NASCAR Pre-race: ESPN - 12:00pm/et

Television Race Coverage: ESPN, 1:00pm/et

In the Booth: Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree
Pit Reporters: Dave Burns, Mike Massaro, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch
NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe, Brad Daugherty, Rusty Wallace, Ray Evernham

SPEED's NASCAR Raceday Pre-Race Show: 10:00 am/et with John Roberts, Kyle Petty, Kenny Wallace

Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times: Wednesday, August 8 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED

TV Listings, Links and Info:
Jayski's TV Listings Page
NASCAR on TV
Race Fan TV

This Week - Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90

motorracingnetwork.com

MRN Live Streaming

Practices:
Friday, August 3, 12:00 - 1:30 pm/et, TV-SPEED

Happy Hour 'Final' practice: Friday, August 3, 3:30 - 5:00pm/et, TV-SPEED

Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-42, Saturday, August 4 at 10:40 am/et, TV-ESPN2, no re-air scheduled.

Track Specifications:
Superspeedway: 2.5 mile tri-oval
Track/Race Length: 2.5 tri-oval, 160 laps, 400 miles
Banking: turn 1: 14 degrees, [tunnel] turn 2: 8 degree, turn 3: 6 degrees;
Straights: Front - 3740 feet;
  Long Pond (between turns 1 and 2) - 3055 feet;
  North(between turns 2 and 3) - 1780 feet
Grandstand Seating: 100,000
Pit Road Speed: 55mph
Pace Car Speed: 65mph
Opened: 1974

Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: Flight 93 Family Member
Command to start engines: Flight 93 Family Members
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: TBA
Invocation: Rev. Mike Salnicky
National Anthem: Alex Boyd
Military Flyover: Heritage Air Force Foundation P-51 Mustang; F-16 - Shaw Air Force Base, Sumter, SC

Track Websites:
Pococo Raceway
Pocono Raceway - Facebook
Pocono Raceway - Twitter
Pocono's Best

June 2012: see my Pocono Race Info page

August 2011: see my Pocono Race Info page

June 2012 Pole Sitter: #20-Joey Logano, 179.598mph, finished 1st

August 2011 Pole Sitter: #20-Joey Logano, 172.055mph, finished 26th

Track Qualifying Record: Joey Logano, June 2012, 179.598mph

Oldest Pole Winner: David Pearson, 49 years, 5 months, 19 days, 6/10/1984

Youngest Pole Winner: Joey Logano, 21 years, 2 months, 13 days, 8/6/2011

Pole Winners: 36

June 2012 Race Winner: #20-Joey Logano, 131.004mph, started 1st

August 2011 Race Winner: #2-Brad Keselowski, 137.876mph, started 13th

Oldest Winner: Harry Gant, 50 years, 5 months, 7 days, 6/17/1990

Youngest Winner: Joey Logano, 22 years, 0 months, 7 days, 6/10/2012

1st Race Record: Alan Kulwicki, June 1992, 144.023mph

2nd Race Record: Rusty Wallace, July 1996, 144.892

Slowest Race Record: Jimmie Johnson, June 2004, 112.129mph

Worst Starting Spot to Win: Carl Edwards, June 2005, started 29th

The numbers for the Pennsylvania 400:
1 - fewest cautions (7/30/78)
2 - fewest on lead lap at finish (twice, most recent 6/6/82)
3 - fewest caution laps (7/30/78)
4 - races won from outside a top-20 starting position
4 - fewest leaders (twice, most recent 6/9/85)
4 - fewest laps led by race winner (Bobby Labonte, 7/29/01)
5 - most wins (Jeff Gordon, Bill Elliott)
5 - most poles (Bill Elliott, Ken Schrader)
10 - number of jet dryers available for track drying this weekend
10 - fewest lead changes (7/26/98)
12 - wins by car owner (Rick Hendrick)
13 - most cautions (twice, most recent 7/24/05)
17 - drivers with more than one pole
16 - most leaders (three times, most recent 6/13/04)
18 - fewest cars running at finish (7/25/82)
20 - drivers with more than one win
23 - wins from the front row; 13 from the pole
29 - worst starting position for race winner (Carl Edwards, 6/12/05)
31 - different race winners
36 - most cars on lead lap at finish (6/10/07)
38 - different pole winners
42 - most cars running at finish (6/10/07)
56 - most lead changes (7/30/79)
57 - most caution laps (6/13/04)
120 minutes - approximate amount of time it takes to dry the 2.5-mile track
175 - most laps led by race winner (Kurt Busch, 8/5/07)
2012 Caution Update
1 - fewest cautions this season (Fontana)
5 - races extended beyond scheduled distance (Daytona1, Martinsville, Talladega, Darlington and Sonoma)
10 - most cautions this season (Daytona1)
108 - cautions in the first 20 races of 2012; includes 47 for accidents, 32 for debris and 12 for spins
566 of 5,648 - laps under caution in 2012
838.371 of 7,774.956 - miles under caution in the first 20 races
(Darnell Communications for SRT Motorsports and Dodge)(8-2-2012)

