove we can (win) on any given race track and
we’ve now won at Daytona, Martinsville and Dover, all very different
monsters in their own sense,” Reddick said. “That’s the perfect way to
start the year. Hopefully we can get the 1.5-mile victory here very
soon. We’ve had shots at Kansas, and other tracks we’ve been fast at, so
our whole program around this whole series is really, really good.”
Reddick
gets the chance to visit Victory Lane at a 1.5-mile track in Friday’s
WinStar Casino 400 at Texas Motor Speedway (9 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1).
He enters the race second in the NCWTS driver points standings, just 11
points behind Matt Crafton.
The
No. 19 Ford driver has made two starts at Texas. In his first race
there last spring, he finished 21st following a wreck. Reddick showed
vast improvement in his second Texas start, finishing fourth after
capturing his second career 21 Means 21 Pole Award.
“Everyone
on the team is optimistic about Texas,” said Doug Randolph, Reddick’s
crew chief. “Tyler did a great job in the first race there last June but
unfortunately got collected in an accident. After we made repairs Tyler
was running lap times comparable to the leaders.”
Growing
up racing sprint cars on dirt, Reddick is relatively new to piloting
stock cars on asphalt. He’s been quick to adapt, finishing second in
last season’s NCWTS Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings despite running
just 16-of-22 races. This season – his first full-time campaign at any
level of NASCAR – Reddick owns five top-five finishes in six races, tied
for the series lead.
“We’ve
got a lot to be proud of and we’ve got our focus on winning the
championship,” team owner Brad Keselowski said. “Tyler ran a partial
season last year and now a full season this year. It’s still his first
season, so it’s nice to see that come together the way it has and it’s
going to be an exciting finish from here for the championship.”
NASCAR Race Weekend Guide
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Race: Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400
Track: Pocono Raceway
Date and Time: Sunday, June 7 at 1 p.m. ET
Tune-in: FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 400 miles (160 laps)
What
To Watch For: Dale Earnhardt Jr. will attempt to become just the third
driver to win three consecutive races at Pocono after sweeping the track
last season. None of the seven drivers to sweep Pocono have done it
twice … After earning his 74th career victory at Dover, Jimmie Johnson
is two checkered flags away from tying Dale Earnhardt for seventh on the
all-time wins list … Hendrick Motorsports will attempt to continue its
run of five straight wins at Pocono. Its 17 Pocono victories are almost
double the total of the next-best organization (Joe Gibbs Racing’s nine)
… Martin Truex Jr. is still hunting for his first win of the season
even though he has led the most laps in each of the last three races …
Denny Hamlin’s four Pocono wins tie him for third on the all-time list
and his three Coors Light Pole Awards at the Tricky Triangle are the
most among active drivers.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Race: WinStar World Casino 400
Track: Texas Motor Speedway
Date and Time: Friday, June 5 at 9 p.m. ET
Tune-in: FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM Ch. 90
Distance: 250.5 miles (167 laps)
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