Racing Junky

Well after taking a couple weeks off to concentrate on some other racing things, I am back in action this week with the latest 10 Best - 10 Worst Drivers column. Last weekend, the Sprint Cup series visited the Dover Speedway for the Best Buy 400. On Friday, Greg Biffle surprised some people as he captured the pole for Sunday's race and led for most of the early portions of the race. Carl Edwards finally caught up to him and completed the only pass on the leader that occurred on the track on the entire race. That is a very sad fact and was an indication that the race was perhaps the most boring race at Dover that I have ever witnessed. Kyle Busch took the lead after a pit stop just after the mid-point of this race and never looked back as he rolled to the win. Busch was so good, that only 6 cars finished on the lead lap and when is the last time you can remember that happening in the day of the "Lucky Dog Passes". Busch came into Dover as the 8th best driver on the track and I am sure that he will move up the list next time we race at Dover. The next few weeks should be interesting to see if see if guys like Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch or anyone else can race themselves into the Chase. That test will all get started this weekend as the series move to Pocono for the 1st race of the year there, the Pocono 500. Jeff Gordon won the first race of the year there last year, while Kurt Busch surprised everyone last fall as he managed to win that race. The Pocono track is a tricky 2.5 mile tri-oval track that is unique in the fact it has different banking in each corner. In turn 1 it is 14 degrees, turn 2 it is 8 degrees and in turn 3 it is 6 degrees. This makes setting up the car very difficult and a real challenge to the drivers and crews. The record for qualifying here is in the 172 mile per hour range, while the race record is 144 miles per hour. This race will go 200 laps or 500 miles. With that in mind lets look at the last 10 races at the Pocono Raceway and see exactly who among the drivers have the best records at that track and who just don't have any luck at Pocono.

In the last ten races at Pocono, two drivers have won more then one pole. Denny Hamlin sweep both poles at Pocono in 2006 year, while Ryan Newman added his 2nd pole last year in the spring race. The other pole winners include Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, Michael Waltrip and finally Casey Mears. Taking the pole at Pocono, unlike some of the other tracks we have looked at this year, has turned into a win three times in the last ten races, they have finished in the Top 10 in six of the ten races and in the Top 15 in all but one of the races. The average finish of the pole sitter has been a very respectable 6.70. Drivers starting anywhere in the Top 15 has made winners out eight drivers in the last ten races. The worst starting position of a race winner in the history of the track came as Carl Edwards won a race after starting the race in the 29th position. Jeff Gordon won last years spring race after starting 18th. The average starting position of the race winner is 7.70 which is an exceptionally low average and means qualifying means a lot at this track. The race has never been won from anyone making a provisional start. Denny Hamlin is the king of qualifying at Pocono with a 2.50 average start, not bad considering he has been in just four races there. Brian Vickers is next up with 8.00 average, followed by Ryan Newman with a 8.60 average. Rounding out the Top 5 are Kasey Kahne with a 8.75 and Jimmie Johnson who has an 9.10 starting average.

The first driver in my Top 10 list this week race has been in just four races at Pocono and has possibly the best record that you could have realistically. The best average at Pocono belongs to Denny Hamlin with a 2.75 finishing average. Hamlin, won both races in 2006 at Pocono and started both races from the pole. Last year in the spring race, Hamlin qualified 2nd and finished the race in 6th and then in the fall race he came back and finished 3rd. His starting average of 2.50 is also the best in the Sprint Cup series. The Pocono track is usually pretty tough on new drivers but Hamlin used his gaming system to race the track before he ever set foot on the track for real and as you can see, his results are rather remarkable. He will certainly be one of the favorites to win the Pocono 500 this Sunday but he will have his hands full trying to match his record in those first four races. Hamlin had been rock solid starting the 2008 season out but has had some bad races recently. We will just have to keep an eye on Denny to see if he can duplicate those past efforts. Pulling up with the 2nd best average at Pocono is Jimmie Johnson. Johnson comes into this track with a 11.00 finishing average. Jimmie also has the fifth best qualifying average there, checking in with a 9.10 starting average so he loses about 2 positions per race on average. That average however took a huge hit in the spring race last year when a blown tire caused him to finish 42nd. In his last ten races at Pocono, he has three Top 5 finishes, two of those were wins when he swept both races there in 2004. He has finished in the Top 10 in six races. Up until the spring race last year, his worst career finish here was 15th. After witnessing his performances all year Johnson and his team are just about ready to be hitting on all cylinders and starting to peak. Johnson is is need of a big race to get himself back in his winning groove and I think he will return to form this weekend. I think he will be a real threat to win the Pocono 500 on Sunday.

