NASCAR at Pocono 2022: Odds, Preview and Top Storylines
The pressure is mounting on Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr. and other drivers without a win on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit.
Christopher Bell's win at New Hampshire last week raised the number of winners this season to 14 heading into Sunday's race at Pocono.
Blaney and Truex would be the only drivers to qualify for the 16-person playoff field on points if the season ended with 14 winners.
With the way the 2022 season has gone, Blaney, Truex and others need to go all out for victories to ensure their postseason spots ahead of anyone else.
Truex could be in line for the victory on Sunday since Joe Gibbs Racing has controlled most of the recent races at Pocono.
Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch combined to win five of the last eight races at Pocono. Truex has a victory in that span.
The other main competitors for playoff spots have also had recent success at Pocono. Kevin Harvick won in 2020, and Blaney took first in 2017, so there should be confidence from those drivers that they can end any playoff doubt in Pennsylvania.
M&Ms Fan Appreciation 400 Odds
Kyle Busch (+700; bet $100 to win $700)
Kyle Larson (+800)
Denny Hamlin (+800)
Chase Elliott (+800)
Ryan Blaney (+1000)
Martin Truex Jr. (+1000)
Ross Chastain (+1000)
Kevin Harvick (+1000)
William Byron (+1200)
Joey Logano (+1500)
Christopher Bell (+1500)
Kurt Busch (+2000)
Alex Bowman (+2000)
Will Another New Winner Emerge?
Fourteen drivers have won a race on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit this season.
That means 14 of the 16 playoff positions are automatically secured, as long as there are 16 or fewer winners on the circuit.
Ryan Blaney has the most points of the drivers without a win. Martin Truex Jr. is second on that list, and after Christopher Bell's win at New Hampshire, he is on the playoff bubble.
Blaney is 105 points ahead of Kevin Harvick, who is on the outside of the playoff bubble, and Truex leads the No. 4 car driver by 68 points.
Harvick is the only driver within 100 points of Blaney and Truex, so that should give those two drivers a marginal amount of comfort if repeat winners occur.
Blaney and Truex can end any pressure to qualify for the postseason by winning at Pocono and then hoping only 16 winners emerge on the circuit's final five regular-season races.
Harvick and others below the playoff cut line have reason to take more risks on Sunday, and in other races on the calendar, to see if they can steal a spot before September.
Blaney and Harvick both finished inside the top 10 in the two Pocono races last season. Pocono is down to one race on the schedule this season.
Truex finished 11th and 18th at Pocono last season, but Gibbs Racing cars earned three top-five finishes in those races. Gibbs swept the Pocono races in 2018 and 2019 and won one in each of 2020 and 2021.
Harvick seems like the best driver to jump from outside the bubble to the playoff field with a victory, but keep in mind two other drivers.
Brad Keselowski had a pair of top-10 finishes last season at Pocono, and Bubba Wallace took fifth in one race in Pennsylvania and is coming off a top-five placing at New Hampshire.
Can Joe Gibbs Racing Keep Up Pocono Dominance?
Joe Gibbs Racing should feel confident in its ability to leave Pocono with its seventh win in nine races in the Pennsylvania mountains.
The Gibbs cars controlled the front of the field in the last eight races at Pocono, and Christopher Bell is coming off a win at New Hampshire.
Three of the four Gibbs cars are in the postseason field as of right now, and Truex could make it a fourth, either through a win or by points.
A year ago, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin took second and fourth in the first Pocono race, and then Busch topped the field in the second race.
Busch, the pre-race favorite, has victories from 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 at Pocono. Another win at Pocono would make him the sixth driver with multiple victories on the Cup Series circuit this season.
Hamlin earned victories in 2019 and 2020 at Pocono. He could join Chase Elliott as the only drivers with three wins in 2022 if he captures the checkered flag at Pocono.
Bell is coming off his best race of the season at New Hampshire, and he should use that newfound confidence to race high up in the field with a car that has done well at the "Tricky Triangle."
Truex needs a win more than any of his teammates, and he should benefit from the Gibbs power at Pocono. The No. 19 car has come close to Victory Lane in recent weeks. Truex finished fourth at New Hampshire and 11th at Atlanta in the last two races.
If Truex wins, that would leave one automatic qualification spot open for the playoffs. If more than 16 drivers win races, the field will be set by most points among those drivers.
Even though Bell is in the field now, it is important for the Gibbs cars to all have best power on Sunday to ensure all four cars can get into the postseason in that scenario.
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