Follow similar lineup paths for Pocono success (cont'd)

Dark Horses

This week we will call Montoya a dark horse because we are not certain if he can shake off last week's misfortune. He's also been uneven at Pocono with his first four results landing outside the top 15. His past three, however, make him well worth starting with a pair of eighth-place finishes. Montoya has a tendency to become his own worst enemy when he tries to make up for bad track position with aggressive driving, but if the team makes the right calls in the pits, he could be hard to beat.

Sam Hornish Jr. is a more traditional dark horse. He didn't get a chance to show his mettle after getting damaged in a first-lap melee at Indy, but that will make this team redouble its efforts at Pocono. Last year, he swept the top 10 in both races there and narrowly missed adding a third such finish with an 11th earlier this year. Dollar for dollar, he might be the best value in the game this week.

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Underdogs

Joey Logano continues to trend in the right direction, both in regard to his career and specifically at Pocono. Last week, he could have been a footnote in the Brickyard 400 after changing an engine and dropping to the back of the grid to start the race. He wasn't all that impressive in practice or qualification either, but steadily worked his way to the front of the field and finished inside the top 10 to earn his fourth such finish in his past eight oval races. He has yet to finish that well at Pocono, but after crossing under the checkers in the 20s in both events last year, he came close in June with a 13th.

Jamie McMurray is developing a reputation for stepping up for the big races after winning this year's Daytona 500, finishing second in the Coke 600, and winning last week's Brickyard 400. It remains to be seen if he can level out his results and also run strong on smaller stages, but considering that he earned a fifth at Chicagoland two weeks ago, he's well worth the risk. So far it's been difficult for McMurray to string together good results. This week, he enters Pocono with consecutive top-fives for the first time all season.