| | By Ron Buck
ESPN.com
| FAST FACTS |
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Event |
Pennsylvania 500 Breakdown |
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When |
Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET (TBS) |
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Where |
Pocono International Raceway (triangle oval, 2.5 miles, 14 degrees in Turn 1; 8 degrees in Turn 2; 6 degrees in Turn 3).
Long Pond, Pa.
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Distance |
500 miles (200 laps) |
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Defending champion |
Bobby Labonte |
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1999 Pole Sitter |
Mike Skinner, 170.451 mph
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Qualifying |
Friday, first-round, 3 p.m. ET; Saturday, second-round, 11:30 a.m. ET |
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Track Records |
Qualifying record: Rusty Wallace, 171.625 mph (June, 2000)
Race record: Rusty Wallace, 144.892 mph (July, 1996)
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On the Track
Weren't we just in Pocono?
It's a quick turnaround for Winston Cup teams, who return to Long Pond, Pa., just five weeks after spending an extra day in the Pocono Mountains. Rain kept teams around until Monday to race the Pocono 500. I think we all remember that race, don't we?
Jeremy Mayfield moved Dale Earnhardt out of the way on the final turn to win his second career race at the unique 2.5-mile triangular track. It was Mayfield's second win of 2000 and third career triumph.
Mayfield figures to be in the mix once again Sunday. Mayfield's first career victory came at Pocono and he has five top-five finishes in his past seven starts at the track. But hold on, don't get carried away with those numbers before you look at the calendar. It's July, not June, which means Mayfield may not be at his best.
Mayfield has an average finish of 3.7 in the first race at Pocono each year, while he winds up somewhere around 27th in the second trip to the track. Odd, considering teams usually have a binder full of notes to look back to as they arrive for a second three-day weekend in the Poconos.
Bobby Labonte was 13th back in June -- his worst finish since Richmond, which is odd considering he swept the Pocono events last year. Don't expect the points leader to be that far back come Sunday. Nor should his closest pursuers, Dale Jarrett and Earnhardt.
Obviously, Earnhardt feels he's owed a victory at Pocono. DJ, meanwhile, ended up second back in June when Earnhardt nearly hit the wall on that final turn and saved a fourth-place finish. A top-three finish is nothing new for Jarrett at Pocono, where he's posted at least a third-place run in seven of the past eight races, including wins the second time back in 1995 and '97.
As always, teams will need to figure out where they want to be the strongest, and where they're willing to give up a little. Pocono's three corners each have a different degree of banking, while the three straightaways are all different lengths as well.
The front straight is the longest on the Winston Cup Series -- measuring 3,740 feet. It leads into Turn 1, which has 14 degrees of banking. The backstretch, or Long Pond Straight, measures 3,055 feet and leads into the tricky Tunnel Turn -- the closest thing to a hairpin you'll find on a NASCAR speedway. It's then just 1,780 feet to Turn 3, which is the most crucial on the track. Drivers must carry enough speed into this relatively flat corner (6 degrees of banking), to make their moves on the long front straight.
Pocono may not always be the most exciting 500 miles on the series. But after last month's finish, you may want to stick around until the final few yards.
10 Drivers to Watch
Dale Jarrett: Hard to believe he hasn't won since the season-opener. Always a factor at Pocono. Finished second in past two races here, and hasn't been outside of the top 10 in the past nine races. Sits just 68 points behind points leader Labonte.
Bobby Labonte: Which brings us to the No. 18 Pontiac, which swept the Pocono races a year ago. Like Jarrett, has won only once this season, at Rockingham in Week 2, but has obviously been consistent with 13 top-10 finishes.
Tony Stewart: Labonte's teammate is the wildcard in the points chase. He's 215 points off the pace, but has 16 races to catch up and is doing his best to make up for lost time early in the season. The winner of three of the past six races, including the rain-shortened New Hampshire event two weeks ago, Stewart was sixth last month in Pocono. Stat of the week: Stewart's six career Winston Cup victories -- New Hampshire, Dover, Michigan, Homestead, Phoenix and Richmond -- are on tracks that both the Winston Cup and IRL use.
Jeremy Mayfield: Two of three career wins have been at Pocono. But after last month's win, he was 33rd at Sears Point and 43rd at Daytona. Was eighth in New Hampshire two weeks ago.
Dale Earnhardt: His fourth-place finish in June was the sixth top-10 in the past seven races at Pocono. Has finished in the top eighth in nine straight races and has 15 top 10s for the year -- the most of any driver. The check of $69,425 earned at New Hamsphire two weeks ago made him the first Winston Cup driver to surpass the $38 million mark in career earnings.
Rusty Wallace: Watch him on Friday for sure -- he's won seven poles this season, including the one for June's race here. Has three career wins at Pocono, the last coming in this race back in 1996. He was 10th last month after starting first -- a common sight, unfortunately for the No. 2 team, which hasn't won any of the races it's started on the pole. Lone win came at Bristol where he started sixth.
Bill Elliott: Tops the win chart at Pocono with five checkered flags, four of which have come this race. Finished 16th here in June. A tough-luck season has seen just six top-10s in 18 races, including a pair of top-five finishes.
Jeff Gordon: Quietly stringing together strong finishes, even if it's still not at the level we've grown accustom to seeing from the No. 24 guys. Was eighth last month at Pocono, the first of four straight top-10 finishes, which is his longest such streak of 2000.
Mark Martin: This will be his 26th appearance at Pocono and he's still looking for his first win. After a stretch of six races with finishes of 12th or lower, he bounced back with top-five results in the past four events, starting with a fifth-place run in the Pocono 500.
Ricky Rudd: The only driver in the top 10 without a victory in 2000 -- and he sits eighth in points! Will get the No. 28 to Victory Lane sooner or later. Has posted six top-five finishes and nine top-10s. Finished third last month here.
Ron Buck is ESPN.com's auto racing editor. | |
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