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  POCONO RACEWAY
Long Pond, Pennsylvania

Jamie Squire/Getty Images
2007 Dates
Pocono 500, June 10
Pennsylvania 500, August 5
Track Specs
2.5 mile tri-oval
Banking/Turn 1: 14 degrees
Banking/Turn 2: 8 degrees
Banking/Turn 3: 6 degrees
Banking/Straightaway: 2 degrees
June 2006 Results
Winner: Denny Hamlin
Pole: Denny Hamlin
July 2006 Results
Winner: Denny Hamlin
Pole: Denny Hamlin
What to watch for
The 2.5-mile Pennsylvania triangle was at least one driver's favorite track. In his rookie season, Denny Hamlin earned the first two wins of his young career. Hamlin took the checkers in June, then proved it wasn't beginner's luck by winning again in his July return to Long Pond. Not only did Hamlin pull off the season sweep, but the Joe Gibbs prodigy also won both poles and dominated each race, leading the most laps in both contests for a total of 234. Arguably, no other driver was as good on any track as Hamlin was at Pocono last season.

The new engine program at Childress could be a perfect match for the long straightaways and high RPM's of Pocono, making Kevin Harvick another favorite in the Keystone State. In his last four races, Harvick has three top-10 finishes. His RCR teammate, Jeff Burton, was as consistent as ever, scoring two ninth-place runs.

Overall, last season was a down year for Kurt Busch. But Pocono was an exception. If not for Hamlin's extraordinary showing, Busch would be the first driver listed on this page. After winning in July 2005, he recorded a pair of runner-up finishes in 2006. This might be a track where Busch's Penske Dodge can get back to its winning ways.

Jimmie Johnson has also been fast, with consecutive wins in 2004 and three top-10 finishes in the four runs since his back-to-back checkered flags. One potential sleeper is Brian Vickers, who has led 140 laps en route to two top-5 finishes in his last three races at Pocono. Vickers obviously has an affinity for the track. The question is whether the new team can put a car under him that can take him to the front.

Keep an eye on...
• Bobby Labonte -- He posted eighth- and 12th-place runs here in '06. If his Evernham engine holds up again, he's good to duplicate the results in '07.

• Tony Stewart -- Stewart notched a third-place run in June of last season and followed that up with a strong seventh. In the second event he was penalized one lap for rough driving but got his lap back with a timely caution and drove through the field for the top-10 result.

• J.J. Yeley -- While he may not have set the racing world ablaze elsewhere, the Gibbs pilot had two solid top-15 finishes here last season. It's a step in the right direction.


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