The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series travels north this week for the Pocono 400. This will be one of the most unpredictable races of the season. The teams will use the 550 HP engines with the higher-downforce aero package. The cars will drive through the three corners of the Tricky Triangle wide open for the first time. It will be interesting for sure. The Pocono 400 can be seen Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on FS1.
The MENCS will have a unique schedule this week. There will be two practices Friday. The first practice will be at 2 p.m. ET (No TV) and final practice will be at 4 p.m. ET on FS2. Yes, FS2…not FS1, so set your DVRs properly. Qualifying will be Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET on FS1.
NASCAR will have a post qualifying inspection Sunday. Any car that fails will start in the back in the Pocono 400. These cars will be scored from the back in Fantasy NASCAR since their qualifying time will be disallowed.
My early week pick for the pole is Austin Dillon. The No. 3 car has a series-best 5.2 average starting position at the tracks where the 550 HP engine, high-downforce aero package is used. Dillon has qualified in the top 5 in 4 of the 5 races using this rules package. I am sure Richard Childress Racing will have their cars trimmed out to post a fast qualifying lap.
Each week I use different stats in my model to create the best rankings possible to give you an edge on the completion. This week I used driver rankings from the 5 races where the 550 HP aero package was used, average finishing position in the races where the 550 HP aero package was used, average finishing position in the last 4 races, overall green flag speed in 2019, driver ratings at Pocono and average running position at Pocono.
Here are the early week driver rankings for Pocono…
|
Driver |
| 1. Kyle Busch |
| 2. Chase Elliott |
| 3. Martin Truex Jr. |
| 4. Kevin Harvick |
| 5. Brad Keselowski |
| 6. Denny Hamlin |
| 7. Kurt Busch |
| 8. Erik Jones |
| 9. Clint Bowyer |
| 10. Joey Logano |
| 11. Ryan Blaney |
| 12. Alex Bowman |
| 13. William Byron |
| 14. Jimmie Johnson |
| 15. Kyle Larson |
| 16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 17. Aric Almirola |
| 18. Daniel Suarez |
| 19. Ryan Newman |
| 20. Austin Dillon |
| 21. Paul Menard |
| 22. Chris Buescher |
| 23. Daniel Hemric |
| 24. David Ragan |
| 25. Michael McDowell |
| 26. Ty Dillon |
| 27. Ryan Preece |
| 28. Matt Dibenedetto |
| 29. Corey Lajoie |
| 30. Darrell Wallace Jr. |
| 31. Matt Tifft |
| 32. Ross Chastian |
| 33. Landon Cassill |
| 34. Quinn Houff |
| 35. Cody Ware |
| 36. Bayley Currey |
| 37. B.J. McLeod |
| 38. Joey Gase |
* I will post my final driver rankings Saturday night.
**Stats from Driveraverages.com and NASCAR Media. Career stats from Racing-Reference.Info…
*** Photos from NASCAR Media
If you need any further advice with your team, look for me on Twitter @MrFantasyNASCAR
If you like Fantasy NASCAR, LIKE my Fantasy NASCAR Tips Page on Facebook