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2019 Pocono Raceway, Gander RV 400

Congratulations to Kevin Harvick who picked up his first win of the season this past weekend at New Hampshire. He is now guaranteed a spot in the playoffs and received five playoff points to go with the win. Denny Hamlin had the dominant car on the day and tried everything he could to get by Harvick on the last lap including bumping him a couple of times, but he couldn’t quite get the job done.

GANDER RV 400

This week the series heads back to the Pocono Raceway for the running of the Gander RV 400. This is a triangular track with three different configurations in each of the corners which makes it very tough on the crew chiefs to set up the cars correctly. Add to that the fact there is always the threat of rain in the Pocono Mountains, so you never know what the track is going to be like as the weekend progresses.

Kyle Busch: I am going to pick Kyle to win once again this weekend. He has won three of the last four races he has run at this track including the last two. He is hungry for another win and a chance to pick up more playoff points as we close in on the start of those ten races.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin was the last driver to win before Kyle won the last two races. He has won two of the last nine races he has run at this track and lead laps in six of those races. He always seems to run very well at this track.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin had a streak of five straight top five finishes snapped here in June and after winning this past weekend in New Hampshire this team is looking to go on a run heading towards the playoffs. We have seen it many times over the past few season where this team has put together winning streaks and this is the time to do it if you can.

Brad Keselowski: Brad has an even more impressive run going than Kevin has. He has finished in the top five in seven of his last eight starts. He will be a great driver to have on your team and will help you save some starts from the Big Three this week. He will be a contender once again this weekend.

Erik Jones: Erik has only run five races at Pocono, but he has three top five and four top ten finishes in those starts. He also ran very well at New Hampshire last week on another flat track and we have seen that the Gibbs drivers have shown speed this year and you need that on the long straightaways at this track.

Ryan Blaney: Ryan had a pretty good run last week also and won the June race here in 2017. On tracks where you need speed we know the Gibbs and Penske drivers have been the best so far this year followed by the Stewart-Haas teams. If he can stay out of early trouble this week he should be a contender at the end.

Denny Hamlin: Let’s not forget about Denny. After almost coming away with a win and now heading to Pocono this team will have a lot of confidence when they get to the track. Denny won four of his first nine starts at this track, but hasn’t won since the last of those back in the 2010 season. However, this team has really looked good on the flat tracks all year and should have a shot at returning to victory lane at this track.

Chase Elliott: Chase has only run seven races at this track and has come away with six top ten finishes. He has shown that he can win on road courses and sometimes Pocono can run a little bit like one of those tracks because of the three different configurations in the corners. My concern would be the speed on the straightaways, but the Hendrick teams have shown a bit more lately.

Daniel Suarez: Daniel is another young driver who doesn’t have a lot of experience at Pocono. However, in five starts he has three top ten finishes including a runner up finish in the July race last year. This team is hard to predict right now as they haven’t really shown any consistency, but he is worth having on your roster and might be able to save you some starts on some of your other drivers.

William Byron: William is my dark horse this week. Even though he only has three starts at this track he has finished in the top ten in each of the last two. He has really been running pretty well lately and he is another driver you can put on your roster and start if he runs well in practices and qualifying this week.

DRIVER GROUP GAME FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR POCONO RACEWAY

Driver Group Game Group A

  • Kyle Busch
  • Brad Keselowski

Driver Group Game Group B

  • Denny Hamlin
  • Ryan Blaney
  • Daniel Suarez
  • William Byron

Driver Group Game Group C

  • Daniel Hemric
  • Michael McDowell

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT POCONO RACEWAY

  1. Kyle Busch
  2. Brad Keselowski
  3. Martin Truex Jr.
  4. Denny Hamlin
  5. Kevin Harvick

Dark Horse: William Byron

Stay Away From: Aric Almirola

Big 18: Brad Keselowski

31 replies on “2019 Pocono Raceway, Gander RV 400”

With 2 third place finishes and 4 top ten finishes in five starts, yes, he could.

By Post Author

Why isn’t he in your picks? Is it you’re saving him. At this point I guess you have to strategize and save certain drivers for certain tracks?

Go Jeff. I only have (2)18 starts. I am good rest of A driver’s. Thinking of pairing Keslowski with either Truex, Harvick or the 42. What ya think? I almost tempted to still start the 18. Dominated last race……

If you want to save the 18 I have the 19, 2 and 4 in my top five.

By Post Author

I have the 9 and the 2 in group A. I was wondering who you would go with. The 9 practiced well but now to a back up car and the 2 wasnt very good in practice.

Jeff- Love your blog and reference it every week. Have you ever thought of adding a DFS part to your article? I play fanduel every week and wonder if your picks would change at all from that platform?

I never played that game. I would have to see what the rules are before I made any predictions.

By Post Author

This is a tough call. I like Busch and Byron for sure, but the others are almost like flip a coin. I would stay with who you have. I have found you are better sticking with your first instinct than changing you lineup.

By Post Author

I go with McDowell and save Hemric for the regular mile and a half tracks. Use Byron today.

By Post Author

Henrick and Byron in my opinion !! But I also have Klye and Jones… I’m hoping for a great race tomorrow

Are you still high on Byron after the news of the failed inspection and starting from the rear?

Yes, he should still be fast and can gain track position with pit strategy.

By Post Author

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