Drivers to avoid in the Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR
Marcos Ambrose – Marcos Ambrose should be better at Pocono but his record is what it is. In his first race he finished 6th and then he followed it up with four straight finishes of 30th or worse. Last August he had his best race since 2009 (finished 20th, 19th place average running position). Out of all the drivers who I rank on a weekly basis Ambrose has the worst average finish at Pocono (27.2). (Yahoo! B Driver)
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Jamie McMurray – Pocono has long been a tough track for McMurray. In eighteen races he’s only finished in the top ten three times and has never finished in the top five. His best finish is a lowly 9th (2004 & 2008). Another unimpressive stat of his is that he’s only led 3 laps. Currently McMurray has a five race streak of finishing outside the top 20 at Pocono. In April Jamie McMurray tested on the new surface at Pocono. (Yahoo! B Driver)
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Regan Smith – Don’t look for much out of Regan Smith at Long Pond Pennsylvania. His best finish is 15th and his 23.0 average finish is spot on. Based on what we’ve seen from him this season a mid teens performance is the best case scenario. The likely scenario is a finish in the twenties. Last season at Pocono Smith had a 18th place average finish and a 19th place average running position. I think he’s taken a step back this year so don’t get your hopes up to much. (Yahoo! B Driver)
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Bobby Labonte – A little more than a decade ago Bobby Labonte was money in the bank at Pocono. Between 1999 and 2001 he won three races and had a 5th place average finish. He certainly isn’t a safe bet anymore. He now has a seven race streak of finishing outside the top 25. His last Pocono top ten finish was back in 2006. His last Pocono top ten start was back in 2005. I think Labonte is a lock for a finish in the 20′s or worse. I don’t see any sleeper potential associated with him this week. (Yahoo! C Driver)
David Ragan – David Ragan has had Mid Pack Projection performances at Pocono but ultimately his equipment ranks his as a driver to avoid. In two out of his last three Pocono races he’s come home with finishes of 14th and 17th. Once again though the bottom line about Ragan is look for him to finish just ahead of the start and parkers. With the exception of his 7th place finish at Talladega all of his other finishes this season have been 21st or worse. (Yahoo! C Driver)
Kurt Busch – Last year at Pocono Kurt Busch finished 2nd and 3rd. Other notable 2011 Pocono achievements are that he had the best average starting position (3.0), best average running position (3.5), best driver rating (126.6), and led the second most laps (75). Kurt Busch knows how to get the job done at Pocono but I think the repave will be an added difficulty for him this week on top of Finch’s normal deficiencies. I do think a 11th through 20th place finish is achievable though. If you pick him you’re not paying attention. (Yahoo! B Driver)
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Top Tier Elite > Front Runners > Mid Pack Projections > Drivers To Avoid
