Welcome to our ninth year of staff predictions! Each week, our experts attempt to tell you who the winner of each Cup race will be. Take a look to see who your favorite writers think will win it all (or at least score some points) this week!
Think you can out-prognosticate our staff? Leave your picks in the comments and see how they stack up!
How we roll:
Each driver can be picked only twice each week. We can’t pick the same driver two weeks in a row. And if anyone is daring enough to pick from a pool of higher-risk drivers…well, he or she reaps some serious bonus points!
Prediction Scoring
+5 – Win
+3 – 2nd-5th
+1 – 6th-10th
0 – 11th-20th
-1 – 21st-30th
-2 – 31st-36th
-3 – 37th-40th
*High-risk bonus: Win: +3; 2nd-5th: +2; 6th-10th: +1
High-Risk Drivers—Indianapolis
Brian Scott
Michael McDowell
Matt DiBenedetto
Danica Patrick
Chris Buescher
Aric Almirola
Casey Mears
This week’s predictions: Pennsylvania 400
Amy Henderson, Senior Editor: My pick this week is Martin Truex, Jr. He’s got the same car he dominated Charlotte with, so with a little luck, it should be a good day.
Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer: I don’t get many gut feelings, but I’m going with Jeff Gordon.
Dan Greene, Webmaster: Smoke. He runs well at Pocono usually and has a nice thank you sign at the tunnel exit.
Tony Lumbis, Financial Manager: Hamlin uses his old stomping ground to get his season back on track.
Mark Howell, Senior Writer: Paul Menard for a surprise win.
Jeff Meyer, Sorta-kinda Retired: Smoke for me please.
Huston Ladner, Senior Editor: KyBu.
Jeff Wolfe, Senior Writer: Truex, Jr., too. There; he’s done.
Bryan Gable, Contributor: Chase Elliott.
Clayton Caldwell, Contributor: With how close he came to winning here last time we were here? Chase Elliott.
Dustin Albino, Contributor: Carl Edwards.
Sean Fesko, Staff Writer: Matt Kenseth.
Michael Finley, Contributor: Jeff Gordon in his final start until his next.
Corey Brewer, Contributor: Carl Edwards.
Joseph Wolkin, Assistant Editor: Denny Hamlin.
Danny Peters, Senior Writer: Kurt Busch.
Combat Wounded Coalition 400
| Writer | Pick | Finishing Position | Points |
| Tony Lumbis | Kyle Busch | 1st | 5 |
| Zach Catanzareti | Matt Kenseth | 2nd | 3 |
| Amy Henderson | Jimmie Johnson | 3rd | 3 |
| Clayton Caldwell | Kevin Harvick | 6th | 1 |
| Dustin Albino | Kevin Harvick | 6th | 1 |
| Huston Ladner | Joey Logano | 7th | 1 |
| Corey Brewer | Joey Logano | 7th | 1 |
| Jeff Wolfe | Tony Stewart | 11th | 0 |
| Michael Finley | Tony Stewart | 11th | 0 |
| Joseph Wolkin | Jeff Gordon | 13th | 0 |
| Sean Fesko | Jeff Gordon | 13th | 0 |
| Mark Howell | Chase Elliott | 15th | 0 |
| Dan Greene | Kurt Busch | 16th | 0 |
| Vito Pugliese | Brad Keselowski | 17th | 0 |
| Bryan Gable | Carl Edwards | 35th | -2 |
Standings
| Writer | Points | Behind | Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 |
| Bryan Gable | 33 | — | 18 | 2 | 9 | 13 |
| Jeff Wolfe | 32 | -1 | 20 | 3 | 9 | 12 |
| Dustin Albino | 27 | -6 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 11 |
| Tony Lumbis | 27 | -6 | 19 | 2 | 7 | 10 |
| Clayton Caldwell | 26 | -7 | 19 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| Danny Peters | 24 | -9 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 11 |
| Jeff Meyer | 23 | -10 | 17 | 1 | 7 | 9 |
| Vito Pugliese | 21 | -12 | 20 | 2 | 5 | 12 |
| Dan Greene | 21 | -12 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 12 |
| Jason Schultz | 16 | -17 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 9 |
| Mark Howell | 12 | -21 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Huston Ladner | 13 | -21 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| Amy Henderson | 11 | -22 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| Zach Catanzareti | 11 | -22 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Corey Brewer | 9 | -24 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Aaron Bearden | 8 | -25 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Sean Fesko | 7 | -26 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Phil Allaway | 6 | -27 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Jerry Jordan | 4 | -29 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Mike Neff | 3 | -32 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Tom Bowles | 3 | -30 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Summer Bedgood | 1 | -32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Matt Stallknecht | -1 | -34 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Joseph Wolkin | -2 | -35 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Greg Davis | -2 | -35 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kevin Rutherford | -2 | -35 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Finley | -4 | -37 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
About the author
The Frontstretch Staff is made up of a group of talented men and women spread out all over the United States and Canada. Residing in 15 states throughout the country, plus Ontario, and widely ranging in age, the staff showcases a wide variety of diverse opinions that will keep you coming back for more week in and week out.
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