They don’t call it the “Tricky Triange” for nothing. Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania is a headache to figure out for drivers and crew chiefs alike. Which drives struggle at the “Tricky Triangle”?
5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Breakdown: 0 Wins; 0 Top-5s; 0 Top-10s; 14 Laps Led; 22.5 Avg. Finish; 19 Races
By the Numbers: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has led laps before at Pocono, but he has not been able to close the deal with a good run. He has no top-10s at the track, and he has five finishes outside of the top-30. This includes three DNFs at the track.
4. A.J. Allmendinger
Breakdown: 0 Wins; 0 Top-5s; 2 Top-10s; 5 Laps Led; 22.9 Avg. Finish; 22 Races
By the Numbers: Given that A.J. Allmendinger is a great road course racer and Pocono races like a road course, it is surprising that he has not found more success at the track. Even compared to his career statistics, his average finish is below average. He just has not gotten a true handle on the track, and he also caused this massive pileup to end the 2010 June race at the track..
3. Chris Buescher
By the Numbers: 1 Win; 1 Top-5; 2 Top-10s; 21 Laps Led; 20.8 Avg. Finish; 13 Races
Breakdown: Yes, Chris Buescher has a win at Pocono, but it was purely because of a perfectly timed fog bank. Since then, he only has one 10th place finish to his credit with five finishes outside of the top-20. Maybe the newfound speed of RFK Racing can allow him to improve at the track.
2. Ross Chastain
By the Numbers: 0 Wins; 0 Top-5s; 0 Top-10s; 26 Laps Led; 29.7 Avg. Finish; 7 Races
Breakdown: Sure, Ross Chastain raced most of these races in less than stellar equipment. However, he has only one top-25 finish at the track. In his last three races at the track in decent equipment, his finishes are 33rd, 26th, and 32nd, which are just not ideal.
1. Joey Logano
By the Numbers (Last 12 Races): 0 Wins; 0 Top-5s; 4 Top-10s; 67 Laps Led; Avg. Finish 19.9
Breakdown: If this was 2012 or 2015, maybe Logano would be on the drivers who dominate list. Since August of 2016, however, Logano does not have a single top-5 finish at the track. He has not had a DNF at the track during this stretch, but he just has been painfully slow at Pocono.
Maybe some of these guys can turn it around this weekend. One of the most unique race tracks in NASCAR is bound to put together an interesting show.