Fantasy Update: Another flat track, more speed for Toyota drivers
Of late, Toyota has been stout at flat race tracks. Case in point, Joe Gibbs Racing dominated last weekend‘s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Add in that four of its drivers have combined to win 15 races at Pocono Raceway and all six of its drivers posted qualifying laps that were among the top 11 quickest on Saturday, and it could be another commanding day at the office on Sunday at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’
RELATED: Kurt Busch ruled out for Sunday’s race
Dustin Albino‘s race-day lineup:
Starter 1: Kyle Busch
Starter 2: Denny Hamlin
Starter 3: Kyle Larson
Starter 4: Ryan Blaney
Starter 5: Martin Truex Jr.
Garage pick: Bubba Wallace
NEXT IN LINE: Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, William Byron, Daniel Suárez
RELATED: Betting odds for Pocono | Set your Fantasy Live lineup
CARS TO THE REAR: Nos. 1, 24, 31, 43, 51 for unapproved adjustments; 45 for backup car.
RISING: Quietly, Pocono suits Daniel Suárez‘s driving style. Don‘t ask him why; he‘s not sure of the answer, other than it having similar technicalities to a road course. Suárez has a runner-up finish at the ‘Tricky Triangle’ in the past, and was quick on Saturday. The No. 99 Chevrolet ranked third in practice and will start ninth.
In Fantasy Fastlane earlier this week, there was no mention of Kyle Larson despite having a solid outing in both races at Pocono last year. The No. 5 car came up one corner shy of winning the first race, before blowing a left front tire. Larson showed speed again on Saturday and will start from the second row.
FALLING: Kevin Harvick‘s recent success at Pocono speaks for itself, with 10 top fives in his last 15 races. But the No. 4 team has missed the setup this weekend so far, running just the 30th-quickest lap in practice and will start the 400-mile race from a disappointing 24th position.
Prior to wrecking in the final round of qualifying, Kurt Busch was among the quick Toyotas in the field. But the No. 45 team must revert to a backup car for Sunday, moving Busch to the rear of the field. And while he‘s certainly not ruled out of potentially having a good finish, having no track position at the start is going to hurt his chances.
FEATURED MATCHUPS
Christopher Bell vs. Kevin Harvick: Throw past stats at Pocono out the window — Harvick said as much in his media availability on Saturday — Bell is the easy choice this weekend. No doubt, the tenacity of the No. 4 crew will likely result in a finish better than expected. But with a lack of speed in practice and qualifying, it‘s hard to see Harvick outrunning Bell this weekend.
Aric Almirola vs. Erik Jones: Jones is another one of those underrated drivers at Pocono, earning five top-five finishes in 10 career starts at the track. Even with finishes of 22nd and 31st in 2021, his average finishing position is still 14.4. The starting lineup might not be in Jones‘ favor, but the No. 43 car was sixth in practice to Almirola‘s 27th. The 34th-place starting position isn‘t indicative of the speed for Jones, as he scraped the wall on his qualifying lap.
Austin Dillon vs. Brad Keselowski: Ah, old friends. There‘s no love lost between Dillon and Keselowski from their New Hampshire — and previous incidents — run-in last weekend. In practice, the No. 3 car turned the 18th best time and the No. 6 Ford slotted in 22nd. This is a tossup, but with past success at the track, give the nod to Keselowski.
Kyle Busch vs. Denny Hamlin: Look at this, the battle of the front row! Either driver could win the race on Sunday, as the two JGR drivers are the winningest active drivers at Pocono. Both happen to be among the best cars in practice, too, as the No. 18 team was one of just four cars to make a 10-lap run. Whichever car finds clean air late will likely finish ahead of the other. But with M&M‘s sponsoring the race, this feels like a KFB weekend.
