| T Labonte back in business | Monday 6/2, 7:13 PM CT |
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Terry Labonte will climb behind the wheel of Kyle Petty's No. 45 this week for the first of four races.
Our View: Petty will be in the broadcast booth at TNT and this will be Labonte's first trip to Pocono since 2006. That year he finished 39th and 25th. |
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| Busch second-best at Pocono | Monday 6/2, 6:02 PM CT |
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Everyone knows that Denny Hamlin is nearly perfect at Pocono, but the driver in second may come as some surprise. Kurt Busch has a three-year average finish of 7.3 in his last six races.
Our View: This will be a good week for him to return to winning form after winning last August and finishing second in both 2006 races. |
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| Leffler back in No. 70 | Monday 6/2, 5:11 PM CT |
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After failing to qualify last week in Dover, Jason Leffler will get another chance behind the wheel of the Gene Haas No. 70 at Pocono.
Our View: Leffler is going to commute from Nashville to Pocono, but he should be able to hitch a ride with one of several other double dippers. |
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| Hamlin has best 3-yr average | Monday 6/2, 3:59 PM CT |
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Denny Hamlin has the best three-year average finish at Pocono, with two victories and a worst of sixth in four races during the past two years.
Our View: Incredibly, Hamlin's two victories came after he started on the pole, which makes him nearly perfect on this tricky track. |
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| Franchitti to return at Pocono | Monday 6/2, 3:03 PM CT |
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After a five-week hiatus to heal his broken ankle, Dario Franchitti will return to Cup competition in the Pocono 500.
Our View: Franchitti had a good test there a couple of weeks ago, but race competition is going to be a totally different matter. This will be a good test for his ankle, however, since Pocono requires heavy braking. |
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| Riggs drops outside top 35 | Monday 6/2, 2:01 PM CT |
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After getting hit with a 150-point penalty by NASCAR and crashing at Dover, Scott Riggs has fallen outside the top 35 in owner points to 36th.
Our View: The second Gene Haas team has been outside that mark for much of the season and has struggled to make races. Now the task gets even more difficult for this two-car operation and their results will suffer. |
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| Hornish climbs into top 35 | Monday 6/2, 12:43 PM CT |
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With a strong top-20 run, Sam Hornish climbed back into the top 35 after a brief sojourn outside that mark.
Our View: After finishing 18th—his fourth top-20 of his career—Hornish actually has a little breathing room in 33rd, and with a guaranteed starting spot, he will get much needed experience at Pocono. |
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| Happy birthday Petty | Monday 6/2, 12:08 PM CT |
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Kyle Petty turns 48 on Monday, June 2nd.
Our View: As the youth movement takes over NASCAR, experience still counts. Petty's individual results continue to struggle, but he's creating a strong team for teammate Bobby Labonte. |
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