Ryan Blaney finally scored his first win of the season last Monday during a thrilling race at Talladega Superspeedway. It was the perfect finish to a rocky past couple of days in the world of NASCAR because of the ordeal Bubba Wallace has had to endure. Will Blaney keep it going next Sunday at Pocono? Here are some of the drivers you should watch out for at the upcoming 2020 Pocono 350.
Hamlin came into Talladega Speedway on a wave of momentum, having won the race prior, topping the field at 2020 Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. But while he wasn’t able to go back to back, Hamlin still put on a strong performance at Talladega Superspeedway, finishing fourth. It was the fifth time in eight races that Hamlin managed to crack the top five. Hamlin has five wins and 11 top 5s in 28 career races at Pocono Raceway.
Busch was a letdown for his bettors last Monday, as he settled for a 32nd-place performance at Talladega Superspeedway. But that could also mean last year’s NASCAR Cup Series champion is primed for a major rebound. For one, Busch has two wins and three top 5s in all of his last four starts at Pocono.
Truex finished just 23rd overall at the 2020 GEICO 500 last Monday despite getting pole position. But Truex should remain a top name to watch out for, heading into this coming Sunday’s race, as he’s done well at Pocono Raceway, especially in his last four starts there. Over that stretch, Truex has snagged a win and two top 5s with an average finish of 13.5. Last year, Truex placed third at the Gander RV 400.
Now is not the time to lose trust in Jones, who seemed to have broken out of a slump when he finished fifth at the 2020 GEICO 500 last Monday. Prior to that, Jones was on a snooze, with three races in a row in which he failed to finish better than 20th. What makes Jones’ prospects of winning at Pocono as a sleeper even better is the fact that he has a career average of 8.33 at the said course. In six career starts at Pocono Raceway, Jones has four top 5s and five top 10s.
Buescher reminded everyone that he still exists, as he finished sixth at the 220 GEICO 500 — hist best finish since going third at the 2020 Daytona 500. Perhaps that’s a good sign moving forward for the Roush Fenway Racing driver, who has won at the Pocono Raceway once before, topping the field at the Pennsylvania 400 four years ago.
It’s been an emotional past few days for Wallace after a noose was discovered inside his garage last Sunday. But Wallace did not let the incident affect him, as he finished a respectable 14th at the Talladega Superspeedway. Wallace has cracked the top 15 in all his past three races. However, Wallace only has a 28.0 career average finish at Pocono.
