Drivers coming down the front stretch
carry a lot of speed into turn one and are able to maintain most of it due to the 14 degree banking. They have to be careful
not to pick up a late push on exit or get loose. They then head down full speed to turn two which only has 8 degrees of banking
and certainly will not handle all the speed the drivers are carrying. While the wide fast straights allow multiple grooves
and easy passing for faster cars, the best way to pass is to be the first one back in the throttle off all the turns.
The point battle remains tight as
the series returns to Long Pond. Frank Kimmel took the lead last week in Berlin with a second place finish while Bobby Gerhart suffered from an alternator
problem late in the race and went four laps down to finish 15th. Ken Weaver moved into third place with his fifth place finish.
Damon Lusk, not driving for his regular team dropped to 4th place. In the rookie battle Ryan Foster closed within 4 points
of leader Ryan Howard when Howard was caught up in a lap 5 incident that took the front end off his car. Brett Rowe remained
in third place but his 7th place finish at Berlin moved him 2 points behind
Foster and only 6 points behind the leader Howard. Blake Bjorklund’s 3rd place finish moved him to within 42 points
of the rookie lead and into 4th place in the rookie standing’s. Howard, Foster, and Rowe are all in the top ten in the
series standings and Bjorklund is just outside at 11th nibbling away at tenth.
Who to watch:
Damon Lusk: Damon
is having a great season and has won at Pocono before. Not having his regular car in Berlin
cost him dearly in the points last week and he will be eager to make it up. He has had two top 5’s and four top 10’s
on super speedways this year including a 7th place finish at Pocono in the race earlier this year.
Frank Kimmel: Despite
earlier problems at both Pocono and MIS this year, the 46 team looks to be hitting their stride. They are heading into Pocono
with a lot of momentum having a win and two 2nd place finishes in the last three races.
Shane Miller: A win
last time out at Pocono and driving a high powered “development” car will not hurt Shane’s chances. A good
driver to start with, the extra horsepower in the number 4 Dodge will certainly give him an edge. Barring driver or pit mistakes
(from a driver and team that make few if any mistakes) look for him to repeat.
Bobby Gerhart: Second
in points and currently the ARCA Super Speedway Challenge leader, Bobby is another one to look for. The alternator problem
last week knocked him of the top of the totem pole and he will be eager to get back up there. He won in Daytona and finished
5th last race in Pocono. Winless in 18 starts at his hometown track, Bobby will pull out all the stops this week for a victory.
AJ Henriksen: Although
running few races this year AJ has always done well at Pocono. Look for him to be a top 10 car again this week perhaps even
bettering his 4th place Pocono finish earlier this year. He is my dark horse favorite of the race.
Brent Sherman: With
three top 10’s in five starts this year, including a 3rd place finish last Pocono race, Brent will be one to watch for.
Justin Allgaier:
He will better his earlier 15th place finish here. His recent run of bad luck looks to be over with his 9th place finish last
week and he needs a few top 5’s to get back in both the rookie race and the series chase.
Brett Rowe: He and
his team just keep getting stronger as the season progresses. Sitting behind Ryan Foster in both series points and rookie
points, he is close enough to “smell blood”. A good finish will help to erase a good portion of the 105 point
difference between him and Foster putting him in the top 5 for the year.
Ryan Foster: A blown
engine here earlier in the year has been one of the few blemishes of his nearly flawless rookie season. As stated earlier
he is a mere 4 points out of the lead for the rookie of the year and less than 100 points from a 3rd place ranking in the
series standings. He and his team know how close Brett Rowe is behind him in both ROTY and series standings.
Chuck
Weber: Last weeks bad luck will not stop Chuck. He will bounce back this week for a good finish. Currently tied for
6th in the series standings with Brett Rowe, he will try to continue his upward climb.
Questions, Comments;
Email Everett
The views and opinions
in this article are that of the writer and not necessarily that of SCR
2006 StockCar Review.
