Denny Hamlin has won two in a row and heads to Pocono, where he’s always fared well. He’s second in the overall Cup Series (behind Tyler Reddick) and on absolute fire. But aside from No. 45 and the others atop the standings, there are challengers, like Daniel Suárez, whose crew chief Ryan Sparks is tailor made for strategizing at “The Tricky Triangle,” and Erik Jones, who’s had speed all year and turned it into a second-place finish at Michigan.

As always, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi answer our most pressing questions and make predictions about the upcoming race.

The Great American Gateway 400 at Pocono Raceway is Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on Prime Video and HBO Max.

Race winner odds for The Great American Gateway 400

Denny Hamlin has won two in a row, and he has seven career wins at Pocono. Can anyone stop him, and can he pull ahead of Tyler Reddick in the Cup standings?

Jeff: It’s shocking to even consider the idea of Hamlin pulling ahead of Reddick in points right now, but it’s possible if Reddick has a bad race (or wrecks) while Hamlin wins again. What a stunning turn of events that would be. That said, Reddick should still be fine and run in the top five or contend for a win, so I wouldn’t think that would happen yet. But Hamlin is definitely red hot right now and seems to be a threat to win the regular-season championship over the No. 45 car he co-owns with Michael Jordan.

Jordan: It’s not just that Hamlin is riding a two-race winning streak; look at what he’s done over the past six races (including the non-points All-Star Race). During this span, he has racked up three wins, a second and a third, with his only outlier a 16th on the Watkins Glen road course, which is not Hamlin’s forte. This is a driver and team very much locked in at the moment, and there is every reason to think the No. 11 freight train will run through Pocono.

All that said, it’s not like Reddick has fallen off the map. Had he not gotten collected in a wreck not of his creation at Michigan, he almost assuredly would’ve been battling for the win. And before Michigan, Reddick had not finished worse than sixth in four consecutive races. He still holds a 51-point lead, and beginning next week the circuit has consecutive races on road courses, where Reddick has a decided advantage over Hamlin.

Three Toyotas (Hamlin, Michigan hometown favorite Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace) and three Chevrolets (Kyle Larson, another Michigan driver Carson Hocevar, Daniel Suárez) finished ahead of the first Ford (Joey Logano). What is wrong with Ford this year?

Jeff: It seems to be both an aerodynamic problem and an engine problem on the bigger tracks for Ford, which means Pocono could bring more struggles again. Ford is getting a new car next year, but it can’t come soon enough. The team is behind on speed right now and seemingly may be behind on power as well, which is a bad combination for the tracks NASCAR has been running on of late. Ford should still contend on short tracks, but this part of the season doesn’t have many. So it’s been rough, and the only real championship contender among them is Ryan Blaney.

Jordan: It is not a good time to have a blue oval on your hood, as this stretch of intermediate-sized tracks places Ford drivers at a serious disadvantage. The good news for them is that this stretch ends after Sunday, and there is only one more intermediate track for the remainder of the regular season. The bad news is that half the tracks in the Chase are intermediate-sized, which makes it hard to envision a Ford driver winning the championship for the fifth time in nine years.

How will Christopher Bell fare with a fractured left wrist, which he acquired in a crash with Chase Elliott at Michigan that Wallace called “the scariest hit I’ve ever seen”? And speaking of Wallace, was Michigan his turning point?

Jeff: We need more information from Bell when he speaks to the media Saturday for the first time before evaluating how badly he’s injured. It was positive that he was cleared to race, meaning he doesn’t need surgery for the wrist injury, but he’ll obviously have to race with some sort of splint on. How will that affect him in the car? Those questions still need to be asked. As for Wallace, Michigan seemed to snap his streak of misfortune, but it’s too soon to tell whether that’s the start of a new trend or whether it was a blip among a recent slump. Clearly the team still has speed, though, which is always what matters more than circumstances or bad luck.

Jordan: Bell should be able to manage his injury this week effectively, and producing a top finish is realistic. What is not known, and he may not yet even know himself, is whether his fractured wrist will hinder him on the upcoming road courses at San Diego and Sonoma.

What fuel and pit strategies do you expect to see at “The Tricky Triangle” and which crew do you think has the advantage?

Jeff: Pocono is a place where a road-course strategy could be employed, and teams can “flip the stage” by pitting a few laps before a stage ends — and then staying out to get track position when everyone else comes down for service under caution. The laps at Pocono are so long that a car won’t be lapped after pitting if within 10 seconds of the leader. That’s something to watch. Other than that, we’ll have to see when the last caution falls and whether a fuel-mileage strategy could be employed. Pocono certainly is no stranger to fuel-savings races, if it comes to that.

Jordan: Crew chiefs love Pocono because it allows them to flex their brainpower by making all sorts of various strategy calls. And with how big the track is (2.5 miles), it opens up the playbook on when to pit. Ultimately, though, fuel and the ability to conserve it is likely the deciding factor in who wins Sunday. It’s precisely why Chase Briscoe won this race a year ago.

Is there anyone you haven’t mentioned that you think has a good chance to win at Pocono?

Jeff: I’m shocked Christopher Bell is as high as he is with a broken wrist (+825), but how about the other two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers? Chase Briscoe is +1000, and Ty Gibbs is +1300. They could absolutely win this race. In general, Toyota is bringing the best stuff right now and, like at Michigan, if you’re not in a Toyota, you’re playing from behind a bit.

Jordan: That Briscoe and Gibbs have such long odds is ludicrous. In fact, anyone placing a few bucks on either of them winning Sunday stands a reasonable chance of collecting. And generally, expect Sunday to be again dominated by the Toyotas.

Which long shot do you like?

Jeff: He’s not as much of a long shot now that the books are catching on to his recent speed, but I’ll go with Erik Jones again here. He’s +4000 and has looked fast; he might have had the best car at Michigan last week. If he puts it all together and his team has clean pit stops and makes no mistakes, Jones in favorable track position could win on Sunday.

Jordan: Daniel Suárez is listed at +6600 on some boards, which is quite low for a driver who has been running well throughout the season, especially lately. Another factor to like with Suárez is that, with Pocono expected to be a strategy-heavy race, Sparks is not afraid to gamble. This mentality paid dividends when Suárez won the race at Charlotte and a stage at Nashville the following week. If there is an opportunity to roll the dice Sunday, Sparks will likely go for it.