We’ve got more NASCAR this weekend. Double the usual amount, which is to say we’ve got back-to-back races today and tomorrow. Both are at Pocono, up in the Pennsylvania mountains. It looks like tomorrow’s is a little longer than today’s.
I think this was part of NASCAR’s schedule all along, but I could be wrong—it’s possible this is making up for a missed race from when the Cup Series was shut down. Either way, double the racing, which means 1.5x the blog posts.
With no idea what to expect from a storyline perspective, two quick hitters:
The Track
Pocono’s a tri-oval, and I think the tight turn’s called the Tunnel Turn or something like that (update: looked it up and it’s not the tightest turn, but it’s a turn alright, and no, I don’t know why it’s called a tunnel). Weird track, but long (2.5 miles), so the cars can still get moving, I think.
Playoff Picture
Reminder: 16 drivers make the playoffs. Winning a race guarantees you a spot, unless more than 16 drivers win a race, which I don’t think has happened? If fewer than 16 drivers win, the winless drivers highest in the points standings make it. As it stands, here’s where things line up:
Denny Hamlin: 3 Wins
Kevin Harvick: 2 Wins
Joey Logano: 2 Wins
Brad Keselowski: 2 Wins
Ryan Blaney: 1 Win
Chase Elliott: 1 Win
Martin Truex Jr.: 1 Win
Alex Bowman: 1 Win
That’s eight who have qualified. The next eight in the standings are…
Kyle Busch: 378 Points
Kurt Busch: 369 Points
Jimmie Johnson: 353 Points
Aric Almirola: 337 Points
Clint Bowyer: 328 Points
William Byron: 319 Points
Matt DiBenedetto: 312 Points
Tyler Reddick: 306 Points
Right behind Reddick is Erik Jones (305 Points), and after that it’s a drop to Austin Dillon (282), followed by Chris Buescher, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Bubba Wallace (266, 263, and 258 respectively), with plenty more behind them. In other words, if a driver not currently in the top 16 wins, Reddick gets bumped unless he passes DiBenedetto…etc.
So that’s where we’re at entering Pocono. Update coming tonight or tomorrow after today’s race.
