After having to survive the Monster, the Sprint Cup Series heads to the Pocono Raceway, nestled in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. This track presents it's own challenge, with three distinct corners with different bankings and angles, which the drivers will have to negotiate for 500 miles.

1. Kyle Busch



Busch earned his fourth win of the year at Dover, spanking the field during the second half of the race and running away with the victory. Busch's point lead is now 142 points over Jeff Burton, almost a full race. Busch's average finish is only 16.2 at Pocono, but it's almost certain that Busch will be a driver to beat.

2. Greg Biffle

Biffle continues to be one of the only drivers who can challenge Busch, as he led the most laps at Dover before experiencing electrical issues. Biffle still managed to come home 3rd, his second consecutive top-3 finish, allowing him to climb from 11th to 5th in points. However, Biffle hasn't been able to get his hands around Pocono in the past, with only two top-10's in ten career starts, and a best finish of 23rd in the past three races.

3. Carl Edwards

Carl Edwards ran up front most of the day at Dover, but lost the lead on the final round of pit stops and had to settle for a second place finish. However, Edwards should again contend for the win at Pocono. In 2005, Edwards earned Jack Roush's first win at the track. However, Edwards hasn't finished in the top-10 at Pocono since his rookie season.

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt Jr.'s chances of winning were over less than 20 miles into the race when he got involved in the big crash on lap 18. Earnhardt rode around the track for the remainder of the race, finishing 13 laps down. Last year Jr. started from the pole and finished 2nd in the second race here.

5. Jeff Burton



Burton continues to reel off top-10 after top-10, coming from 38th to finish 8th. Burton finished the race a lap down though, the first time he failed to complete every lap of a race this year. Regardless, Burton and his crew are finding ways to get top-10's every week, and you can count on him doing just that again this weekend at Pocono.

6. Jeff Gordon

Gordon started in the top-10 and kept it there most of the day, finishing the day in a solid 5th, his third consecutive top-5. Gordon's recent recovery from early season woes has allowed him to advance to 6th in points, and he may continue to improve at Pocono, where he finished 1st and 4th last year.

7. Matt Kenseth

Kenseth is also recovering from early struggles, as he earned his 3rd straight finish of 6th or better, finishing the race 4th. Kenseth is now just 95 points out of 12th in the standings with 13 races left. The key to making the chase for Kenseth is consistency, and at Pocono he has an average finish of 14.8.

8. Tony Stewart



Stewart was also involved in that big crash on lap 18, and after a long day finished a miserable 41st, and is now just 11th in points. Pocono is a good place for Stewart to get things back on track though, where he won in 2003 and has 13 top-10's in 18 starts.

9. David Ragan



Ragan has been solid recently, as he earned his 4th top-15 in the past five races at Dover. He now sits just 8 points outside the top-12, and if he keeps running as well as he has he'll pass the drivers in front of him who are struggling. Pocono is going to be a challenge for Ragan, however, where he finished outside the top-20 in both starts last year.

10. Jimmie Johnson



Johnson bounced back from his blown engine at Charlotte to finish 7th at Dover, recovering from an early speeding penalty. Johnson now sits 7th in points heading to Pocono, a track that he won both races at in 2004.



Other Notables:


11. Juan Pablo Montoya- Juan ran a good race at Dover and finished in the top-dozen, finishing 12th.

12. Martin Truex Jr.- Martin fought the car all day and was able to wrestle his way to a sixth place finish, his 4th top-10 this season. Truex is another driver just outside the top-12.

13. Dave Blaney- Blaney ran well all day long and was rewarded with a 9th place finish. With a little bit of improvement at Bill Davis Racing, Blaney could find himself contending for wins.

14. Ryan Newman- Newman had a solid finish at Dover, ending the day in the 14th position. The Daytona 500 winner is just 29 points behind 12th place.

15. Denny Hamlin- Hamlin left many witnesses wondering what he was thinking when he piled into the lap 18 crash at full speed. He'll have to put that behind him though when he returns to the track where he earned his first two victories.