Facts and Notes at Pocono Raceway: · Opened in 1968 as a three-quarter-mile track, Pocono Raceway held the first race on the 2.5-mile track in 1971.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was in 1974.
· The 2.5-mile track was repaved during the fall of 2011.
· There have been 69 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono Raceway.
· There was one race from 1974 through 1981, and two per year since.
· This season will mark the first time the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Pocono will be scheduled for 400 miles. Prior to 2012 all NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races were 500 miles at Pocono Raceway.
· Buddy Baker won the first pole.
· There have been 38 different pole winners, including David Pearson who won the pole there in June 1984 but did not race; 17 drivers have more than one pole there.
· The pole has been swept just three times: Bill Elliott (1985), Ken Schrader (1993) and Denny Hamlin (2006).
· Richard Petty won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono.
· 31 different drivers have won races at Pocono, led by Bill Elliott and Jeff Gordon, each with five victories; 20 drivers have won more than once there.
· There have been six season sweeps at Pocono, the last by Denny Hamlin in 2006.
· Bobby Allison (1982, '83) and Tim Richmond (1986, '87) each won three consecutive races at Pocono.
· 48 of 69 Pocono races have been won from a top-10 start.
· The June 2005 race was won by Carl Edwards from the 29th starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started.
· 14 of 69 races have been won from the pole, Bill Elliott (1985, 2002) and Denny Hamlin (2006 sweep) are the only drivers to have done it twice. Joey Logano is the most recent driver to win from the pole earlier this season.
· Rick Hendrick leads all car owners with 12 Pocono victories.
· Mark Martin leads all drivers in top fives (20) and top 10s (34), but has yet to win at Pocono. His best finish was second, seven times (most recently last June). In June, Martin set the record for most runner-up finishes at a track without winning.
· Jimmie Johnson (8.7) and Denny Hamlin (9.3) are the only active drivers to average a top 10.(NASCAR)(7-31-2012)

For news, stats, records and more about this race track, see: Jayski's Pocono Raceway Track News/Rumors/Links page

Jeff Gordon wins at Pocono: #24-Jeff Gordon won the Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway for his 1st win of the year, his 6th at Pocono, and 86th career win. The race started nearly two hours late and was called on lap 99 when rain returned.
#5-Kahne, who stayed on track under caution with a flat tire, finished 2nd followed by #56-Truex, Jr, #2-Keselowski, #14-Stewart, #39-Newman, #99-Edwards, #15-Bowyer, #78-Smith, and #9-Ambrose.
#48-Johnson led the most laps on the day, but got loose going into turn one on the lap 91 restart and slid up into #17-Kenseth. Johnson finsihed 14th. Points leader #88-Earnhardt, Jr. had transmission problems and finished 32nd but held onto the points lead by 5 over #17-Kenseth. Earnhardt, Jr. failed to finish on the lead lap for the first time this year.
Pole sitter #42-Montoya finished 20th.
There were only 3 cautions for 14 yellow flag laps. There were 13 lead changes among 10 drivers. The average speed was 139.249mph.
The estimated attendence was 85,000, the same as the second race of 2011 and down from 100,000 for the first race of this season.
See race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Pocono Race Results page (pdf) and the official race and points rundown on the Official Race Report.(8-5-2012)

