Photo Credit: Mike Holtsclaw/OnPitRoad.com
For the first time in series history, the NASCAR XFINITY Series will be making the trip to the tricky triangle, known as Pocono Raceway. For a race track that is an oval but supposedly drives like a road course, it promises to test drivers all weekend long.
In preparation for the event, the series got two practice sessions on Thursday in addition to the two Friday practices. Does it surprise anybody that Joe Gibbs Racing is at the top of the sheets? Didn’t think so as the Toyota organization has dominated this year, with their drivers winning seven of the 11 events this year, including the last two.
Kyle Busch led the first practice with a lap of 52.888 seconds, as is no surprise as he has experience in the Sprint Cup Series with four top-fives and eight top-10s in 22 starts. Notably, Rowdy has won four XFINITY races already this year, including three in a row.
Looking for his third win of the year, Erik Jones led the second practice session with a lap of 52.049 seconds. The youngster has ran the tricky triangle twice in the Camping World Truck Series, scoring a pair of top-10 finishes.
The third member of the organization, Daniel Suarez, currently leads the points standings by 14 points over Elliott Sadler. While he hasn’t won this year, he has been up front on a weekly basis with only two finishes outside of the top-10. The Mexican was solid in both practices, posting speeds inside of the top-six both sessions.
If anybody could beat Joe Gibbs Racing, though, it is Richard Childress Racing as the organization boosts experience with a mix of youth and Sprint Cup Series regulars behind the wheel. Just ask Austin Dillon after he finished second to Hamlin at Charlotte. Though it’s not Dillon in the No. 2 this week, but rather Paul Menard. It doesn’t mean you should overlook him, though, as he was sixth in the second session. Brendan Gaughan has also shown speed this year, currently sitting fifth in points following a top-10 finish in Charlotte.
Experience may not be the answer for RCR, as it may be the youth heading to victory lane. Both Brandon Jones and Ty Dillon were in the top-five in the second session. As a rookie, Jones has impressed with seven top-10s so far this year, but has yet to find the extra bit needed for a top-five. Meanwhile, Dillon won the Dash for Cash bonus at Richmond International Raceway and enters the weekend off of two straight top-eight finishes.
Another threat to JGR has to be JR Motorsports, which has scored three wins this year – Chase Elliott at Daytona, Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Richmond and Elliott Sadler at Talladega. Sadler has been strong so far this year since joining JRM, posting four top-fives and nine top-10s in 11 starts. He didn’t show a ton of speed in practice, though, as he was only 11th quickest in session two. However, he’s not to be counted out, though, as he has experience at Pocono with 24 previous Cup starts. They haven’t gone all that well, though, as he posted only two top-10s.
Possibly, though, JRM could put a fourth driver in victory lane as Justin Allgaier was fourth quickest in the first practice, followed by posting the ninth quickest lap in the second session. He also enters this weekend with some momentum as he was fifth at Charlotte, and has won some Cup races at Pocono as well. Alex Bowman also wants to throw his name in the mix as he is set to make his second start of the year with JRM, timing in seventh quickest in practice. He was solid earlier this year, finishing third in his only start this season so far.
In the midst of all this, there’s one team that remains under the radar – surprisingly. Team Penske has yet to really challenge for a race win so far this year in the series, and you have to wonder why that’s the case and how frustrating it may be. Joey Logano put the team in the closest spot that they’ve been recently at Charlotte by finishing third so perhaps they’re turning a corner as we begin the summer stretch. Logano also knows his way around Pocono, as the tricky triangle was the sight of his first career Sprint Cup victory in 2012.
You can never count Kyle Larson out of possible winners as he always seems to find his way to the front, riding the high and wide line. The high line normally doesn’t work at Pocono so he will need to find his groove at the bottom, as he did in practice by posting the eighth quickest lap in the second session. He’s ran well there in the Sprint Cup Series, with a pair of top-10s in four starts.
His teammate Brennan Poole is also interesting to watch as he has been getting stronger with each weekend on the track. Notably this season in the 11 races, Poole has only posted two finishes outside of the top-15. He could score his second top-five finish of the year on Saturday as he has a win and four top-fives in four ARCA starts at Pocono.
Roush Fenway Racing could use a strong run by either of their drivers Ryan Reed and Darrell Wallace Jr. Reed has yet to post a top-10 this season, while Wallace has been a mix of inconsistency this year. While he has three top-10s, he also has three finishes outside of the top-20. If they want to put themselves in championship in contention, Wallace needs to find a comfortable medium.
