Johnny Benson

As a Nextel Cup rookie last season Denny Hamlin defined dominance at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. He not only swept both events at the 2.5-mile tri-oval, but he captured both poles and led for 234 of 401 laps.

To excel like that is something special, so if anyone is telling you the past is the past and this Sunday's Cup race at the Pennsylvania track is a whole new test for Hamlin and the other drivers taking part in it, well, in a sense that's true, but Hamlin's clearly my favorite to make it three wins in a row at Pocono.

Working in Hamlin's favor
Start with the chassis to be used by the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. What a surprise, it's the same one that overwhelmed the field in both Pocono races last year. But Pocono wasn't the only shining moment for this chassis. It got a lot of work because it produced results throughout the 2006 season, scoring seven top-10 finishes. This will be the third start of the 2007 season for this car, and Hamlin hopes to once again drive it to Victory Lane.

Hamlin's crew chief Mike Ford has a ton of experience and knowledge about Pocono going back to when he worked with Bill Elliott, who along with Hamlin is the only driver to sweep both Pocono races from the pole in a single season.

Hamlin's confident in his crew chief, team, and equipment, and why not. He's fourth in points and although he's not yet won this season, he has six top-fives and eight top-10s in 13 starts. He's had three top-fives in his last five races, and over that span is average finish his fifth.

The argument can be made that last season no Cup driver was as good on any track as Hamlin was at Pocono. Chances are real good that his Pennsylvania wins in 2006 were anything but beginner's luck. More likely they were the beginning of a string of highly competitive runs at this challenging track for the driver of the No. 11 Chevrolet.

Other drivers to watch
Tony Stewart, a teammate of Hamlin at Joe Gibbs Racing, is one of the handful of drivers who loves taking a crack at Pocono, which because of its design -- part drag strip, part high-banked oval, part flat track -- is not a favorite of most of those competing in NASCAR's top series.

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The two-time Nextel Cup champion has not yet won this year, but his Pocono resume suggests this could be the week to change that. Stewart won at Pocono in June 2003, and in 16 Cup starts at the tri-oval he has four top-fives and 11 top-10s. Expect the No. 20 Chevrolet to make a strong run at taking the checkered flag on Sunday.

Overshadowed somewhat by Hamlin's 2006 dominance at Pocono was Kurt Busch turning in a pair of second-place finishes. Besides being a strong runner-up twice last season, Busch won at Pocono in July of 2005.

Busch will not be in the same chassis he was in for both Pocono races a year ago. Instead, he'll be in a car that he and his team have growing confidence in after it took the pole at California in its only race of last year and produced a seventh-place result when it ran again at California back in February.

Kevin Harvick has three top-10s in his last four Pocono races. The Richard Childress Racing driver is gaining momentum with each run at the Pennsylvania track. Earlier in his career there wasn't much for Harvick to feel good about at Pocono, but he and his team have turned things around when racing at this venue and they appear to be locked in on what's needed to go fast.

Pocono is a track that Harvick's veteran RCR teammate Jeff Burton enjoys running. He doesn't shy away from the unique challenges presented at this layout. Rather he takes the stance that it's a challenge worth taking on full tilt, and in 26 starts at Pocono, Burton has posted six top-fives and 13 top-10s.

By not getting a car to Victory Lane last week at Dover International Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports had its streak of wins stopped at five. At the Delaware track the best finish by a Hendrick Motorsports driver was ninth by Jeff Gordon. Casey Mears came home 13th, Jimmie Johnson was 15th, and Kyle Busch crossed the checkers 17th.

Hendrick Motorsports should bounce back at Pocono, especially Gordon, who is the all-time leading money winner at the track. The four-time Cup champion has three Pocono wins, 13 top-fives, and 19 top-10s in 27 starts.

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