Story By: JORDAN WOOD / WOOD BROTHERS RACING – LONG POND, PA – As Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team head to Pocono Raceway for Sunday’s HighPoint.com 400, they are hoping history repeats itself.
The Wood Brothers have three Cup wins on the 2.5-mile Tricky Triangle, including their most recent victory, with Ryan Blaney at the wheel of their iconic Ford in 2017. And crew chief Brian Wilson has two Cup wins as an engineer – with Kurt Busch in 2007 and Brad Keselowski in 2011- and another as a crew chief in the Xfinity Series with driver Austin Cindric in 2021. (All of Wilson’s Pocono victories came with cars and drivers from Team Penske, which shares an alliance with the Wood Brothers.)
Burton also has previous success at Pocono having won an ARCA race there in 2018.
Wilson said he’s optimistic headed into this weekend after Burton and the No. 21 team showed some decent speed in Monday’s rain-delayed race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“Last weekend in Loudon was a step forward for our short-track program,” Wilson said. “The previous races with the low-downforce aero package have been a challenge for us. Our Ford post-race reports showed several stints with average lap times in the top 20 and 15. “We also set a season high on quality passes for this track type.”
Wilson is further heartened by the DEX Imaging team’s performance at Pocono in 2022.
“We look back on last year’s performance when we were able to lead a few laps during the race,” he said. “We’ll continue to build on recent Intermediate-style races where we’ve been able to connect the corner better for Harrison and produce competitive performances.
“I’m confident the DEX Ford will have a great weekend.”
Wilson added that the tire combination will be another factor in the team’s preparation for and strategy during the race.
“Goodyear will bring the same right-side tire as last season’s race, but have a new and more durable left side,” he said. “This combination will also reduce the stagger measurement for the race. Rebalancing this will be a focus, but one we’ve dealt with often this season.”
Wilson said that in addition to the decisions teams must make related to tires, the races at Pocono always bring unique strategy options.
“I expect that this year’s tire and aero will allow for the same,” he said. “I’ve always been excited to see how the race unfolds at Pocono.”
Practice for the HighPoint.com 400 is set for Saturday at 2:35 p.m. Eastern Time and will be followed immediately by qualifying.
Sunday’s 160-lap race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 2:30 p.m. with TV coverage on USA Network.
Stage breaks are planned for Laps 30 and 95.