Fantasy Preview: Pocono

This triangular racetrack stands apart from the crowded list of NASCAR speedways, and it seems to revel in its reputation as an oddity. Fans who wanted something unique on the schedule will be thrilled this weekend.

In all of NASCAR -- actually, in all of auto racing -- there is nothing like Pocono Raceway.

Pocono is like that strange uncle we all have that shows up only at family reunions. It's the quirky cousin of the NASCAR tracks and it marches to the beat of its own drummer.

This track was built with challenge in mind. Instead of two corners, it has three, and each of these has a unique radius and degree of banking. Each corner is also fed by a straightaway of a different length and the momentum gained on the 3,740 foot frontstretch is whittled away throughout the lap.

After slamming into Turn 1, which has the greatest degree of banking at 14, drivers head down the 3,055-foot backstretch into a corner banked at only eight degrees. From there, it's off to a short shoot of only 1,780 feet into a corner that is one of the flattest they will visit this year and they have to tiptoe through its six degrees. Teams may be able to set up their cars to run in two corners, but it is impossible to get all three to work well, which makes this track the ultimate in compromise.

Pocono stands alone, but fantasy owners might find some help in looking at a driver's record on the other flat tracks. Martinsville Speedway will provide a little insight, but Phoenix International Raceway, New Hampshire International Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway will give them even better data. These are NASCAR's "flat tracks."

The Search for Perfection

Because the track is so difficult to master, rookies are not supposed to do well here, but Denny Hamlin made a mockery of that notion last year when he sat on the pole for both races, led the most laps in each, and swept Victory Lane. About the only drama he provided in his dominant runs was when he spun out in last year's June race and had to come from the back of the pack. Perfect streaks are hard to come by, but NASCAR's history is made up of even more improbable starts than this and Hamlin has momentum on his side from several strong runs so far this season. He's been frustrated his team has run so well without any victories to show for it, and this could be his salve.

It seems that the driver who has frustrated him the most is Jeff Gordon, because the No. 24 has been the car in contention to take advantage of the No. 11's mistakes. This budding rivalry is only going to get more intense at Pocono, as these two are likely to spend most of the afternoon battling at the front. Gordon has been a master of this track in the past with three victories and five other second-place finishes to his credit. Even though last June's box score shows him in 34th in the final rundown, he was running comfortably in the lead pack when his brakes failed 11 laps from the end of that race, or he would likely have another top-five to his credit. As usual, all of Hendrick Motorsports is going to be strong this week and Gordon will show the way again.

Bucking the Trend

While Pocono is not overly kind to dark horse contenders, there are a few drivers who could buck the trend, and both of them have won in recent weeks. Hendrick Motorsports has finished in the top 10 with nearly every driver they have put in their cars at this track and most of those men also earned top-fives. This is a great opportunity for Casey Mears to capitalize on the momentum he started to build with his first career victory two weeks ago at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Last year, he had a dismal season at Pocono -- in fact, he failed to complete the first lap of this race -- but that may work in your favor since your competitors will overlook him.

Martin Truex Jr. is fresh off his first victory as well, and that came in the neighboring state of Delaware in last week's Autism Speaks 400. Both Pocono and Dover International Speedway are adjacent to his home state of New Jersey, which means all the fans that showed up last week to cheer him will be in the stands again this week. The driver of the No. 1 car has been consistently strong on the flat tracks and his highlight last year came at Pocono when he finished 10th in the July race. He added another 12th-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway last fall, which makes him the consummate dark horse.

Recognizing the Trend

Drivers like Hamlin and Carl Edwards beat the odds in their first Pocono outings and won, but this is not a track that is kind to first time drivers. Only a handful of racers earned top-10s in their first starts, and even a driver of Gordon's caliber finished 28th and 37th in his first two attempts. This year's rookie class has shown far less promise than the Class of 2006, and there is no reason to believe they will change that perception in the next week.

Pay attention to Juan Montoya, however. His road racing experience could come in handy on this track that television commentator Darrell Waltrip likes to call a 'roval,' which is his hybrid word for road course and oval. This week in a charity event on the Eldora Speedway dirt track, Montoya showed just how quickly he can learn his way around an unknown course, and that versatility might come in handy at Pocono. Do not commit to him until after practice is complete, however, because his success is certainly not guaranteed.