Micah Roberts’ Sprint Cup Driver Ratings, June 9
Party in the Poconos 400
Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pa.
10 a.m. today, TNT (18); race starts at 10:15
Rating Driver Odds Qualified* Practice 2 Practice 3 Pocono ’12**
1. Jimmie Johnson 5/1 1st 1st 2nd 14th Two-time winner; using sixth-place Texas chassis that won Brickyard and Dover in 2012
2. Carl Edwards 20/1 2nd 2nd 3rd 7th Two-time winner, the last in 2008; had his most impressive practices of the season
3. Tony Stewart 10/1 19th 7th 4th 5th Two-time winner with six top-five finishes in past nine starts; thrives at this time of year
4. Kasey Kahne 7/1 7th 13th 6th 2nd 2008 winner with 16.8 average finish; this chassis led 114 laps as Las Vegas runner-up
5. Kyle Busch 8/1 8th 6th 10th 33rd Two-time runner-up; was best among slow Toyotas in practice (reduced horsepower)
6. Kurt Busch 20/1 20th 3rd 1st 30th Two-time winner, the last in 2007; appears to have a top-three car, and team is on roll
7. Kevin Harvick 15/1 5th 5th 12th 16th Career-best fourth place three times; using 14th-place Bristol chassis
8. Matt Kenseth 5/1 4th 16th 18th 23rd Not best track, with last top-five finish in 2006; should be better than practice suggests
9. Denny Hamlin 5/1 17th 26th 13th 29th Four-time winner, the last in 2010; reduced Toyota horsepower affected him the most
10. Ryan Newman 75/1 23rd 15th 5th 6th 2003 winner with 12.4 average finish; looks just as fast as teammate/owner Stewart
* Starting lineup set by owner points after qualifying rained out. First practice also rained out.
** Results from rain-shortened Pennsylvania 400 on Aug. 5, 2012, the last Cup race run at Pocono Raceway‘s 2.5-mile triangular track
Odds courtesy of LVH
Micah Roberts, a former sports book director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more Roberts insights on the race, go to The Linemakers on SportingNews.com or follow on Twitter: MicahRoberts7.
