Gordon starting 4th..Jimmy starting 1st...Kyle, 27th

well, as i've answered many times before, the hendrick teams, especially that #48 team, would be back. i still think they've been sandbagging a bit to give everyone else a false sense of security, even while they've maintained well within the top twelve.

they're just flexing their muscle now and getting a few bonus points before the chase begins. even jimmie johnson has started with a little "trash talk" of his own about how he and gordon are the favorites as they've been to the winning end of a championship run and kyle hasn't. but they had to do it a first time, and so will he...

as for kyle starting 27th, i wouldn't put a little sandbagging past them now, especially on tracks where they've not done well. as he said slyly earlier today - anything better than 43rd is an improvement... give jimmie and chad a little reason to become complacent right before the chase begins...

;-)

he'll do well. he was moving up fast from the back of the pack last time when he merged into mcmurray without signalling. he'll do fine again. he keeps saying how bad they are at flat tracks, but that's usually what he says just before busting out a top five or a win at someplace they are "bad at." or as he put it today when asked about his qualifying effort - "we just sucked." (go ahead kyle bashers, rip into it - he'll make you eat it later.) just like when they "sucked" at sonoma on friday, then won on sunday...

;-)

and if he doesn't win, i'll get to use the "2" on my counter for races without a cup win. i wonder if it even has a "5" on it as he hasn't gone that long yet this year...

;-)

head games have begun in earnest my friends...

I'm sure not counting out any of the Hendricks drivers or Smoke for that matter. These are guys who've been racing a lot longer than Kyle & usually they don't start making their move until it gets down to the Chase. Look at the consistency from Junior. He's held it in the top 10 all season so far.( Give me the thumbs down...I said Junior.) When push comes to shove, the teams really start showing their strength. There's a lot of the drivers who know it's time to knuckle down and get in the Chase. Right now I'm not counting anyone out. It's show time now! =o`)

We've seen other drivers get off to a hot start the last couple of years but that 48 team doesn't panic. Since the first championship, in 2006, Chad and Jimmie have a confidence that cannot be shaken. Kyle, Carl and the rest of the boys should take notice and realize that you can never count out the 48 team, they have never finished lower than 5th in the standings.

3 STR8 N 08!!!

this is a track Gordon does well at. He is one of the better road course regulars.

As for the person that said Toyota had found a gray area, that isn't true. The issue is that Toyota has a newer engine, which gave them an advantage on horsepower. It wasn't cheating, but it was an unfair advantage. Not everything that happens is cheating, sometimes its Nascars issue. Not letting Ford, Chevy, or Dodge bring in new engines like Toyota is the major issue here.

Hendricks has 3 cars in the top 10. i don't think they are worried to much.

I hate the chase and wish they would ditch it. Its about the worst "playoff" in all sports. It makes the BCS look normal. :)

I think kyle will use the 70 points to his advantage in the chase. and win barely over JR.

I can see Gordon doing a Jimmie this year Consistancy for the first part, get secured into the chase, and then REALLY push. Not sure he'll get the title, I mean Jimmie is always great in the last 10. Having said that, he's done pretty badly for the first few races this year, it'll be an intresting yeare for definate.

Pocono has always been good for Jimmie and Jeff so I'm not surprised they are starting so good. Likewise, this isn't Kyle's best track so his starting 27th isn't a surprise either. That being said, I would love to see Jimmie and Jeff go on a tear for the remaining races! They are my 2 favorite drivers.

Junior is near the front and Kyle isn't. Never count Junior out. And track position is everything at Pocono, so Kyle might have a hard time getting to the front, but I guess you never know...

I'm not counting Junior out, he qualified 12th, but... you've got Kenseth, Kahne, Vickers and Kurt Busch in the top 10, and Denny Hamlin starting 14th... you can't tell me these guys can't pull it together and upset the HMS apple cart. Johnson has something going for him, since he's on the pole, and Pocono is often won from the pole, but, for a change, I'm expecting a pretty interesting race at Pocono this time around.

I'm not worried about Kyle. I've been "feeling" this race for him all week.

Pocono's not great for him, but it's far from his worse track.

It was a Pocono race that he started in the back 38th or 39th and finished 4th, they interviewed him, and I declared myself a fan.

Talladega was always more his achilles heel. And he won, after coming from a lap down.

As far as the HMS boys, I've been waiting. I knew it was coming.

I've been prepared for this surge for months now.

And so has Kyle.

I'm not worried about Kyle at all. When he doesn't win a race he is in a "slump". lol Well I believe he will still be up in the front pack if he doesn't straight out win it.