In the 3rd spot in this weeks Top 10 list is Kurt Busch, who checks in here at Pocono with a 11.30 finishing average in his last 10 races at this track. He has one of the best starting averages at Pocono with an average start of 9.50 so he winds up finishing about two positions lower then where he starts on average. That wasn't the case however in the four of the last five races for Busch at Pocono as he pulled off a win in the fall race in 2005 and then came back in 2006 to finish 2nd in both races behind Denny Hamlin. In the spring race last year, Busch finished his day in 16th. Then he returned to form last fall, taking the checkered flag ahead of the field in 1st. Overall in the last 10 races, Busch has those two wins and six other Top 5 finishes which is pretty impressive. Busch has been up and down all year and only occasionally has showed signs that he may be retruning to form, Busch could be a real threat to walk away as the winner after you look at his recent races at Pocono. Another Hendrick driver, Jeff Gordon holds down the 4th best record at the Pocono track. Gordon is one of those drivers who has seemed to make all these Top 10 lists this year. Jeff checks in with a 12.20 average finish. He is a pretty good qualifier at Pocono also, checking in with a 14.20 average. So Jeff manages to move forward quite well picking up just about two positions a race. Gordon finally won a race here in the first race last year and along with that win, he also has five Top 5's and six Top 10's. Gordon had one of his worst career finishes here in 2006, coming home in 34th place but rebounded nicely to win the spring race last year and then finish 4th in the fall race last year. I would look for Jeff to compete for the win here on Sunday because after a slow start, he starting to return to his old form this year. I see yet another Top 10 finish at minimum from Jeff on Sunday if he can avoid having any problems.

In the 6th spot in this weeks Top 10 list is Ryan Newman, who checks in here at Pocono with a 12.60 finishing average. Part of his success here could be attributed to how well he qualifies as he has a Top 10 qualifying average of 8.60. Newman averages losing about four positions per race. In his last ten races here at Pocono, Ryan has a win under his belt, picked up four Top 5's and notched five Top 10's. Ryan is another driver that has been up and down so far in the 2008 season, dashing hopes this season would be big after his Daytona 500 win. Last year in this race, he did have a great one when he finished 2nd behind Jeff Gordon. The key for Ryan is to qualify well on Friday and if he does, he could just pull off another win at Pocono. Mark Martin is the 6th best in this weeks Top 10 list for Pocono. In the last 10 races that have been run at Pocono, he checks in with a 14.30 finishing average. He has been pretty good at qualifying here at Pocono with a 17.00 average start. Martin gains about three positions a race on average and remember how qualifying well here is essential for a good finish. Martin's record at Pocono includes three Top 5's and six Top 10's in his last 10 races. In looking at his overall record it would lead you to believe that he is a lock for at least a finish in the Top 10 on Sunday but a victory has been elusive for him as he has finished 2nd in two of the last 10 races and six times here in his career. He finished 7th and 9th in the two races here last year. Maybe Sunday with the equipment that he has now, he can finally get that win that has escaped him over the last 10 races.

The 7th best average at Pocono belongs to a guy who has just not been seen too much this year and that guy is Martin Truex Jr. with a finishing average of 14.75. In his first four races at Pocono, Truex Jr has strung together finishes of 24th, 10th and he managed to finish 3rd in the spring race here last year. Then when it seemed he was getting better and better as he gains experience on the Pocono track, he finished a disappointing 22nd in the fall race last year. In his four races here, Truex Jr has established a great starting average of 12.00, which could be the reason he is so successful at this track. As I said, Martin has yet to get on any type of roll this year as the season has progressed but considering his past success here at Pocono, could a win finally be in the cards on Sunday?? Being in a Top 10 list has to be something new for Brian Vickers, but his performances here the last three years have earned him a spot in the Top 10 at Pocono as the 8th best driver. He qualifies exceptional well here holding down the second best starting average at this track, at 8.00. He has been able to turn that great starting position into finishes of 13th, 14th, 14th, 2nd and a pair of 4th place finishes in 2006. Last year, the best he could do was a 35th place finish in the spring race and then came back to finish 29th in the fall race. Tose two races certainly hurt his averages here a great deal. Overall though his average are not bad for his first couple of years of racing at Pocono but he will be hard pressed to duplicate that performance on Sunday but you just never know. If he can qualify well on Friday we could just see another first time winner on Sunday.

The final two drivers to crack the Top 10 list are Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth. Kevin Harvick comes up next in the 9th place position this week. Kevin has put up a 14.90 average finish at Pocono in the last 10 races here. He manages to gain about three positions per race after putting up a so-so starting average of 17.60. Kevin has not visited victory lane here in the last ten races and has only cracked the Top 5 in just one of the 10 races we are looking at. Kevin does have three Top 10 finishes here. Since 2005, Kevin's worst finish has been a 17th so he has been right there in the last 6 races. Kevin is one of those guys that has been looking like he is going to be up and down as the 2008 season progresses so it is still hard to to figure out what he will do on Sunday. I am looking for a strong run from him and a Top 10 finish on Sunday.The 10th best average at Pocono belongs to Matt Kenseth with a finishing average of 15.50. Matt is a notoriously bad qualifier at most tracks and he checks in here with a so-so 20.10 starting average so he picks up about 5 positions a race on average. In his last 10 races here, Matt has not won a race but has two Top 5 finishes and four Top 10 finishes. Last year Matt finished 9th and 14th in the two races here. Matt got off to a real slow start this season but has started to work his way back up in the points standings. Matt and his team are starting to look like they might just be starting to click. I think a Top 10 finish on Sunday would be a good day for Matt and his team at the Pocono track.