Race Fast Facts - Pocono:
Jeff Gordon won the 39th Annual Pennsylvania 400, his 86th victory in 674 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. Gordon is third on the all-time series wins list.
This is his first victory and ninth top-10 finish in 2012.
This is his sixth victory and 28th top-10 finish in 40 races at Pocono Raceway. Gordon takes sole possession of first on the all-time Pocono wins list.
Unofficially, Gordon moves to second in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Wild Card standings.
Kasey Kahne (second) posted his sixth top-10 finish in 18 races at Pocono Raceway. It is his 11th top-10 finish in 2012.
Martin Truex Jr. (third) posted his fifth top-10 finish in 14 races at Pocono Raceway.
(NASCAR Statistics)(8-5-2012)

2012 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Pocono, race 21 of 36]
1) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [1 win], 744
2) #17-Matt Kenseth [1 win], 739, -5
3) #16-Greg Biffle [1 win], 738, -6
4) #48-Jimmie Johnson [3 wins], 736, -8
5) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [0 wins], 694, -50
6) #14-Tony Stewart [3 wins], 691, -53
7) #2-Brad Keselowski [3 wins], 690, -54
8) #11-Denny Hamlin [2 wins], 683, -61
9) #29-Kevin Harvick [0 wins], 681, -63
10) #15-Clint Bowyer [1 wins], 679, -65 (57 pts ahead of 11th)
Current wild card Chase drivers:
WC1) #5-Kasey Kahne [2 wins, 11th in points]
WC2) #24-Jeff Gordon [1 win, 13th in points]
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings (pdf).(8-5-2012)

2012 Sprint Cup Driver Chase Wild-Card Race:
[after Pocono, race 21 of 36]
A look at the race for the two wild-card positions for the Chase based on wins and being inside the top 20 in points.
Driver [wins] standings, behind 10th
first two would make the chase as wild cards:
#5-Kasey Kahne [2 wins] 11th -57 points out of 10th
#24-Jeff Gordon [1 win] 13th -68
eight other drivers currently in the running for the wild cards:
#39-Ryan Newman [1 win] 14th -68
#18-Kyle Busch [1 win] 15th -80
#20-Joey Logano [1 win] 17th -104
#99-Carl Edwards 12th -60
#27-Paul Menard 16th -82
#9-Marcos Ambrose 18th -126
#1-Jamie McMurray 19th -144
#31-Jeff Burton 20th -152
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
The Chase: The top-10 drivers will make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Positions 11 and 12 in the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup are Wild Cards, and will go to drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, as long as they are ranked in the top 20 in points. If multiple drivers outside the top 10 tie for wins, the tie-breaker will go to the race winner with the highest points position.
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings (pdf).(8-5-2012)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Watkins Glen:
#36 remains in 35th and is new 92 points ahead of 36th, the #33 team.
Rank) Car#-Driver/Team, owners pts, +/-
32) #83-Cassill/BK Racing, 311 +128
33) #10-Reutimann-Patrick/Baldwin, 305 +122
34) #32-Schrader/FAS Lane Racing, 294 +111
35) #36-Blaney/Baldwin, 269 +92 ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #33-Leicht/Childress-Falk, 183, -92 from the top 35
37) #21-Bayne/Wood Bros., 161, -114
38) #30-Stremme/Inception, 155, -120
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see the Owners Points Standings (pdf).(8-5-2012)

Pocono Notes-n-Nuggets:
" The race was called after 98 laps due to rain.
" Jeff Gordon earned his 86th Sprint Cup win, third all-time, in his 674th start.
" He hadn't won since September 2011 at Atlanta (31 starts).
" It was Jeff Gordon's sixth win at Pocono, tops among all drivers.
" Jeff Gordon is the 13th driver to win this season.
" It was Jeff Gordon's sixth win in a rain-shortened event; the last time also was at Pocono, in June 2007.
" This is Jeff Gordon's 17th season with at least one win.
" Jeff Gordon led once for eight lap.
" Hendrick Motorsports earned its 206th Cup win. Its seventh victory of 2012 and 13th at Pocono are both most of all teams.
" Chevrolet earned its 26th Pocono win and 11th of 2012, both most of all makes.
" Kasey Kahne (second) got his third top-two finish in the past five races and his best finish at Pocono since his win in June 2008.
" Martin Truex Jr. (third) matched his best Pocono finish (2007); it was his first top-five since finishing fifth in May at Darlington.
" Brad Keselowski (fourth) earned his 11th top-10 finish of 2012.
" Tony Stewart (fifth) got his fifth top-five during the past eight races.
" Dale Earnhardt Jr. (32nd) had his worst finish of 2012 and failed to finish on the lead lap for the first time this season. It broke a streak of 21 lead-lap finishes.
(Racing Recall/nascar.com)(8-5-2012)

