MENU
The Pocono 400 is a stock car race held every year at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond Pennsylvania. It is one of the races included in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It is the first of two NASCAR Cup Series races that are held at Pocono Raceway, the other being the Gander 400. The race was first held in 1982 to replace the 400-mile race at the Texas World Speedway. It was originally raced at 500 miles but was reduced to 400 miles beginning in 2012.
Jeff Gordon owns the distinction for having the most wins at the Pocono 400 with four. Among the current drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Martin Truex Jr. have most wins with two each.
Last year, Ryan Blaney won pole position while Kevin Harvick led the most laps at 89. In the end, it was Martin Truex Jr. who won the race for the second time in his NASCAR career. Kyle Larson finished second while Kyle Busch came in third. Harvick and Brad Keselowski rounded up the Top 5.
This year, the odds for the 2019 Pocono 400 aren’t out yet. However, based on the NASCAR Cup series standings and recent form, there are drivers who should be considered among the NASCAR betting favorites to win the 2019 Pocono 400 on June 3rd.
First, let’s take a look at the NASCAR Cup series standings:
| Rank | Name | Points | Wins | Top 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Busch | 528 | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | Joey Logano | 522 | 1 | 7 |
| 3 | Chase Elliott | 478 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | 478 | 0 | 5 |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski | 459 | 3 | 5 |
| 6 | Martin Truex Jr. | 448 | 3 | 5 |
| 7 | Denny Hamlin | 434 | 2 | 6 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | 406 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Ryan Blaney | 376 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | Alex Bowman | 373 | 0 | 3 |
Who Are The Favorites?
Martin Truex Jr. has won two out of the last four Pocono 400 races. He has finished in the Top 9 in four out of the last five installments of the race. He has eight Top 10 finishes this season including wins in three out of the last four races including the most recent race, the Coca-Cola 600. Truex is ranked 6th in the standings but with three wins and five Top 5 finishes, this season, the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series champion is a driver to watch in Pocono.
Joey Logano is the #2 driver in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series standings. Logano has 9 Top 10 finishes this season, including five in the last six races on the schedule. He won the Pocono 400 in 2012 and has been in the Top 10 in five out of the last seven editions of the race. Logano was second to Martin Truex Jr. in the last race of the season.
Kyle Busch holds a tie for most races won this season with three. He finished in the Top 10 in the first 11 races of the season before the debacle at Dover in the last race. He bounced back with a strong third-place finish at the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend and although he’s never won at Pocono, he’s finished in the Top 10 in six out of the last nine Pocono 400 races including a third-place finish last year.
Kevin Harvick finished second to Kyle Larson in the All-Star race and has 9 Top 10 finishes this season including 5 4th place finishes. He was fourth in this race last year and has been in the Top 10 of the Pocono 400 in seven out of the last nine years including the last four seasons.
Brad Keselowski is tied with Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. with three wins this season. Keselowski won in Dover two races ago and he has six Top 10 finishes this season. Keselowski has finished in the Top 5 of the Pocono 400 in four out of the last five years including thrice in the last four races. He was 5th in this race last year.
Who Wins?
No doubt that Martin Truex Jr. has the best form heading to the next race of the season. Truex has won three out of the last four races including the last race of the season at the Coca-Cola 600. Truex is tied with Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski for most races won this season at three.
Kyle Busch also bounced back after what happened in Kansas and is one of the most consistent drivers on a race-to-race basis. When you take into consideration how good he’s raced this year and throughout his NASCAR career, Busch hasn’t won at Pocono and maybe that drought also ends in this race.
I’d like to take a look at how the odds look when they’re released before making my final pick for this race. However, when you take a look at current form, there is no doubt that Martin Truex Jr. is on a roll heading to this race. Likewise, the leaders in the drivers’ standings in Kyle Busch and Joey Logano are also coming off strong races at the Coca-Cola 600 and have been very consistent this season. I like the three drivers to figure well in the Pocono 400.
Dark horse pick: Kyle Larson must be also be feeling confident after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star race at the Millbridge Speedway this past week. Larson only had two Top 10 finished in the first 10 races of the season before coming out 3rd at Dover and 8th in Kansas. He has four Top 10 finishes at Pocono including 2nd last year. With some momentum plus his notable performances on the tricky triangle racecourse that is Pocono, he’s a good bet as a dark horse pick to win this race.
