Pocono The Great American Getaway 400 Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Rankings / Post Practice Predictions

On Sunday, NASCAR will be racing at Pocono for The Great American Getaway 400! Pocono is a big 2.5-mile flat track where horse power is king but pit strategy rules the day. These races are often run backwards, so teams make as few pit stops as possible to position themselves to be up front at the end (AKA, track position race).

On Saturday, practice was held for Pocono. Teams had 25 minutes, and keep in mind teams have different agenda’s Make sure you check out our Pocono Practice Notes, Pocono 5,10,15 and 20 Lap Average Speed Cheat Sheet, Pocono Group Speed Rankings and Pocono Practice Speeds and 10-Lap Averages.

Here’s the Pocono Qualifying Results/ Starting Lineup. 

1) Denny Hamlin
Start 1st / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – High
Pocono Outlook – Denny Hamlin is the premiere performer at Pocono and on Sunday in The Great American Getaway 400, look for Hamlin to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win. Hamlin’s the winningest Pocono driver in NASCAR history (7-wins), and if you give him 2022 back where he won but got DQ’ed, then he has 8-wins, is 2 for 3 at winning in the Next Gen and would have a 1.3 Next Gen Average Finish. Also in the Next Gen, Hamlin has the best Total Speed Ranking, the best Driver Rating and the best Average Running Position. Last year, Hamlin finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, had a race best 5.0 average running position, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating, led 31 laps and then finished 2nd overall. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 3rd for Speed Late In A Run. In 2023, Hamlin had a hot rod and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Hamlin finished 3rd in Stage #1, finished 4th in Stage #2, had the 3rd best average running position (8.3), had the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking and of course finished 1st. In 2022, Hamlin crossed the finish line 1st but NASCAR DQ’ed him in post-race inspection, leading to his 35th. In the race, Hamlin had a 6.1 average running position, led 21 laps and had the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking. In practice, Hamlin had good speed over the course of a run.
DraftKings $11,000/ FanDuel $14,000

Pocono Further Recommended Reading = Pocono Projected Finish Ranges, DraftKings Pocono Scoring Projections, FanDuel Pocono Scoring Projections, Pocono Quick Rankings

2) Ryan Blaney
Start 20th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium
Pocono Outlook – 2-time and Defending Pocono winner, Ryan Blaney will be tough to beat in The Great American Getaway 400. Blaney always shows up with elite speed here and over the last five Pocono races, you could argue he’s been top 6 good, despite what you see in the results column. Last year, Blaney smoked the field in closing time, having the fastest car on the track over the last quarter of the race and raced his way to victory lane. In addition to finishing 1st, Blaney led 44 laps, earned the best Driver Rating and had the 2nd best Average Running Position. In terms of speed stats, Blaney had the fastest car late in a run and ranked 2nd in terms of Total Speed Rankings. In 2023, Blaney was a top five contender but finished an asterisk mark 30th. In the race, Blaney started 14th, finished 8th in Stage #2, led 2 laps, was in 2nd on lap 101 but then Blaney had drive train issues and rapidly dropped back which doomed his afternoon. In segment #2 prior to his issue, Blaney had the 2nd fastest car on the track. In 2022, Blaney was top five good once again but finished 33rd. In the race, Blaney finished 4th in Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, led 7 laps but then in the last Stage, Blaney had multiple problems. On lap 107 while running in 5th, Blaney had a flat tire. Then later on lap 136 while he was way back in 30th, Blaney crashed. In Group 2, Blaney had the 2nd best 10-lap average and the best 15-lap average.
DraftKings $10,700/ FanDuel $13,500

3) Tyler Reddick
Start 8th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium
Pocono Outlook – In the Next Gen at Pocono, Tyler Reddick has been elite and over the last three races, Reddick has the best average finish (3.3), the 3rd best Next Gen Speed Ranking and the 3rd best Driver Rating. Reddick’s also been one of the safest options in the Next Gen, having a result in the top 6 every race and being one of just two drivers who are 3 for 3 at finishing in the top ten. Last year, Reddick had a strong showing. In the race, Reddick finished 3rd in Stage #1, 10th in Stage #2, had the 9th best Total Speed Ranking and then finished 6th overall. In 2023, the #45 was stout. In the race, Reddick started 7th, finished 4th in Stage #1, finished 6th in Stage #2, earned the 5th best Driver Rating and then finished 2nd when the checkered flag waved. In terms of speed analytics, Reddick ranked 2nd for Speed Late In A Run and ranked 4th for Total Speed Rankings. In 2022, Reddick once again finished runner-up but take note, it did take Hamlin and Busch DQ’s for that to happen.
DraftKings $9,900/ FanDuel $11,500

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