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NASCAR 2012 Pennsylvania 400 Picks & Predictions    
By ATSSportsline.com

LONG POND, PA (ATS Consultants) - The Sprint Cup Series heads to Long Pond, Pennsylvania for the 21st Cup race of 2012 on Sunday, August 5 at 1pmET for the Pennsylvania 400 from Pocono Raceway.

Last year, Brad Keselowski took the checkered flag but Jimmie Johnson is the favorite to win at 6-1. Keselowski charged past Kyle Busch for the lead just after the fifth and final restart with 16 laps remaining. He then held off Busch at the finish by 0.8 seconds for his second win of the season and third of his Sprint Cup career.

Denny Hamlin 7-1

Hamlin won this race in 2009 and 2006. He also finished fifth the last time he Hamlin has generally raced well at Pocono but last year he finished in 15th place despite starting the race in 4th place at the Pocono Raceway. Hamlin is still the best driver on this track and he should be a contender after his poor result last season.

Greg Biffle 10-1

Greg Biffle still leads the way in the Sprint Cup Series rankings, but only by a single point over Matt Kenseth. He lost an engine here last time around. Don't get too concerned about his 24th place finish. He led 19 laps was inside the top 10 for most of the day before he lost a cylinder. He won this race two years ago and after a strong performance in Indianapolis, he should be a contender in this race.

Live Longshot

Ryan Newman 30-1

The 39 team is officially back. Indianapolis is one of Ryan’s worst tracks and he came in the top 10. Ryan finished 12th at Pocono earlier in the year. He now has three-straight top 10s in Sprint Cup action. He should make that four in a row at Pocono. He ended up 12th here in June but should perform better. Newman's average driver rating of 92.1 over the past five Pocono races is tenth-best in the series.

2012 Pennsylvania 400 Information

Race Date: Sunday, August 5

Location: Pocono Raceway

Start Time: 1pmET

Green Flag: Approx. 1:19PM ET

TV Coverage: ESPN

Radio Coverage: IMS Racing Network (Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

Track Type: 2.5 mile Quad oval 160 laps, 400 miles

Recent Winners

2011: Brad Keselowski
2010: Greg Biffle
2009: Denny Hamlin
2008: Carl Edwards
2007: Kurt Busch

Last year’s top 5

Brad Keselowski
Kyle Busch
Kurt Busch
Jimmie Johnson
Ryan Newman

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