Welcome to the Monster Energy Cup Series Preview. I’m Ryan Larkin aka The Warlock and This week we will be looking ahead to the Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway. If you are just finding the DFS Army and are not a VIP member sign up and use code Xfinity to save 20%!! Our DFS Army VIP members get access to the Domination Station and Research Station post qualifying. Also, VIP members get access to our VIP Slack and direct contact to the NASCAR coaches. Come join the best team in NASCAR DFS!
The Monster Energy Cup Series heads to the Tricky Triangle of Pocono Raceway. Since stage racing was implemented in 2017 the on track caution rate has dropped from 8 a race to 3.5 per race. This means we see long green flag runs especially early in the race. Last year both Pocono races only saw 1 caution total before the end of stage 2. Because of this long run speed will be ultra important for pinpointing who the dominator will be. The DFSArmy Research Station is the best place to get this info post practice. Rain is in the forecast for this weekend so be prepared for a potentially rain shortened race or for the race to be moved to Monday morning.
This week is another impound race so it will be best to make lineups post inspection the day of the race. If a team fails inspection their qualifying time will be disallowed and will be scored as starting from the rear.
Quick Facts
Date: June 2nd
Practice 1: Friday 2:05 pm ET.
Practice 2: Friday 4:05 am ET.
Qualifying: Saturday 11:35 am ET.
Race: Sunday 2:00 pm ET.
Laps: 160 Stages: 50/100/160
Drivers: 40
Defending Champion: Martin Truex Jr
AVG. # of Cautions: 6 excluding stage breaks
AVG DNF’s: 5 per race
Lineup Building
Dominator / Top Tier
At only 160 laps Pocono doesn’t offer many dominator points. Lineups should feature 1 or 2 dominators at most. A 1 dominator lineup will need a strong #2 stud who will score decent dom points. Recent trends have seen one driver lead 80+ laps with a second driver leading 20-30 laps. This will come as no surprise but Kyle Busch and Martin Truex have absolutely dominated this track the last few years and based off their current form should be the favorites to do it again.
The level of domination the DFSArmy has experienced this year in NASCAR has been unbelievable. The Army absolutely crushed the Coke 600 last week. Our VIP Slack was filled with winners thanks to the hard work of all the NASCAR coaches. If you aren’t already a part of the winning culture then sign up to become a VIP Member and use code Xfinity to save 20%!!
Mid to Low Tier
The best plays in this area will be determined by who has to start from the back for failing inspection. If for some reason we don’t see many failures then move your focus on recent track history. Pocono’s uniqueness has given certain drivers an edge over the field compared to their normal finishing position. For instance Michael Mcdowell has an average finish of 18th over the last 3 races. Erik Jones is potentially the best play of the group however having finished 8th or better in 3 of his 4 Pocono races while leading 35 laps.
Punts
Hard to say avoid this group after the performances of guys like Corey Lajoie last week but realistically this race will be extremely difficult for the punt level teams to be successful. Out right speed will be king and with top level teams potentially dropping to the back for inspection failures the punts will end up starting higher than normal. If playing both Kyle Busch and Truex who are the highest priced drivers on the slate then you will liekly have to look to this area for some cost cutting.
The DFS Army has been crushing NASCAR contest all year. Get the edge on everyone else and join the DFS Army. When you become a VIP member you get exclusive access to our Research Station and Domination Station. You also get access to our VIP Slack and direct contact to the DFS Army coaches. If you are not already a VIP member sign up and use code Xfinity to save 20%!!
I will be giving my Fanduel Top Plays in a VIP article prior to the race.
I will also answer any questions you may have in the VIP Slack!
This will conclude this edition of The Monster Energy Cup Series Preview. If you would like to reach out and talk NASCAR Follow me on twitter @Larkin8 or of course Become a VIP member and join me as well as our other DFS Army NASCAR contributors (Brady Miller, Taco, and NillyJay) in the NASCAR coaching channels.
