Yahoo Sports NASCAR.com's 36 for 36 picks for Pocono
NASCAR.com‘s 36 for 36 continues at Pocono Raceway.
With 36 races and 36 full-time Charter cars, our players select one car per race, but there‘s a simple twist: once they‘ve made the pick, they can‘t choose that car again for the rest of the 36-race season. Yes, that means every car will be selected exactly once … a survivor pool, by another name.
Follow along weekly as our panel of pickers — Dustin Albino from Jayski, along with Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson from NASCAR.com — embarks on a season-long journey to think like strategists and prove their picking prowess.
We‘ll also feature a fourth “community” 36 for 36 pick each week, as decided by fan vote on the r/NASCAR subreddit. Can the collective vote topple our trio of full-timers?
Current Standings:
Steve Luvender: 506
r/NASCAR Community: -56
Dustin Albino: -61
Cameron Richardson: -88
Race 21 of 36: Pocono
Few could have guessed defending Chicago Street Race winner Shane van Gisbergen would exit early last week due to crash damage, but that‘s exactly what happened. The incident was bad news for three of our four pickers who put in the No. 16: Dustin Albino, Cameron Richardson and the r/NASCAR community picked up just 11 points after SVG‘s misfortune. Steve Luvender extended his points lead courtesy of Michael McDowell, who wheeled the No. 34 Ford to a fifth-place finish.
Pocono Raceway is the next stop for the Cup Series, and our pickers are starting to feel a midsummer strain — 20 drivers have already been crossed off their boards, yet the playoffs await later in the season, where players might want to hang on to the strongest drivers. Factor in the uniqueness of the “Tricky Triangle” and the fact that four different drivers have won the last four Pocono races, and you‘ve got a recipe for some interesting and highly strategic picks.
Jayski‘s Dustin Albino: No. 43, Erik Jones
Dustin‘s pick last week: No. 16, Shane van Gisbergen (11 points)
Total season points: 445 (third place)
Dustin: Chicago left me with another week of misery after Shane van Gisbergen was an innocent bystander of Chase Briscoe spinning into the Turn 6 tire barriers. Thankfully, SVG won the opening stage to give me some semblance of points. My hands are tied a bit this week, however, after unloading several big names over the last month and a half. Let‘s go with Jones and the No. 43 team for Pocono. During his Cup career, Jones has eight top-10 finishes in 12 starts at the “Tricky Triangle,” including a pair of ninth-place efforts in each of the last two seasons.
NASCAR.com‘s Steve Luvender: No. 31, Daniel Hemric
Steve‘s pick last week: No. 34, Michael McDowell (32 points)
Total season points: 506 (first place)
Steve: Shane van Gisbergen‘s Chicago misfortune turned into a solid points day for me, considering my fellow pickers went with SVG while I went with fifth-place finisher Michael McDowell. Pocono is a tricky one, as its nickname suggests — not only for drivers, but for the 36 for 36 game. I‘m choosing Daniel Hemric for Sunday. It‘s been puzzling to guess when the No. 31 runs well and when they struggle, so I‘m leaning into the unpredictable gamble that last week‘s good points day afforded me. Hemric‘s never finished worse than 13th in two Cup Series starts at Pocono, so this week is as good as any to give the No. 31 a go.
NASCAR.com‘s Cameron Richardson: No. 23, Bubba Wallace
Cameron‘s pick last week: No. 16, Shane van Gisbergen (11 points)
Total season points: 418 (fourth place)
Cameron: Didn‘t I tell you my picks get cursed?? Hopefully, I‘ve got a trick up my sleeve for Pocono with Wallace. Bubba‘s been sneaky good around the triangular 2.5-miler since joining 23XI Racing. He finished fifth in 2021 and followed it up with eighth- and 11th-place results in 2022 and 2023, respectively. This weekend is a must-perform if I‘m to stay in this race for first.
r/NASCAR Community: No. 31, Daniel Hemric
r/NASCAR‘s pick last week: No. 16, Shane van Gisbergen (11 points)
Total season points: 450 (second place)
The r/NASCAR community decided it‘s Daniel Hemric for Pocono — back-to-back Kaulig Racing picks.
From this week‘s voting thread on Reddit:
u/MethodManRedditMan: “It‘s time to deploy this guy.
Hemric Pocono Truck Finishes: 9th; 22nd.
Hemric Pocono Xfinity Finishes: 9th; 3rd; 28th; 6th; 9th; 5th.
Hemric Pocono Cup Finishes: 13th; 7th.
He should run Top 15/Top 20, plus who knows with Pocono lending itself to wacky strategy, and we‘ve seen the 31 team not shy away from taking a gamble. Throw in a chance at a few stage points, and it might just be that Dan‘s the Man at the Tricky Triangle.”
u/ITMAKESSENSE72: “‘He’s carving out a path, welcome to the playoffs Daniel Hemric!‘”
Check back next week to see how our pickers fared as the season-long 36 for 36 journey continues.
And, if you‘ve got a competitive itch beyond meticulously managing your Fantasy Live lineup each week, feel free to save or print your own 36 for 36 sheet and see if you can beat our pickers and the Reddit community!
