I recently received a speeding ticket on my way to work which ruined my day a little bit. If it cost me anywhere near $223,953, I'm pretty sure I'd be even more upset than Juan Pablo Montoya was on Sunday at the Brickyard.
Montoya was completely dominating this past weekend's race at Indy and en route to what would have easily been the biggest win of his NASCAR career. Instead, he was flagged for twice exceeding the speed limit on pit road with 35 laps to go after building a five-second lead on the competition.
Montoya was understandably upset, swearing on his wife and children over the radio that he in fact was not speeding.
He ended up finishing in 11th place and dropped a spot in the point standings to 10th. If he would have won, he'd have moved up to sixth. He received $224,048 for his 11th place finish. Race winner Jimmie Johnson got $448,001.
Montoya's loss ended up being my gain however as my Tier 1 and Tier 2 drivers ended up finishing 1-2 with Johnson taking the win and Mark Martin coming in second. I feel for Montoya, but it sure feels good to be right now and again.
After the series' lone trip to one of the most historic tracks in all of racing, it moves to one of the most boring ones for the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway.
Pocono is a 2.5-mile triangular tri-oval with three turns that are completely different from each other. That makes it difficult for crews since it is difficult to figure out the correct setup for the car. Fuel mileage, track position and the weather are the three factors of most concern to drivers this weekend.
In the first race at Pocono this season it was Tony Stewart who ended up getting the win after gambling on fuel and holding off a hard-charging Carl Edwards. Look for those two to be back near the front this Sunday as well.
There are only six races left before The Chase, so every race counts even more from here on in.
Tier 1 Start -- Tony Stewart
Stewart won the first race at Pocono earlier this season and finished second in this event last season. He has seen his lead on the competition in the point standings dwindle to 192 points this past week with Johnson's win and he'll want to have a big day on Sunday. Don't be surprised to see a Stewart sweep at Pocono this year.
Others to consider: Jimmie Johnson; Denny Hamlin
Tier 1 Sit -- Kyle Busch
Busch continued his recent run of terrible finishes at Pocono with a less than desirable 22nd-place finish in the first race there this season. That's better than his past two races this season however, finishing 38th and 33rd at Indy and Chicagoland. He has dropped to 14th in the point standings and is now in serious jeopardy of not making The Chase.
Others to avoid: Matt Kenseth; Kurt Busch
Tier 2 Start -- Carl Edwards
Edwards has had some less than impressive results in recent weeks, finishing outside of the top 10 in four of his last five races, including a 15th-place finish at Indy. Edwards won this event last year and finished second in the first race at Pocono this season. He still hasn't won a race, but that's something that could change this weekend at Pocono.
Others to consider: Jeff Burton; Mark Martin
Tier 2 Sit -- Juan Pablo Montoya
Just because Montoya had the best car last week, it doesn't mean that he is the right play this week. Montoya wouldn't be your worst choice in Tier 2, but he does have an average finish there of 24.4, including 40th in this event last year. He could also be overly aggressive after last week's debacle in an attempt to make up for the ground he lost in the standings.
Others to avoid: David Reutimann; Clint Bowyer
Tier 3 Start -- Martin Truex, Jr.
Most of the options in Tier 3 are pretty bad this week, with the exception of Marcos Ambrose, a driver I'm actually recommending as a sit this week. Truex has two top-10 finishes at Pocono in his career and has been in the top 20 in each of his last three races.
Others to consider: Brian Vickers; Kevin Harvick
Tier 3 Sit -- Marcos Ambrose
Ambrose finished sixth in his only career Sprint Cup race at Pocono earlier this year. Ambrose wouldn't be a bad pick this week if you haven't used him yet this segment. However, if you have used him, wait for next week at Watkins Glen where he should really excel.
Others to avoid: Jamie McMurray; Joey Logano
Tier 4 Start -- Elliott Sadler
Sadler had a rough go of it at Indy, finishing only 45 laps due to mechanical problems. He should be in for a bounce back performance at Pocono as he has an average finish of 21st in his career there. Earlier in the year he finished 25th, his second straight start at Pocono in the top 30.
Others to consider: Michael Waltrip; Bobby Labonte
Tier 4 Sit -- Reed Sorenson
Sorenson actually pulled off his best career finish at Pocono back in June, turning in a 20th place result. That does not however excuse him from his average finish of 28.9 in his career at the track.
Others to avoid: David Stremme; David Ragan
Tier 5 Start -- Dave Blaney
I liked Blaney in his first race at Pocono this season and he came up with a 40th place performance. Although I balked initially, I still have to recommend him for this weekend's race as he simply has the best career results there of any Tier 5 driver. I'm not thrilled about it, but Blaney is still the way to go this week.
Others to consider: Joe Nemechek; Robby Gordon
Tier 5 Sit -- David Gilliland
Gilliland had a horrendous finishing average before his first start of the season at Pocono and it only got worse after the June race, finishing 42nd. He has finished 34th or worse in four of his five career starts there, making him a terrible pick for this weekend's race.
Others to avoid: Brad Keselowski; Scott Speed
Ian's Starting Five
Tier 1 -- Tony Stewart
Tier 2 -- Carl Edwards
Tier 3 -- Martin Truex, Jr.
Tier 4 -- Elliott Sadler
Tier 5 -- Dave Blaney
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