It may have taken him 50 tries, but Denny Hamlin was finally able to get back to victory lane on Monday at Pocono. He did it with sorrow in his heart.
Hamlin's grandmother Thelma Clark had passed away at the age of 91 a week before the Pennsylvania 500, which was pushed back to Monday after getting rained out originally. It was a heartwarming story, but not everyone was happy with Hamlin's third win at Pocono.
David Reutimann saw his chances for making The Chase all but disappear when Hamlin bumped him when trying to get back to the front of the pack after a late pit stop. Reutimann, who was running ninth, was bumped by Hamlin and crashed into teammate Marcos Ambrose. Reutimann ended up finishing 29th and dropped from 13th to 16th in the standings.
It was one the better races at Pocono as Hamlin had to hold off a hard-charging Juan Pablo Montoya the final few laps before taking the checkered flag.
The Sprint Cup series stays in the Northeast this weekend and moves to Watkins Glen International for the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen.
Watkins Glen is the second of two road races that The Cup series will travel to this season and is easily the most unique track left on the schedule. The Glen is 2.45 miles long and features 11 turns, breaking zones, passing zones and changes in elevation. Pit strategy is one of the most important factors in determining a winner at road courses like Watkins Glen as there are few spots on the track where drivers can pass each other.
Last year, Kyle Busch won the pole and led 52 of 90 laps en route to a sweep of the road course races in 2008. Expect him to be back near the front this time as well as he'll need a good showing if he wants to make The Chase, which is only five races away.
This is an important race in determining the final few spots in The Chase and those drivers near that 12th place cut-off are really going to be looking for a good result this weekend. Road course specialists are certainly worth taking a look at as well.
Tier 1 Start -- Tony Stewart
Last week I went with Tony Stewart to pick up a win at Pocono. That plan was foiled when Stewart wrecked in practice and started in the back of the pack, ending up in 12th place. He is easily the favorite heading into this weekend's race as he has won the event four times and came in second twice. He has three wins and two runner-up finishes in his last five starts at Watkins Glen, making him the most dominant force of any current driver at the track. If you've already used Stewart twice in Segment 2, then take a chance on Kyle Busch, who is looking to repeat.
Others to consider: Kyle Busch; Jeff Gordon
Tier 1 Sit -- Kurt Busch
Unlike his brother Kyle, Kurt Busch has had minimal success at The Glen over the years. He has never finished better than 10th, which he has done twice, and has an average finish of 21.4 in eight career races. He is currently sitting in fourth in the point standings and has no real incentive to give an all-out performance this weekend.
Others to avoid: Matt Kenseth; Ryan Newman
Tier 2 Start -- Juan Pablo Montoya
Montoya has been red hot the past two months and in particular the past two weeks. He likely would have won two weeks ago at The Brickyard had he not been penalized for speeding twice on pit row. He followed that up with a second place performance at Pocono last week. Montoya finished fourth at Watkins Glen last season and another top-five finish is highly probable as he gears up for what will likely be his first Chase.
Others to consider: Carl Edwards; Clint Bowyer
Tier 2 Sit -- Greg Biffle
Biffle has all the incentive in the world to have a strong finish at The Glen this weekend but he could find himself on the outside looking in come Monday. He has an average finish of 28.7 in his career at Watkins Glen, finishing 30th or worse in four of his six career starts there. He took 28th at Infineon earlier this season as well, so don't count on him in the second road race of the season.
Others to avoid: David Reutimann; Jeff Burton
Tier 3 Start -- Marcos Ambrose
I like Ambrose to win this weekend's race at The Glen. Ambrose started dead last in 2008 before creeping up to third place last season, so imagine what he could do if he has a respectable qualifying time this year. He also took third at Infineon earlier in the season. Unless you've already used Ambrose twice in Segment 2, there's no reason to look in any other direction.
Others to consider: Martin Truex, Jr.; Kevin Harvick
Tier 3 Sit -- Brian Vickers
Vickers has been hot lately, finishing in the top 10 in four straight races. However, that streak will almost certainly come to an end this weekend at Watkins Glen. He has only one top-10 finish there in five career races with an average finish of 22.6. Don't jump on Vickers' bandwagon this week, although I do like his chances at making The Chase as he currently sits in 14th in the standings.
Others to avoid: Dale Earnhardt, Jr.; Joey Logano
Tier 4 Start -- Sam Hornish, Jr.
Hornish is coming off of his first career top-five finish last week at Pocono and carries some momentum into this weekend's road race. He finished a disappointing 32nd at Watkins Glen in 2008 but has plenty of road course experience as a former open-wheel driver.
Others to consider: Elliott Sadler; A.J. Allmendinger
Tier 4 Sit -- Michael Waltrip
Waltrip has not had too much success at Watkins Glen lately. He has finished outside of the top 35 in each of his last three races, skipping the event in 2007. He does have a respectable average finish of 22nd, but his recent results are too bad to ignore.
Others to avoid: Reed Sorenson; David Ragan
Tier 5 Start -- Robby Gordon
R. Gordon has had great success at The Glen over the years. He has finished in the top 10 in five of his eight career starts there and won the race in 2006. It's hard to find past champions at any track in Tier 5, so take advantage of Gordon's solid numbers at The Glen this week.
Others to consider: Joe Nemechek; John Andretti
Tier 5 Sit -- Dave Blaney
Blaney would like to wipe Watkins Glen off the schedule. In nine career races, his best finish is 18th, finishing 34th or worse in each of his last four tries. There's no reason to think he'll have much success this year either, so don't even think about starting him in Tier 5 this week.
Others to avoid: David Gilliland; Scott Speed
Ian's Starting Five
Tier 1 -- Tony Stewart
Tier 2 -- Juan Pablo Montoya
Tier 3 -- Marcos Ambrose
Tier 4 -- Sam Hornish, Jr.
Tier 5 -- Robby Gordon
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