Juan Pablo Montoya leads the Sprint Cup Race at Pocono in August 2012
Photo – Getty Images

Even though it seems the drivers were in Pocono a few weeks ago, it’s time to head back to the tricky triangle for a second go around. June featured another dominant performance by Jimmie Johnson and he is be looking to do the same thing again this weekend after coming so close at Indy last week. The ‘tricks’ Pocono has up its sleeve this weekend could come at any of its three corners. Fans never know what might unfold when the Sprint Cup Series drivers enter the only track with three turns on the circuit, so Sunday’s race will be a good one to watch.

The GoBowling.com 400 is Sunday, August 4, 2013 and the green flag will wave at around 1:19 PM ET. The race will consist of 160 laps and 400 miles. Sunday’s weather forecast looks perfect with partly cloudy skies expected, a high of 72 F, and only a 10% chance of rain. The race is broadcast on ESPN and there is radio coverage by host, MRN.

Jeff Gordon stole the victory last August after rain and storms halted the race. On the last lap before the rain came, Gordon’s teammate Johnson was out front and when he went down into turn one, he slid up into second place Matt Kenseth. That took both drivers out of the lead and Gordon snuck by on the inside to pick up what Johnson and Kenseth lost. The rain came soon after that and all of a sudden, Gordon was sitting in a wild card spot with a win. This race changed a lot last season and it could do the same on Sunday.

August usually heats up the wild card chase and with six legitimate contenders, it’s anyone’s game. With the win at Indy, Ryan Newman put himself in position to possibly win again and move into one of the positions, but he’ll have to make sure a guy like Martin Truex Jr. or Tony Stewart doesn’t do it first.

Wins mean a lot for guys now in the Chase and without them heading into NASCAR’s version of the playoffs; it will be hard to go after the championship. For instance, Clint Bowyer, with a consistent performance all season and now sitting second in the standings; that is good for now, but once Chicagoland comes, it’ll mean he’s back around the tenth position. Of all the drivers, he needs to win and win quickly to keep up his performance throughout the rest of the season.

This weekend’s race is a race of who can beat Jimmie Johnson since five-time won here in June and just finished a strong performance at a track with similarities to Pocono in Indy last weekend. Johnson will be going for the Pocono sweep, which would be his second sweep of the season (Daytona). As at Indy, a late pit stop could hurt the No.48 team so fans will need to watch the race to find out if indeed, the dominator can dominate yet another event in 2013, or slip up late in the event.

Event Schedule

11:30 AM-1:00 PM ET (Friday) Sprint Cup Series Practice, not televised

3:10 PM ET (Friday) Sprint Cup Series Qualifying, televised on SPEED

9:00-9:50 AM ET (Saturday) Sprint Cup Series Practice, not televised

11:30 AM-12:20 PM ET (Saturday) Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, televised on SPEED

1:00 PM ET (Sunday) Sprint Cup Series Race, the GoBowling.com 400, televised on ESPN

Next Race- Cheez-It 355 at the Glen at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York

Entry List via Jayski.com