From a NASCAR Fan’s View
Well… It’s that time again. Yep, it’s time for the NASCAR Cup Teams to take on the tricky triangle at Pocono. I don’t know about you, but this one looks like it’s going to be a tough one all around. Of course, there is that one driver that may just ruin it for everyone else, and that would be Danny Hamlin. He definitely had a fast qualifying time, and he does have a bunch of wins at the Tricky Triangle already in his career. I think the total is seven now and I am sure he is looking for his eighth.
A quick look at the qualifying shows there are a lot of fast cars, but this fan wonders if qualifying will tell much about the race at Pocono this afternoon. Qualifying is but one part of the overall race, and a lot can happen between the drop of the green flag and the black and white checkered one to end the race.
There seems to be a few teams struggling, and it seems the summer slump has arrived for others. From my view, the lineup this weekend is very different. Well, that is except for Denny Hamlin’s qualifying. He has definitely shown he has the most speed, at least for qualifying, but truthfully, I don’t put a lot of stock in qualifying. I have seen too many top qualifiers start out front on the pole or the front row and then they drop like rocks at the beginning of the race. That doesn’t mean they don’t finish well, but it does say they have to make up for lack of performance later on in the race, even though their qualifying speed may have been spectacular.
Some of the ones that surprised me in qualifying haven’t been running all that well or have had problems with accidents or just poor performance. I suppose it’s not that much of a surprise seeing Chris Buescher and Carson Hocevar starting out front. They have had their moments of showing up with speed. Either of them could possibly give Hamlin a run for his money, but they didn’t show near the speed of Hamlin’s qualifying lap. Nemechek has been showing a lot of improvement over the last several weeks, but it still surprises me to see him starting fourth.
Another surprise to me was Cole Custer starting fifth. Maybe I just haven’t been paying close enough attention and missed his improved performance. Then again, maybe it was because some of the drivers had problems in their qualifying lap and ended up starting much further back in the field than expected. I believe that may have something to do with the difference in the lineup, but I can’t forget to mention once again, qualifying hasn’t shown it has all that much to do with how a race goes. Often, the one-lap qualifiers just had a good lap but no long run speed. This fan thinks that might be the case at Pocono this weekend. The cream will rise to the top and the others will fade toward the back and end up in their usual places.
There are also some surprises among some of the ones that have been running fairly consistently. You know the ones I’m talking about. Drivers like Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs. Briscoe and Gibbs have both shown speed just about every weekend, but haven’t had much to show for it when the day is done. Either of them could surprise us by winning, but I believe a lot will have to go their way if that’s going to happen.
Kyle Bush has been showing up with speed lately, but has run into a lot of bad racing luck. He needs a win more than a good points day or two. If he is to make it into the playoffs this season, I believe it will take a win. No matter what, his luck is going to have to change.
Does it surprise anyone but this fan where the Hendrick cars are starting? In practice, William Byron had a car that could possibly compete with Denny Hamlin and may have even taken the pole position. Instead, he put his Chevy into the wall and will start way back in thirty-first. For someone who had a possible winning car, that was a major setback. Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman are starting twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth. Alex has been struggling with injuries and bad luck, but he has had moments of good performance. Kyle Larson has had a mixture of bad racing luck and simply lack of performance. He has struggled since the end of May but I expect him to break out of his slump any time now. Chase Elliott has been running consistently most of the season, but he starts eighteenth in this race at Pocono.
However we look at it, the one driver that appears not to have much to be concerned about is Hamlin.
This race will be about drivers taking care of their tires and fuel mileage. In other words, this one will be a race that will likely be won by the driver and team with the best strategy – and probably the best racing luck…
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
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Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
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