Lucky Dogs - Who got a lap back on each caution at Pocono: (and their finish)
Caution 1: none, no one on track a lap or more down.
Caution 2: #42-Montoya, 20th
Caution 3: none, race ended
(8-5-2012)

Race Coverage of the Pennsylvania 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway is scheduled for Sunday, August 5, 2012.
Television (TV): ESPN at 1:00 pm/et; NASCAR Countdown Pre-Race show at 12:00 pm/et; green flag approx 1:18pm/et
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
on SPEED, Wednesday, August 8 at 12:00pm/et

Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Pennsylvania 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway have been made.
Pole sitter #42-Montoya chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #11-Hamlin took pit stall 31, the first pitstall behind the start finish line.
#27-Menard, who starts 3rd took the 25th pit stall.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #51-Busch, who starts 6th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(8-4-2012)

Links to results, practices, qualifying PDF's:
Official Race Report
Race Results
Drivers Points
Owners Points
Pitstalls
Starting Lineup
Qualifying Results
Happy Hour Practice Speeds
Qualifying Order
Practice 1 Speeds
Entry List

NASCAR Green-White-Checkered Race Procedure: NASCAR allows a maximum of three restart attempts prior to the White Flag under NASCAR's Green-White-Checkered flag finish. If the leader has taken the White Flag and the caution flag is displayed, the field is frozen and the race will not be restarted. Previously, there was only one restart attempt. The procedure applies to all three national series. See rule and notes on the Green-White-Checker rule page.

Wave-around rule: The wave-around rule dictates that cars under penalty at the time of the caution are ineligible for the wave around.

See Jayski's - 2012 Sprint Cup Race Results Page for pole winner, race winner with speed and starting/finishing position, links to race results, drivers & owners points, pit stall selections, qualifying results/starting lineup, practice speeds and chase stats as well as link to race track and race information page for each race

Montoya wins pole at Pocono: #42-Juan Pablo Montoya won the pole for the Pennsylvania 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway with a speed of 175.067mph for his 1st pole of 2012 and 8th career pole.
#18-Busch will start 2nd followed by #11-Hamlin, #27-Menard, #5-Kahne, #9-Ambrose, #51-Busch, #17-Kenseth, #88-Earnhardt, Jr., #39-Newman, and #48-Johnson.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #19-Bliss, #23-Riggs, #26-Wise, #37-Yeley, #30-Stremme, #87-Nemechek, #91-Sorenson, #98-Skinner.
The go-or-go homer who failed to qualify for the race (1): #33-Leicht.
See the qualifying order & results, starting lineup, pole progression and more on the Pocono Qualifying Page.(8-4-2012)

Qualifying Fast Facts - Pocono:
Juan Pablo Montoya won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 39th Annual Pennsylvania 400 with a lap of 51.124 seconds, 176.043 mph.
This is his eighth pole in 202 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
Montoya is the 15th different Coors Light Pole winner this season. He is now locked into the 2013 Shootout at Daytona.
This is his first pole and second top-10 start in 2012. His last pole came in April of 2011 at Richmond International Raceway.
This is his first pole in 12 races at Pocono Raceway. His previous best start was second in August of 2010.
Denny Hamlin (second) posted his 12th top-10 start of 2012 and his 12th in 14 races at Pocono Raceway.
Paul Menard (third) posted his fourth top-10 start at Pocono Raceway. It is his fourth in 21 races this season.
(NASCAR Statistics)(8-4-2012)

Coverage of Qualifying for the Pennsylvania 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway is scheduled for Saturday, August 4, 2012 at 10:40am/et.
Television (TV): ESPN2, 10:30am/et
Scheduled Qualifying Re-Air: none

Qualifying Order for the Pennsylvania 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway is posted. 46 cars/drivers are listed.
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #32-White.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #48-Johnson, who was fastest in first practice.
Qualifying order is set by the first practice session, with slowest driver going out by speed and the fastest going out last. The non-top 35 drivers are now mixed in with the top-35 in owners points, slowest to fastest.
See the full qualifying order on the Pocono Qualifying Page.(8-3-2012)