Rank	Driver	Races	Avg Start	Poles	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Avg Finish
1	Denny Hamlin	4	2.50	2	2	3	4	2.75
2	Jimmie Johnson	10	9.10	1	2	3	6	11.00
3	Kurt Busch	10	9.50	0	2	6	6	11.30
4	Jeff Gordon	10	14.80	0	1	5	6	12.20
5	Ryan Newman	10	8.60	2	1	4	5	12.60
6	Mark Martin	10	17.00	0	0	3	6	14.30
7	Brian Vickers	8	8.00	0	0	3	3	14.38
8	Martin Truex Jr.	4	12.00	0	0	1	2	14.75
9	Kevin Harvick	10	17.60	0	0	1	3	14.90
10	Matt Kenseth	10	20.10	0	0	2	4	15.50

Now that was the 10 best drivers at Pocono in the last 10 races, now lets look at the drivers with the worst records at the Pocono track, drivers that just haven't had a lot of good luck at this track.

I normally don't spend a lot of time going over the drivers who don't have a real good record at certain tracks and you can pretty much see for yourself who the are. Some make the list every week and other make a rare appearance in the Bottom 10. There is probably no driver in this list that really jumps out at you. All these drivers are in need of a good race anywhere and all would hope to improve on their averages come Sunday. Keep your eye on all these guys on Sunday and see if any of them can improve their averages at the Pocono Raceway.

Rank	Driver	Races	Avg Start	Poles	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Avg Finish
39	John Andretti	2	13.00	0	0	0	0	28.00
40	Reed Sorenson	4	22.50	0	0	0	0	28.50
41	David Ragan	2	36.00	0	0	0	0	29.50
42	Kenny Wallace	2	33.00	0	0	0	0	30.50
43	Kyle Petty	9	34.00	0	0	0	0	33.78
44	Mike Skinner	1	41.00	0	0	0	0	34.00
45	David Gilliland	2	24.50	0	0	0	0	36.50
46	Johnny Sauter	2	40.50	0	0	0	0	38.00
47	A.J. Allmendinger	1	28.00	0	0	0	0	39.00
48	David Reutimann	2	27.00	0	0	0	0	39.50

So there you have the best and the worst drivers at the Pocono Raceway. How well they do in the first Pocono race of the 2008 season is anybodies guess but this is a good barometer.

Rank	Driver	Races	Avg Start	Poles	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Avg Finish
11	Tony Stewart	10	14.60	0	1	3	6	15.70
12	Kyle Busch	6	15.00	0	0	1	2	16.17
13	Carl Edwards	6	31.17	0	1	2	2	17.33
14	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	10	17.80	1	0	3	4	17.40
15	Jeff Burton	10	17.50	0	0	0	3	17.60
16	Juan Montoya	2	23.50	0	0	0	0	18.00
17	Bobby Labonte	10	17.30	0	0	1	3	18.20
18	Joe Nemechek	9	15.78	0	0	1	2	18.33
19	Elliott Sadler	10	16.00	0	0	0	2	18.70
20	Greg Biffle	10	18.80	0	0	1	2	19.20
21	J.J. Yeley	4	20.75	0	0	0	0	19.50
22	Kasey Kahne	8	8.75	1	0	1	2	19.75
23	Clint Bowyer	4	19.00	0	0	0	2	20.00
24	Casey Mears	10	18.60	1	0	1	3	20.30
25	Jeremy Mayfield	9	19.67	0	0	1	2	20.78
26	Tony Raines	6	26.00	0	0	0	0	22.33
27	Scott Riggs	8	20.25	0	0	0	1	22.50
28	Jamie McMurray	10	14.90	1	0	0	2	22.70
29	Bill Elliott	4	20.75	0	0	0	0	22.75
30	Sterling Marlin	9	22.11	0	0	0	2	23.22
31	Dave Blaney	10	25.00	0	0	0	1	24.10
32	Travis Kvapil	4	37.75	0	0	0	0	25.25
33	Michael Waltrip	9	22.44	1	0	2	2	25.33
34	Robby Gordon	9	28.78	0	0	0	2	25.44
35	David Stremme	4	34.25	0	0	0	0	25.75
36	Kenny Schrader	8	26.00	0	0	0	0	26.38
37	Paul Menard	2	28.00	0	0	0	0	27.00
38	Dale Jarrett	9	21.11	0	0	0	0	27.67

10 Best - 10 Worst Drivers

at Pocono Raceway

by Skip Jefferson