Insider's View: Wally Dallenbach

The Winston Cup Series heads back to Pocono for the second time in six weeks on Sunday. Tony Stewart won his only race of the year so far at the last trip to Pocono in June and he's probably anxious to come back to the scene of that success.

	Wally Dallenbach

To say Pocono is a unique racetrack is a bit of an understatement. Pocono has three corners that are all completely different. You really have to set up your car to run well in one corner and sacrifice the other two. You go into Turn 1 very fast, have to adapt through the tricky tunnel turn in two and then glide around turn three which as flat as a desktop. So it really is a driver's track.

Before you have to navigate through any of the turns you power your way down the 3,700-foot front straightaway at about 200 mph. The key here is obviously horsepower and you have to be able to outrace everyone down the main straight before funneling your way into Turn 1.

I liked to downshift into one rather than use the brakes in order to keep the revs up in the motor so you could power out of the turn. You have to keep your car way down at the bottom of the racetrack, almost with your two left tires on the grass. It's pretty bumpy down there too so you have to watch out you don't catch a bump and get shot back up the track.

You get on the gas and head into Turn 2, the dreaded Tunnel Turn at Pocono. You have to drive in here deep and let the car roll through the turn, which can get kind of hairy. When you're through Turn 2, you get back on the gas and let the car kind of drift up toward the wall as you head down the short chute for Turn 3.

Turn 3 at Pocono is a key because it's so big you spend a lot of time getting through there. I swear the first time I went through this flat turn it felt like it was banked the wrong way. You'll see lots of action through here especially early in the race when cars are on the edge because of cold tires. It doesn't take much to upset a car through here, it's like you could lean out the window and kick a car next to you with your foot and it would go sideways.

	Pocono Raceway is one of the most unusual tracks on the Winston Cup circuit. Credit: Autostock

But while the turns are tricky and important, to me Pocono is all about horsepower. In fact, I'd give up handling for a car that had about 10 more horsepower. You have to be able to mash that accelerator and go at Pocono or it's going to be a long day.

When you look over the list of drivers' averages at Pocono over the last few years it's a solid group of guys. I mentioned Tony Stewart who has eight Top 10 finishes in ten career Winston Cup starts. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Bobby Labonte is no slouch at Pocono either with three wins to his credit. I think that's a duo to keep an eye on Sunday.

Jeff Gordon is another Pocono favorite. He's been in the mix the last couple of weeks and if not for a fueling strategy backfire last week may have been the guy to beat in New Hampshire.

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I have to throw last week's Loudon winner Jimmie Johnson into the mix. And of course Ryan Newman, winner two weeks ago who came very close to making back to back wins last Sunday, will also be a contender.

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