Pick 'em: Pocono

Hamlin, Gordon only drivers to get more than one vote

By NASCAR.COM
June 7, 2008
09:58 AM EDT

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Each week the staff at NASCAR.COM will pick a race winner, a dark horse for the checkers and the ain't-got-a-chance driver (no scrubs; someone with a Q score).

Our scoring system: Experts receive as many points as the "winner" pick gets in the race.

Pocono 500

Writer	Winner	Here's why ...	Dark Horse	No Chance	Points

Bill Kimm	Tony Stewart	You know it's just a matter of time before he wins and I'm gonna be the one who picks it. Five consecutive top-10s at Pocono and the Gibbs cars are the ones to beat. In the past two years, whenever Stewart finished 35th or worse he returned with a top-10 -- so look for him up front this weekend.	Brian Vickers	David Ragan	1,934
Duane Cross	Denny Hamlin	He's the unsung driver for the sport's best team through 13 races. ... Never mind the fact he can drive Pocono in his sleep and still post a top-five finish.	Brian Vickers	Greg Biffle	1,910
Joe Menzer	Denny Hamlin	Why not? He's won two of the past four races here, and has an average career finish at the place of 2.8. Plus, right now the Joe Gibbs Racing gang of Toyotas are proving tough to beat.	Kurt Busch	Kasey Kahne	1,897
Raygan Swan	Jeff Gordon	He usually does well at the triangular track -- four wins and 15 top-five finishes have to account for something despite the fact he still has yet to find Victory Lane in 2008.	Juan Montoya	Kyle Busch	1,894
Josh Pate	Jimmie Johnson	He set the tone from the time he unloaded, aside from his second starting position. At Pocono, the winner is the one who can master all three unique corners. The one driver who has been able to do that this weekend: Johnson.	Brian Vickers	Greg Biffle	1,892
Dave Rodman	Jeff Gordon	He knows how to win at Pocono, which he's done four times; he's riding a string of three consecutive top-four finishes; and the new car might be a little less of an issue, here. Plus, he has "24 hours of Pocono" to figure it out.	Mark Martin	Greg Biffle	1,730
Mark Aumann	Mark Martin	It may seem strange to choose someone who has never won at Pocono in 42 career starts, but it's also hard to ignore 19 top-five finishes, including six times a runner-up.	Kurt Busch	Greg Biffle	1,715
David Caraviello	Denny Hamlin	Hard to beat two wins and an average finish of 2.75 in four career starts on the big triangle. The dude has never finished worse than sixth there. Bet the house on him, unless it rains. Then take Jeff Gordon.	Kurt Busch	Greg Biffle	1,658
Jarrod Breeze	Carl Edwards	I need a sure thing to get out of the cellar. Only Kyle Busch has more wins than Edwards, but I'm a little wary of a possible weary Busch and what he might have left for 500 miles at Pocono after a full weekend of racing, and traveling.	David Ragan	Elliott Sadler	1,652