Happy Hour practice: for the Pennsylvania 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway is over after 90 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#88-Earnhardt, Jr. 177.441
#17-Kenseth 176.974
#16-Biffle 176.724
#18-Busch 176.564
#99-Edwards 176.391
slowest: #36-Raines 168.903 & #32-White 168.786.
notes: Jason White has replaced John Wes Townley in the #32. #55-Martin spun off turn 1 but only made slight contact with the wall.
See fastest speeds, laps run, best 10-lap average (if any ran 10 laps in a row) on the Pocono Happy Hour Practice Speeds page (pdf).(8-3-2012)

Go-or-go homers: where did the cars outside the top-35 in owners points practice in Pocono Happy Hour
these drivers would make the race if the things stay the same:
#26-Wise, 21st fastest overall
#19-Bliss, 30th
#30-Stremme, 31st
#87-Nemechek, 33rd
#37-Yeley, 34th
#91-Sorenson, 35th
#23-Riggs, 36th
#98-Skinner, 39th
if things stay the same, this driver would miss the race
#33-Leicht, 40th
(8-3-2012)

First Friday practice: for the Pennsylvania 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway is over after 90 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#48-Johnson 174.290
#18-Busch 173.994
#99-Edwards 173.967
#17-Kenseth 173.950
#16-Biffle 173.772
slowest: #33-Leicht 169.367 & #36-Raines 169.278. no speed: #32-Townley.
#27-Menard broke something at the end of practice and hit the outside wall. He will have to go to a backup car.
This practice will set the order for qualifying, which will be held at 10:40am/et Saturday on ESPN2].
Happy Hour practice is scheduled for 3:30pm/et to 5:00pm/et on SPEED.
See fastest speeds, laps run, best 10-lap average (if any ran 10 laps in a row) on the Pocono Practice 1 Speeds page (pdf).(8-3-2012)

Go-or-go homers: where did the ten cars outside the top-35 in owners points practice at Pocono
these drivers would make the race if the things stay the same:
#26-Wise, 11th fastest overall
#19-Bliss, 16th
#30-Stremme, 30th
#98-Skinner, 32nd
#87-Nemechek, 33rd
#91-Sorenson, 35th
#37-Yeley, 36th
#23-Riggs, 40th
if things stay the same, this driver would miss the race
#33-Leicht, 42nd
(8-3-2012)

Rain Out Procedures: the rain-out qualifying procedure for all three NASCAR national series is as follows: If first practice is run, but qualifying is unable to take place, the starting lineup will be based on speeds from the car's fastest lap from the first practice, with top-35 cars in owner points no longer segregated from the non-top 35 cars. Previously, the top 35 cars lined up in front of all other eligible car owners.

The Entry List for the Pennsylvania 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway is posted, 44 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including:
Notes: John Wes Townley is listed in the #32, but wrecked in practice and Jason White took pover. Tony Raines will drive the #36 for Dave Blaney, Mike Skinner will be in the #98 rather than Michael McDowell. McDowell is running the Nationwide race at Iowa and Blaney will be working with his son Ryan who is driving at Iowa.
Not in top 35 of owners points:
#19-Mike Bliss (45/14)
#23-Scott Riggs (43/19)
#26-Josh Wise (40/20)
#30-David Stremme (38/20)
#33-Stephen Leicht (36/20)
#37-J.J. Yeley (54/6)
#87-Joe Nemechek (42/20)
#91-Reed Sorenson (58/1)
#98-Mike Skinner (41/20)
In the event that qualifying is cancelled:
the eight who would make it [8]: #'s 33,30,26,98,87,23,19,37
missing the race would be [1]: # 91
See the full entry list at my Jayski's Pocono Entry List.(7-31/8-3-2012)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Pocono:
#36 remains in 35th and is new 86 points ahead of 36th, the #33 team.
Rank) Car#-Driver/Team, owners pts, +/-
32) #83-Cassill/BK Racing, 293 +110
33) #10-Reutimann-Patrick/Baldwin, 285 +102
34) #32-Schrader/FAS Lane Racing, 281 +98
35) #36-Blaney/Baldwin, 269 +86 ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #33-Leicht/Childress-Falk, 183, -86 from the top 35
37) #21-Bayne/Wood Bros., 161, -108
38) #30-Stremme/Inception, 145, -124
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see the Owners Points Standings (pdf).(7-29-2012)

