Three to watch, one to avoid for NASCAR in Pocono

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania for Sunday's Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway.

Pocono is one of the more unique tracks on the circuit, with a triangular shape that can be debated as to whether it has three, five or six turns. Here are three drivers to watch — a favorite, a contender and a dark horse — as well as one to avoid for the "Tricky Triangle."

Favorite: Denny Hamlin (+450, per DraftKings as of Friday afternoon)

Hamlin hasn't been so hot lately, with four finishes outside the top 20 in the past five races, but Pocono is arguably his best track. He's won there seven times, including the most recent race a year ago (albeit in controversial fashion) and should be considered as good of a bet as any for No. 8.

Hamlin is the betting favorite at +450, so you're not going to earn a huge payday with him. He's the favorite for a reason, though, and if he lives up to that status, you won't be making money with anyone else, either.

Contender: Tyler Reddick (+850)

As tempting as it was to slot Larson here given that he's a contender just about everywhere and came so close to winning at Pocono in 2023, it would be no fun to go chalk once again with the second-favorite. So instead it's Reddick who gets the nod as he's quietly finished runner-up in each of the past two Pocono races and has been on a tear as of late with six finishes of eighth or better (including four top-fives) in his past seven runs.

Reddick's only win in 2024 remains a fortuitous finish at Talladega, but he's been knocking on the door, and after finishing third at Nashville two weeks ago and then second in Chicago last Sunday, he could keep that trend going with a win in the mountains. At +850, he's a bargain.

Dark horse: Alex Bowman (+3000)

Bowman has been known throughout his career to get hot in spurts, and he's riding some momentum right now after winning the Chicago Street Race. He's also won at Pocono before in 2021, and with pit strategy being paramount at the Tricky Triangle, his crew chief, Blake Harris, could very well put him in position for back-to-back victories.

Despite last week's win, Bowman is flying under the radar at +3000, so take those odds if you're looking for the big play. He might be a long shot, but he's worth the risk.

Avoid: Martin Truex Jr. (+700)

Truex has been solid at Pocono throughout his career (he's won there twice) and will be receiving a nice tribute from the track at what's set to be his final start there. Yet with Hamlin's Pocono dominance, as well as how hot Christopher Bell, another of Truex's Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, has been lately, it's just hard to see a world in which he is JGR's top dog this week.

Truex's +700 odds are third-highest in the field, ahead of Reddick and Bell, among others who seem to stand just as good of a chance (if not a better one) at reaching victory lane. It would be a cool sendoff for Truex to go out with a win at one of his home tracks, but you'd be better advised to look elsewhere with your money this week.