NASCARJun 8, 2017 by JD Hellman
Pocono Raceway Marks The Debut Of Darrell Wallace Jr.
Pocono Raceway Marks The Debut Of Darrell Wallace Jr.
Darrell Wallace Jr. will make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut at Pocono Raceway in the Axalta 400, but he is not the only Young Gun to keep an eye on.
Pocono Raceway is a race track unlike any other.
At 2 1/2 miles, the homey-feeling track in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, has one thing that no other major racetrack has: a missing fourth turn.
That's because it's a tri-oval -- or in layman's terms, a triangular-shaped facility.
That's why the place is affectionately nicknamed "The Tricky Triangle" -- although some drivers who typically don't do well there may have less-flattering names or words for the place.
Racing Pocono offers drivers a combination of a superspeedway like Indianapolis (they're both the same distance and minimally banked) or Daytona as well as the feel of a road course like Sonoma or Watkins Glen.
With its nearly 1-mile-long frontstretch, there's also an element that transforms the track at times into a dragstrip, as well.
As we head into this weekend's Pocono 400, here are the five storylines to pay attention to either at the track or on TV:
WELCOME TO THE CUP SERIES, MR. BUBBA: Darrell Wallace Jr., better known as "Bubba" Wallace, will make his NASCAR Cup debut Sunday. And it couldn't come on a larger stage: He'll drive the most legendary car number and for the most legendary driver in the sport's history -- the No. 43 of Richard Petty Motorsports. Wallace is the first African-American driver to drive in the Cup series since Bill Lester in 2006. A lot of eyeballs will be on Wallace, who will replace the injured Aric Almirola for at least the next two months, particularly the fact that he's the first African-American graduate of NASCAR's Drive For Diversity to reach the Cup level.
JIMMIE JOHNSON GOES FOR NO. 84: Now that he's tied NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough for sixth on NASCAR's all-time wins list (83 victories each), could Jimmie Johnson make a big leap further up the grid with a victory Sunday? If he does take the checkered flag, he would then move into a tie for fourth place on the all-time wins list (84 victories) with two other NASCAR Hall of Famers, Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip.
(Pocono Raceway is often plagued with rain and fog, but that played into first-time winner Chris Buescher's hands last year. Photo Matthew OHaren, USA Today)
WHO'S THE NEXT FIRST-TIME WINNER IN CAREER OR 2017? Having gone through the first 13 races of the season, a lot of conversation has arisen this week about first-time winners -- both this season as well as career-wise. Obviously, all four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers -- Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, and Daniel Suarez -- have yet to reach Victory Lane as well as Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and several others. And then there's drivers such as Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney, who are still in search of their first career wins in the Cup series.
RAIN RAIN, GO AWAY, MAKE IT SHINE ON BUESCHER'S DAY: This will be a key date for Chris Buescher. It was last August 1 that the Texas native earned his first -- and to date, the only -- Cup win of his career. Granted, Buescher won when the race was called 22 laps short of the scheduled 160-lap event, but he said earlier this week he feels confident that he can win again after switching to JTG Daugherty Racing for this season. He also wants to win a full race, not a rain-shortened race. No matter how he gets it done, a win would do the same thing for Buescher as last year: put him into the playoffs.
HOW WILL KYLE BUSCH FARE WITHOUT HIS REGULAR CREW CHIEF? Kyle Busch will be without crew chief Adam Stevens, as well as his rear tire carrier and rear tire changer, for the next four weeks. That's the penalty NASCAR assessed the No. 18 team after failing to secure the left rear tire on Busch's car during Sunday's race at Dover. How will Busch adapt to a new crew chief, how will their communication be, and what will his pit crew be like with one-third of it being full of replacements for rear tire changes? Busch has the talent to win any of the next four races without Stevens, but it would be a bit easier if Stevens was in his usual spot atop the pit box.
HELLMAN'S PREDICTION: Martin Truex Jr. wins once again at the Tricky Triangle.
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At 2 1/2 miles, the homey-feeling track in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, has one thing that no other major racetrack has: a missing fourth turn.
That's because it's a tri-oval -- or in layman's terms, a triangular-shaped facility.
That's why the place is affectionately nicknamed "The Tricky Triangle" -- although some drivers who typically don't do well there may have less-flattering names or words for the place.
Racing Pocono offers drivers a combination of a superspeedway like Indianapolis (they're both the same distance and minimally banked) or Daytona as well as the feel of a road course like Sonoma or Watkins Glen.
With its nearly 1-mile-long frontstretch, there's also an element that transforms the track at times into a dragstrip, as well.
As we head into this weekend's Pocono 400, here are the five storylines to pay attention to either at the track or on TV:
WELCOME TO THE CUP SERIES, MR. BUBBA: Darrell Wallace Jr., better known as "Bubba" Wallace, will make his NASCAR Cup debut Sunday. And it couldn't come on a larger stage: He'll drive the most legendary car number and for the most legendary driver in the sport's history -- the No. 43 of Richard Petty Motorsports. Wallace is the first African-American driver to drive in the Cup series since Bill Lester in 2006. A lot of eyeballs will be on Wallace, who will replace the injured Aric Almirola for at least the next two months, particularly the fact that he's the first African-American graduate of NASCAR's Drive For Diversity to reach the Cup level.
JIMMIE JOHNSON GOES FOR NO. 84: Now that he's tied NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough for sixth on NASCAR's all-time wins list (83 victories each), could Jimmie Johnson make a big leap further up the grid with a victory Sunday? If he does take the checkered flag, he would then move into a tie for fourth place on the all-time wins list (84 victories) with two other NASCAR Hall of Famers, Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip.
(Pocono Raceway is often plagued with rain and fog, but that played into first-time winner Chris Buescher's hands last year. Photo Matthew OHaren, USA Today)
WHO'S THE NEXT FIRST-TIME WINNER IN CAREER OR 2017? Having gone through the first 13 races of the season, a lot of conversation has arisen this week about first-time winners -- both this season as well as career-wise. Obviously, all four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers -- Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, and Daniel Suarez -- have yet to reach Victory Lane as well as Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and several others. And then there's drivers such as Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney, who are still in search of their first career wins in the Cup series.
RAIN RAIN, GO AWAY, MAKE IT SHINE ON BUESCHER'S DAY: This will be a key date for Chris Buescher. It was last August 1 that the Texas native earned his first -- and to date, the only -- Cup win of his career. Granted, Buescher won when the race was called 22 laps short of the scheduled 160-lap event, but he said earlier this week he feels confident that he can win again after switching to JTG Daugherty Racing for this season. He also wants to win a full race, not a rain-shortened race. No matter how he gets it done, a win would do the same thing for Buescher as last year: put him into the playoffs.
HOW WILL KYLE BUSCH FARE WITHOUT HIS REGULAR CREW CHIEF? Kyle Busch will be without crew chief Adam Stevens, as well as his rear tire carrier and rear tire changer, for the next four weeks. That's the penalty NASCAR assessed the No. 18 team after failing to secure the left rear tire on Busch's car during Sunday's race at Dover. How will Busch adapt to a new crew chief, how will their communication be, and what will his pit crew be like with one-third of it being full of replacements for rear tire changes? Busch has the talent to win any of the next four races without Stevens, but it would be a bit easier if Stevens was in his usual spot atop the pit box.
HELLMAN'S PREDICTION: Martin Truex Jr. wins once again at the Tricky Triangle.
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