2012 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Indianapolis, race 20 of 36]
1) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [1 win], 731
2) #17-Matt Kenseth [1 win], 717, -14
3) #16-Greg Biffle [1 win], 709, -22
4) #48-Jimmie Johnson [3 wins], 704, -27
5) #11-Denny Hamlin [2 wins], 667, -64
6) #29-Kevin Harvick [0 wins], 653, -78
7) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [0 wins], 653, -78
8) #14-Tony Stewart [3 wins], 652, -79
9) #2-Brad Keselowski [3 wins], 649, -82
10) #15-Clint Bowyer [1 wins], 643, -88 (55 pts ahead of 11th)
Current wild card Chase drivers:
WC1) #5-Kasey Kahne [2 wins, 13th in points]
WC2) #18-Kyle Busch [1 win, 11th in points]
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings (pdf).(7-29-2012)

2012 Sprint Cup Driver Chase Wild-Card Race:
[after Indianapolis, race 20 of 36]
A look at the race for the two wild-card positions for the Chase based on wins and being inside the top 20 in points.
Driver [wins] standings, behind 10th
first two would make the chase as wild cards:
#5-Kasey Kahne [2 wins] 13th -64 points out of 10th
#18-Kyle Busch [1 win] 11th -55
eight other drivers currently in the running for the wild cards:
#39-Ryan Newman [1 win] 14th -70
#20-Joey Logano [1 win] 17th -99
#99-Carl Edwards 12th -61
#24-Jeff Gordon 15th -79
#27-Paul Menard 16th -79
#9-Marcos Ambrose 18th -124
#1-Jamie McMurray 19th -135
#31-Jeff Burton 20th -138
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
The Chase: The top-10 drivers will make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Positions 11 and 12 in the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup are Wild Cards, and will go to drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, as long as they are ranked in the top 20 in points. If multiple drivers outside the top 10 tie for wins, the tie-breaker will go to the race winner with the highest points position.
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings (pdf).(7-29-2012)

