Editor’s Note: Keep tabs on this page for lineup advice following qualifying, including changes you should consider.
Fantasy Update: “Eventful” describes Cup Series practice and qualifying at Pocono Raceway, with Brad Keselowski having an engine woe and Bubba Wallace spinning into the inside wall. Both have been replaced in my lineup. In steps Chris Buescher, who had the best five-lap average in practice and will take the green flag in sixth position. Daniel Suárez has also been added, with the No. 7 car leading the way for Spire Motorsports and starting third. Finally, replacing Chase Elliott with Ty Gibbs, as Toyota has pivotal track position, putting three Joe Gibbs Racing entries inside the top five to start the race.
My lineup: Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Erik Jones, Daniel Suárez.
Garage: Ty Gibbs.
The spotlight at Pocono Raceway will shine squarely on Denny Hamlin this weekend. The 63-time Cup Series winner has long been the master of the “Tricky Triangle” since his first start in the Pocono Mountains, collecting a track-record seven bald eagle trophies. Hamlin is white-hot entering the weekend, aiming to score three straight victories for the first time in his Hall of Fame career. But there are multiple serious threats to challenge him.
Returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can come play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced in 2024 where strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.
RELATED: NASCAR Fantasy Live hub | Play 36 for 36
MUST START
Driver: Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota
Selections remaining: 3
Comment: Hamlin will soon have a boulder of his own in the Pocono infield, joining the likes of Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty and former No. 11 wheelman Cale Yarborough. His seven victories nearly match the combined total of his competition (eight). Hamlin has six top-two finishes – three wins – in the last nine Pocono visits and would have added a fourth victory in 2022 had he not been disqualified because of a technical infraction with his No. 11 car. He leads active drivers in top fives (17), top 10s (24) and laps led (890).
Driver: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 9 Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 6
Comment: The beneficiary of Hamlin’s 2022 DQ was Elliott, who earned his lone Pocono victory that year. Don’t let that fool you, though, as he is the only driver to place inside the top 10 in all four Next Gen races here. Hendrick also leads the way with 19 Pocono wins.
Driver: Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 19 Toyota
Selections remaining: 7
Comment: With teams able to flip the first two stages without sacrificing a lap, Pocono can become a fantasy headache when it comes to building the optimal lineup. Briscoe, however, nearly scored maximum points last year on the way to his first victory with JGR. Given the No. 19 team’s championship ranking, it’s shaping up to be a conservative, points-focused weekend.
DRIVERS TO AVOID
Driver: Joey Logano, Team Penske, No. 22 Ford
Selections remaining: 7
Comment: Among all non-drafting ovals – or triangles – Pocono has historically been Logano’s weakest with an average finish of 17.4. He scored a signature win here in 2012, ultimately earning the ride with Penske shortly thereafter. But the three-time champion has only five top fives in 30 Pocono starts.
Driver: Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, No. 1 Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 8
Comment: Chastain is known for punching above his weight class, but 2026 has been a tussle for Trackhouse. The No. 1 team has a pair of finishes better than 16th though 15 starts, and Chastain has only finished better than 24th once in 10 Pocono races (13th, 2023).
SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK
Driver: Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing, No. 6 Ford
Selections remaining: 7
Comment: With consecutive DNFs, Keselowski has plummeted to 15th on The Chase grid, desperately needing a bounce-back weekend. Fortunately for the 2012 champion, he leads active drivers in average finish at Pocono, sitting at 10.7 through 28 starts.
Driver: Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club, No. 43 Toyota
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: With two crown-jewel wins at Darlington Raceway, the egg-shaped 1.366-mile track leaps off the page as a personal best for Jones. But it’s Pocono where Jones has excelled in the Next Gen era, tied for the fifth-best average finish (11.25) and sixth in points scored (131), according to Racing Insights.
FEATURED MATCHUPS
Denny Hamlin vs. Chase Elliott
Pick: Hamlin
Comment: Track position will be of the essence at Pocono, and it’s hard to think Hamlin won’t have it in spades throughout the 400 miles. Based on the metric, he will have the advantage from the get-go in qualifying and should use that to his advantage.
Chris Buescher vs. Joey Logano
Pick: Buescher
Comment: Given Logano is currently three points below the cutline, the Paul Wolfe-led team will likely optimize points at Pocono. That might not set up best for an overall finish, though Buescher netted 48 points last year and still finished fourth. I’m hedging with the No. 17 bunch.
Ryan Blaney vs. Chase Briscoe
Pick: Briscoe
Comment: The two most recent Pocono winners make for a powerhouse matchup. Toyota has been far and away the strongest manufacturer in 2026 and Briscoe should have the ability to let that TRD horsepower ring down the long straightaways. Blaney has been feast or famine in the last four Pocono races, with a pair of podium efforts and two finishes of 30th or worse.
Erik Jones vs. Alex Bowman
Pick: Jones
Comment: Historically, Bowman has gotten the job done at Pocono, earning six finishes of 11th or better, including a 2021 win, in the last seven events. But the No. 48 team has had a miserable year while Jones is surging, gaining 51 points on The Chase cutline over the last three races.
MY LINEUP
Starting five: Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski.
Garage: Erik Jones.
36 FOR 36
Pick: John Hunter Nemechek, Legacy Motor Club, No. 42 Toyota
Comment: As I’ve experienced the last two weeks, every race isn’t going to be a grand slam, collecting a mere 11 points. Nemechek has performed better than the results have reflected through 15 races, getting taken out while running inside the top 10 on multiple occasions in 2026. He qualified fourth last spring at Pocono and stretched the fuel tank to a sixth-place effort.