As New Hampshire steams past us, the NASCAR season heads to Pocono for the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400. With just a handful of races before the playoff chase, the competition and animosity begins to heat up considerably. Who will answer “The Bell”?
Once more, we present the top 16 drivers listed below in our NASCAR online betting odds for the 2022 Championship. This reveals some intriguing things as the NASCAR Pocono picks keep shifting around. It would appear that the youth still served and may keep serving.
| NASCAR 2022 Pocono Numbers |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Kyle Busch | +700 | +720 |
| Denny Hamlin | +800 | +830 |
| Chase Elliott | +800 | +840 |
| Kyle Larson | +800 | +850 |
| Ryan Blaney | +1000 | +1050 |
| Ross Chastain | +1000 | +1050 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +1000 | +1025 |
| Kevin Harvick | +1000 | +1075 |
| William Byron | +1200 | +1225 |
| Joey Logano | +1500 | +1600 |
| Christopher Bell | +1500 | +1600 |
| Kurt Busch | +2000 | +2100 |
| Alex Bowman | +2000 | +2000 |
| Tyler Reddick | +2500 | +2500 |
| Bubba Wallace | +3000 | +3100 |
| Daniel Suarez | +3000 | +3100 |
Kyle Busch is a slight NASCAR Pocono Picks favorite even after last week’s “issues”. Busch, despite two mostly self-inflicted spin-outs managed to get into the top-five before technical difficulties dropped him out of the top ten once more. The Toyota showed a lot of speed last week, especially on the final stage, which surprised many pundits. For example, Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr. were two of the four fastest cars.
With just a handful of races until the “NASCAR Playoff Chase”, the younger Busch stands sixth in the standings after his 12th at New Hampshire. Pocono is a tricky 2.5-mile tri-oval. Many joke it is like driving on a track with five turns. They are not far off. However, the No. 18 Toyota is one of the better drivers on this course. In his last half-dozen races, Busch has five top-ten’s, four top-five’s and two victories.
Also, the Next-Gen car has been an exercise in frustration for Busch but for different reasons than most. In general, the driver just has issues with New Hampshire but normally rides well. The same goes for Pocono but that is where Busch gets the results. According to Driver Averages, he has an average finishing position of 9.3 since 2019 and has led 197 laps (22.9%). Those laps led lead all current active drivers.
The big thing at VegasBetting, we suggest is to take even some unexpected things into account. The amount of cautions at Pocono expects to be elevated which moved up some odds. Also, there is no “double” this year. Yes, there may be better choices for a top choice. However, Kurt Busch is still a NASCAR Pocono Picks Favorite for good reason. Note, that his value is a little higher than the typical NASCAR race.
It is going to be a fun race where momentum could have value. Could Christopher Bell or another Toyota answer the bell on Sunday? This is a two to three race sequence where Bell excels. He did two years ago and many remember his battle with Kyle Larson at Pocono where Bell arguably had the better car. It showed that the No. 20 car could keep up with the “big boys” and flat out race.
So, last week, Christopher Bell came up with the goods and won the Ambetter 301 in New Hampshire. That was another track where Bell excelled. The only problem was he had a myriad of issues. The same familiar theme exists for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver going into Pocono. Remember, this race is only 160 laps (400 miles), the speed of this event is deceiving.
Again, Bell is the type of driver who could get things moving. He just has to avoid incidents and pesky car issues. Those car issues have derailed his last few attempts on the Pocono course despite having one of the best cars early on each time. Toyota established excellent speed all throughout Sunday and that momentum may continue. Denny Hamlin (+800), Martin Truex Jr. (+1025), and even Bubba Wallace (+3100) have to be considered.
Speed intervals were that good with the engine. It all boils down to the pits. With all that said, the NASCAR Pocono Picks says Christopher Bell has a shot.
Again, Aric Almirola had some prophetic advice heading into Pocono this week. The Ford driver is one of the better people to ask for this track and New Hampshire are ones he thrives usually. It was intriguing when one takes momentum, the “tricky triangle”, and urgency into the equation.
Drivers like Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe also noted that conditions figure to be different when compared to Spring testing. Furthermore, a week of 90-plus degree temperatures could set up for a “Stormy Sunday”. Conditions will need to be monitored. It is why there is one old risk to consider.
Ryan Blaney carries a lot of Ford hopes but the real contender may just be Kevin Harvick. That’s correct. Harvick has been knocking on the door for some time. He is ninth in the points now and rising. Harvick also has five top-tens in the last six races, has a win, and three top-five results. He ran out of time both races last year but in 2020, won and placed second. Harvick is a good NASCAR Pocono Picks choice for this Sunday.
Can anyone else contend now? With William Byron and Joey Logano so invisible lately, watch one of them pull a Houdini this Sunday. Again, a Chevy can sneak in. People forget Kyle Larson led one of the Pocono races until he blew a tire. Tire wear may be a bit more of an issue than usual unless the rains come.
Take Kevin Harvick to pass Christopher Bell to win at Pocono this time around. That is our NASCAR Pocono Picks.
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