(LONG POND, Pa. - August 4, 2012) - Five of the last six Menards Pole Awards presented by Ansell, including the last four consecutive, might have some thinking that Venturini Motorsports is the only team with a true handle on Pocono Raceway.
That's not necessarily true, as the team has just one Pocono race win in that time - Brennan Poole's dominating performance just eight weeks ago, when he led 77 of 80 laps for his third career ARCA victory.
Chris Buescher led the other three laps in that race. Currently a 10-point leader over Poole in the series standings, he won't be too far back, as he'll start third in today's Pennsylvania ARCA 125, airing live on SPEED at 3 p.m.
Other winners in the five races since 2010 include Craig Goess (Eddie Sharp Racing), Robb Brent (Allgaier Motorsports), and Richard Childress Racing teammates Tim George Jr. or Ty Dillon. That variety alone should make some believe that other teams have a shot despite Venturini taking three of the top four qualifying positions for today's 50-lap event.
Still, though, the Venturini cars have led a wealth of laps in those races. Of 319 total laps, the Venturini cars have led 195. The team is the only group to have led in each of the five races.
Poole ran away at Pocono in June, but his strategy for today centers on patience.
"I think for me, I'm just going to take it one lap at a time like we always do," he said. "I think there's going to be a little different strategy played in this race just because it is shorter. I believe it's going to be a one-stop race. It's just going to depend on what everyone's doing with fuel strategy, who may come to pit road early, how many cautions may fall. You never know. Having this distance of a race makes a challenge. You've got to be perfect on your strategy, but at the same time, I think it puts on a heck of a show for the fans and I think it's going to be a cool one for everyone sitting in the stands and watching at home on TV."
ARCA's 50-lap shootout on Pocono's 2.5-mile triangle will begin at 3 p.m. and air live on SPEED. ARCARacing.com will provide live timing and scoring coverage. The event will be the 14th of 20 this season.
