| Petty not back yet | Monday 7/28, 10:05 PM CT |
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Don't look for Kyle Petty just yet. He will not return to the cockpit this week and will turn the wheel over to Chad McCumbee instead.
Our View: This may be a makeup for replacing McCumbee with Terry Labonte at Chicagoland. This Young Gun made the first Pocono race and finished 25th. |
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| Only 44 cars on Pocono entry list | Monday 7/28, 8:48 PM CT |
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The entry list for the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 has been posted and only 44 cars are entered for 43 slots. There are no surprises include, although Terry Labonte will cub for Patrick Carpentier.
Our View: The last time NASCAR had a field this small was at Pocono for the first race this season and that is the only other time this year 44 cars were entered. Only one driver will go home. Don't be surprised if the list shrinks to 43 as Tony Raines is listed in both the No. 70 and 34 cars. |
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| Hamlin best 3-yr avg. at Pocono | Monday 7/28, 8:38 PM CT |
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Denny Hamlin has the best three-year average finish at Pocono at 2.8 in five starts.
Our View: In that span, he has two victories and his last two starts ended in third-place finishes. Hamlin is still as close to a sure thing as fantasy owners will find. |
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| Tough day for sophomores | Monday 7/28, 3:24 PM CT |
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David Ragan finished 14th in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, but it was a tough day for sophomores overall. The next highest finisher in that race was David Reutimann, who could manage only a 30th-place finish.
Our View: Juan Montoya and Paul Menard both sustained crash damage and finished 39th and 41st. |
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| Ragan gets 3rd straight top-15 | Monday 7/28, 1:03 PM CT |
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With a 14th in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, David Ragan earned his third consecutive top-15. This was the second time this season he accomplished that feat.
Our View: The sophomore is much improved from last year and is becoming a regular dark horse pick. |
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| Ambrose impressive in oval debut | Monday 7/28, 11:57 AM CT |
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Marcos Ambrose was impressive in his oval debut at Indy. He managed to stay out of trouble and finished respectably in 22nd after falling to the back at the start for changing his engine.
Our View: Ambrose was one of our sleepers last week and he paid off nicely. A top-20 would have been better, but the circumstances of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard were challenging for both the handicapper and racer. |
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| Petty gamble pays off | Monday 7/28, 10:29 AM CT |
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The gamble to put Terry Labonte in the No. 45 for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard paid off with a 27th-place finish and $161,083 prize check.
Our View: We didn't expect much out of Labonte, especially after he was required to take the past champion's provisional to make the show, but the tire game at Indy required experience and intelligence, which played into this veteran's favor. |
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| Burton snaps skid with Indy 9th | Monday 7/28, 9:30 AM CT |
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With at ninth at Indy, Jeff Burton snapped a five-race skid of finishes outside the top 10 during which his average finish was a mediocre 19.2.
Our View: He started the season as a weekly threat to finish in the top 15. This does not put him back in the must have category, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. |
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