Jason Smith / Getty Images for NASCAR

In nine previous starts at Pocono Raceway, Denny Hamlin has four wins, six top-five finishes and seven top 10s.

OPINION

By Brian Brown

updated 1:48 p.m. ET July 28, 2010

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway's 2.5-mile triangle for the 21st race of the 2010 season, the Pennsylvania 500. Brian Brown took a look at past performances and season trends and talked to NASCAR contacts to predict how the field should finish on Sunday.

When
Sunday, August 1, 2010
1:18 p.m. ET

Weather
Showers with a high around 68; wind out of the ESE at 7 mph. There is a 40 percent chance of precipitation.

The Track
Pocono Raceway is a 2.5 mile tri-oval with three completely different banked turns. It has 14-degree banking in turn one, eight-degree banking in turn two and six-degree banking in turn three.

Key to Race: The Pocono Tough Triangle
Pocono has three long straight-aways after each of the turns. This unique configuration forces engines to run at high RPM levels three times on each lap. The increased engine stress and longer than usual length of the race places a premium on brakes and engine durability. Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin (four times) have won the last nine races at Pocono. All six of these drivers are great picks.

Qualifying Procedures
Forty-five cars will attempt to qualify for 43 spots. Cars not in the top 35 in the 2010 owner point standings will have to qualify based on speed. Starting positions 1-43 will be determined by qualifying runs on Friday, July 30 at 3:40 p.m. ET.

Fantasy Cheat Sheet

Top 5
No. 11 Denny Hamlin: Hamlin has been awesome at Pocono during in his career. In nine starts he has four wins, including a win at the track earlier this year.
No. 2 Kurt Busch: Busch won two of the last 10 Pocono races. This is a great opportunity for the No. 2 team to notch another strong finish.
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson: Johnson has finished 15th or better in 15 of his 16 career starts at Pocono. This will be a good chance for him to get his first top-five finish since June's New Hampshire race.
No. 29 Kevin Harvick: Harvick has cracked the top five in five of the last seven races this season and has had past success at Pocono. He should be one of the best cars on the track again this weekend.
No. 14 Tony Stewart: Stewart won June 2009 race at Pocono and has finished in the top 10 in nine of the last 10 races at the track. Smoke will be flying again this weekend.

6 to 10
No. 5 Mark Martin: Martin has finished in the top five in 19 of his 47 career starts at Pocono. We project he will just miss another top-five finish.
No. 99 Carl Edwards: Edwards has been very good at the track the last few races. He is a solid pick this weekend.
No. 24 Jeff Gordon: Gordon has four career victories at Pocono. He should be battling for the lead all day.
No. 39 Ryan Newman: Newman has finished in the top 18 in the past 10 races at Pocono. He will compete for the pole this weekend and should crack the top 10.
No. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya: Montoya finally appeared to figure out Pocono last season. He has driven well on flat tracks and is someone to use this weekend.