What Separates Hamlin And Johnson At Pocono?

When NASCAR goes to certain tracks, there are always particular drivers that stand out above the crowd. At restrictor plate tracks, people point to Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. At road courses, fans think of Gordon, Stewart, and maybe Montoya. At most of the other tracks, people tend to think of Jimmie Johnson.

This weekend, Pocono will bring 500 miles of engine heating, tire failing, (and possibly fan snoring). Over the past few years, nobody has been stronger than Denny Hamlin. With 4 wins, Hamlin has proven he knows his way around the three-cornered beast. Hamlin boasts an amazing average finish of 8.2 with 7 top 5’s in 10 starts. Whether too hurt or too new, he is always too fast at the Pennsylvania track.

No doubt, Hamlin would love to break back into the win column at Pocono and further his rise into the top 10 in points, but there is one driver who may stand in his way. Of course, this driver stands in many people’s way when it comes to the entrance of victory lane. Jimmie Johnson has an average finish of 9.6 and has 2 wins himself at Pocono. And although Johnson is a favorite at almost any track, there may be one advantage Johnson has that Hamlin does not. He might be shiftier.

This week at Pocono, NASCAR is changing their transmission rules package and many drivers are saying that they will be shifting again on the triangle shaped track. In 2005, NASCAR changed their transmission rules to stop the shifting, and the next year was the first for Mr. Hamlin. The last year that shifting was allowed, Jimmie Johnson swept the two Pocono races.

Now, don’t get me wrong! I am sure Hamlin is quite capable of figuring out when and where to shift this weekend. But if there is anything a driver doesn’t want interrupted, its his rhythm. Of course, he could indeed go out this weekend and be even harder to catch than in previous races there.

Some others to watch out for this weekend would have to be the #22 of Kurt Busch, who won here in ’05 and ’07, the #14 of Tony Stewart, who won in ’03 and ’09, and #99, Carl Edwards who won in ’05 and ’08. The almost winner of the past two races in 2011, Dale Earnhardt Jr, has an average finish here of 17.9. However, prior to last week’s second place finish, his average finish at Kansas was 19.1. Also, his average finish during the shifting days at Pocono was 14th.

All in all, it should be a good race this weekend. With the return of shifting, there will likely be some engine failures at a track that is already known for stressing the engine builders out. That is, I think, the main reason why Hamlin will not win this weekend. He probably won’t blow an engine, although JGR has had their problems this year. He may, however, back off of it late in the race if some others blow theirs.

Be sure to follow Joseph Davis on Twitter @the_Bumpdrafter

Posted in: Carl Edwards,Dale Earnhardt Jr,Denny Hamlin,Jeff Gordon,Jimmie Johnson,Juan Pablo Montoya,Kurt Busch,Nascar,Nascar Blog,Tony Stewart