Chassis selections for the Pennsylvania 400: see the list of many teams and what chassis were selected by the team to run at Pocono Raceway:
MISSING? why are some teams missing? like the #11, #24 or others? those teams do not report what chassis in the race previews or prs.
#1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Allstate team will use Chassis #1106 for Pocono. Chassis #1106 has been raced three times this season: Bristol, finishing seventh, Charlotte for the Sprint Showdown, finishing third, and earlier at Pocono, finishing 10th. This chassis was also raced six times in 2011.
#2-Brad Keselowski: The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-813 during Sunday's Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway. Keselowski last raced this chassis to a second-place finish in the NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Since that race, the car has been updated to the current Penske Racing specification.
#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-724 for Sunday's race at Pocono. Kahne drove this car to Victory Lane in the 600-mile event at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in May. He also raced this car at Michigan International Speedway in June.
#9-Marcos Ambrose: The No. 9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 735 for this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Pocono Raceway. This Stanley Ford was last run this season at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.
#10-David Reutimann: will pilot chassis No. 356, purchased from Richard Childress Racing in the off-season. The Florida native last drove this chassis at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He also drove the chassis at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Dover International Speedway and Kentucky Speedway this season. He had his best showing in the chassis at Kentucky Speedway where he drove from the 38th starting spot to a 23rd-place finish. His best qualifying effort was at Kansas Speedway where he qualified in the 16th spot.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-722: This car debuted in June at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway as Stewart took Chassis No. 14-722 from its 22nd-place starting spot to finish third in the Pocono 400. Prior to Pocono, the car spent numerous hours in the wind tunnel.
#15-Clint Bowyer: Primary Chassis No. 733 started 16th and finished sixth at Pocono in June. Backup chassis No. 721 has served backup duty at multiple races, but has not raced. It served as the backup at Las Vegas, Fontana, Texas, Kansas, Darlington, All-Star, Charlotte, Pocono and Michigan. Chassis No. 721 tested Pocono on June 6 and Michigan on June 14.
#16-Greg Biffle: Primary: RK-803 Last ran Kentucky - finished 21st; Backup: RK-786 Last ran Homestead - finished 35th
#17-Matt Kenseth: Primary: RK-810 (last run at Pocono)
#22-Sam Hornish, Jr.: and his Todd Gordon-led Penske Racing No. 22 Team will be racing their "PRS-827" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger this weekend at Pocono Raceway. This is a new chassis in the "Double-Deuce" team's fleet of Dodge Chargers. The "PRS-819" chassis will serve as the backup Shell-Pennzoil Dodge for this weekend. This was the car that AJ Allmendinger drove to a second-place finish in the April Martinsville race.
#27-Paul Menard: will pilot Chassis No. 384 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 27 Chevrolet was last seen on track at Pocono Raceway in June where Menard started from the third position and drove to a ninth-place finish. The Eau Claire, Wis., native also raced this Chevrolet at Auto Club Speedway in March, finishing 19th after starting from the 27th position in the rain-shortened Auto Club 400.
#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot Chassis No. 396 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built new for competition during the 2012 season, this RCR racer was utilized by Austin Dillon earlier this season at Michigan International Speedway where he captured a 24th-place finish in his 2012 Sprint Cup Series debut.
#31-Jeff Burton: will race chassis No. 385 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Burton has driven this No. 31 Chevrolet three times this season including the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May (started-22nd, finished-19th), Texas Motor Speedway in April (started-24th, finished 29th) and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March (started-22nd, finished 14th).
#39-Ryan Newman: Chassis No. 39-733: After an impressive debut last weekend in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Chassis No. 39-733 will return to the track this weekend at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Newman and his team overcame an ill-handling racecar and used quick pit work to help engineer a run into the top-10.
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: Crew Chief Chris "Shine" Heroy and the No. 42 Target team will travel to Pocono with Chassis #1119. This chassis was used in 2011 at Charlotte, finishing 14th, and Texas finishing 18th. Chassis #1119 raced earlier this year at Fontana where it finished 17th, Texas, finishing 16th and Charlotte for the Sprint Showdown, finishing fifth.
#43-Aric Almirola:: The No. 43 team has prepared chassis No. 752 for Pocono. This car was last on track at Michigan International Speedway in June.
#48-Jimmie Johnson:: Chassis No. 681 serves as the primary for Johnson at Pocono. Chassis No. 669 serves as the backup.
#51-Kurt Busch: Chassis No. 676: This weekend's Pennsylvania 400 will be the second race of the 2012 season for this chassis. This is the same car the No. 51 team used during last weekend's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, where Busch was running in the top-10 prior to issues on pit road and, with engine issues, left with a 36th-place finish. Prior to becoming part of the Phoenix Racing fleet of cars, this chassis was used by the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team.
#55-Mark Martin: Chassis 720 - finished second at Pocono in June. Also ran at Kansas and Las Vegas. Backup - 732 has not raced in 2012.
#88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: This weekend, crew chief Steve Letarte and the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-726. Earnhardt first raced this chassis to an eighth-place finish at Pocono in June.
#99-Carl Edwards: RK-815 - Ran at Pocono (11th) & Darlington (7th)
(from team PR's/sites if reported)(8-3-2012)

Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials (Sprint Cup);
Goodyear Wrangler Speedway Radials (Camping World Truck)

Set limits:
Sprint Cup: 5 sets for practice/qualifying and 10 sets for the race;
Camping World Truck: 6 sets for the event

Number of Tires:
Sprint Cup: Left-side  1,275; Right-side  1,325;
Camping World Truck: Left-side  375; Right-side  375

Tire Codes:
Left-side -- D-4548; Right-side -- D-4520

Tire Circumference:
Left-side -- 87.4 in. (2,220 mm);
Right-side -- 88.3 in. (2,243 mm)

Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 26 psi; Left Rear -- 26 psi;
Right Front -- 36 psi; Right Rear -- 36 psi

Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 17 psi; Left Rear -- 17 psi;
Right Front -- 37 psi; Right Rear -- 34 psi

Notes: Teams in both NASCAR series running at Pocono this weekend will run the same tire codes, though the Sprint Cup tires will be branded "Goodyear Eagle," while the Camping World Truck tires will be branded "Goodyear Wrangler" . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that Sprint Cup teams ran successfully at Pocono in June . . . this is the second NASCAR race weekend since Pocono was resurfaced, and Goodyear held a tire test at the track on April 24-25 . . . teams participating in that test were the No. 1 Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, No. 22 Penske Racing Dodge and No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners on all four tire positions at Pocono . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.