Robert Laberge/Getty Images The power struggle at the top of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is back on in full force as drivers prepare for Sunday's Gander Outdoors 400 at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch had been deadlocked at five wins apiece for a few weeks while guys like Martin Truex Jr. made pushes, suggesting the two had topped out. Then Harvick got back into Victory Lane in New Hampshire, securing his sixth race of the season at a well-balanced event where plenty of names held the lead for extended periods. He'll now look to push for a seventh, though Pocono can be a fickle beast—hence its positioning as one of the season's top events. Viewing Details Where: Pocono Raceway Video Play Button Videos you might like When: Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET Watch: NBCSN Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Tickets: StubHub Gander Outdoors 400 1. Kurt Busch 2. Martin Truex Jr. 3. Kyle Busch 4. Denny Hamlin 5. Ryan Blaney 6. Brad Keselowski 7. Erik Jones 8. Alex Bowman 9. Daniel Suarez 10. Chase Elliott Note: Qualifying is Saturday. 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Standings 1. Kevin Harvick 791 2. Kyle Busch 844 3. Martin Truex Jr. 740 4. Clint Bowyer 638 5. Joey Logano 679 6. Erik Jones 501 7. Austin Dillon 378 8. Kurt Busch 646 9. Brad Keselowski 635 10. Kyle Larson 606 11. Ryan Blaney 584 12. Denny Hamlin 583 13. Aric Almirola 575 14. Jimmie Johnson 522 15. Chase Elliott 520 16. Alex Bowman 453 ESPN.com. Drivers to Watch Chase Elliott Terry Renna/Associated Press At this point, it wouldn't hurt to see a new face like Chase Elliott seize a checkered flag and shake things up. As it stands now, only four drivers have won multiple races this year, yet those four drivers clutch 17 of the checkered flags so far. Only seven different drivers have actually won races this year, which is a far cry from last year's parity-riddled affair as the stage-based format worked as intended. Speaking of stages, Elliott just won his first of the year last week in New Hampshire, winning Stage 2. Now the hope is he builds upon the established momentum and starts to turn this into the superb run he had to close last season. "We ended last season on such a high note," Elliott said, according to NBC Sports' Dan Beaver. "Didn't end, obviously, the way we wanted. But we started those last 10 … I felt like we hit our stride at the right time. Ran second a bunch, which isn't what you want, but it was good runs. And we were not in those positions by luck." It's easier said than done, though securing a fifth-place finish in New Hampshire has him on the right track. It broke a streak of three finishes outside of the top 10 and gives him five top-fives on the season. A fan favorite, Elliott didn't get hot until late last season. But with another year of experience in the books and starting to win stages near the end of July, Elliott might get started earlier this season. Kyle Busch Mary Schwalm/Associated Press Then again, we were close to having another Busch victory a week ago. Busch ended up finishing second, drumming up his point total to 844 in the process. He led 36 laps, yet he didn't have enough juice late to outmaneuver Harvick. Harvick came on strong and didn't look back: The move, whether Busch fans like it or not, created a 10-point swing in favor of Harvick and was a necessary evil. Busch isn't likely to sweat it. He's still sitting on three poles and five wins. Besides falling victim to the wreck-filled event at Daytona a few weeks back, he has nine top-10 finishes over his last 10 outings, including a pair of wins. But one has to think Busch is more than willing to accept this challenge of sorts from Harvick. The competitor in him isn't going to be content with his falling behind in the win column, which means Sunday and beyond should be plenty interesting. Kevin Harvick Mary Schwalm/Associated Press It was starting to look like Harvick wasn't going to win for a while. Now the rest of the series has to worry Harvick might pull off another string of three victories in a row. Harvick won three races in a row back near the start of the season, beginning in late February. He then turned around and won three more in a row starting during the first week of May. Granted, one of those was the All-Star Race, but a checkered flag is a checkered flag to a point, right? Either way, Harvick's sixth win came a week ago, when he rebounded from starting 14th and only led 12 laps. It was enough to secure the trip to Victory Lane. In the aftermath, Harvick hasn't shied away from having a little fun at Busch's expense, as captured by USA Today's Michelle R. Martinelli: "There's a respectful rivalry there. I love racing Kyle Busch, and I love the things he does and the things he can do in a race car are great. And as a team, we love beating him, and as a driver, I love beating him. You go out on the race track and that's your goal—(it's) to go out and beat the best, and right now, it's been (Busch) and (Truex), and they've been the cars to beat over the last few weeks." A good old-fashioned rivalry between the top two names in the sport right now is just what it needs given the lack of different faces pulling in wins. For Harvick, seeing how far he can push this momentum is not only fun for the sake of possible gaudy stats, but because the momentum will be key come playoff time. Busch and the rest of the series just have to hope they can stop him from winning three in a row.<doc-sep>It's NASCAR race day at Pocono Raceway, and we’ve got all the information you need to get ready for Sunday's Gander Outdoors 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race: START TIME: Marcus Lemonis, Chairman of Gander Outdoors, Camping World & Overton’s, and Mike Mackenzie, Captain of the Upper Darby Firefighters Local 2493, will instruct drivers to start their engines at 2:37 p.m. ET followed by the green flag at 2:48 p.m. ET. RACE DISTANCE: The Gander Outdoors 400 is 400 miles and 160 laps around the 2.5-mile "Tricky Triangle." RACE STAGES: After a successful run last season, NASCAR will once again be dividing races into stages and handing out points. Here are the segments for today's race: Stage 1: 50 laps, Stage 2: 50 laps, Stage 3: 60 laps. NATIONAL ANTHEM: Country music group Porter & Sayles will perform the national anthem at 2:31 p.m. ET followed by a flyover by four T-38s from the 1st Fighter Wing of Langley Air Force Base. TV/RADIO SCHEDULE: The race will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) starting at 2:30 p.m. ET, with a pre-show starting at 2 p.m. Radio calls can be found on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius/XM NASCAR Radio. LIVE STREAMING: NBCSports.com will live-stream the race for those who sign in with their cable/satellite provider's credentials. PREVIEW:Will 'Big Three' extend season domination at Pocono? JOHNSON:Gears for another milestone with 600th Cup start ROYALTY:Kurt Busch watches wife play polo with Prince Harry BLANEYS:Dad Dave returns to dirt as son Ryan's NASCAR star rises WEATHER: It should be ideal conditions in the Pocono Mountains on Sunday. The Weather Channel is forecasting mostly sunny skies in the afternoon with a high of 74 degrees and no chance of rain. LAST TIME: Martin Truex Jr. topped Kyle Larson by 2.496 seconds last month for his second of four wins so far this season. And one year ago, Kyle Busch notched his first career Cup Series win at the Tricky Triangle after starting from the pole. LINEUP: Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch, the two most dominant drivers this season, topped qualifying on Saturday but later failed inspection and were sent to the rear of the field. Moving up to the pole position was Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Daniel Suarez, who becomes the first Mexican driver to start first in a Cup Series race. JGR's Denny Hamlin, who originally qualified seventh, will start beside Suarez as five of the top-seven cars were among the 13 vehicles that failed inspection. Here's the starting lineup for today's Gander Outdoors 400 (car number in parentheses): 1. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota 2. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota 3. (20) Erik Jones, Toyota 4. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford 5. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet 6. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet 7. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford 8. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota 9. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet 10. (88) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet 11. (6) Matt Kenseth, Ford 12. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet 13. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford 14. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet 15. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet 16. (38) David Ragan, Ford 17. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford 18. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford 19. (96) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Toyota 20. (23) JJ Yeley, Toyota 21. (72) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet 22. (15) Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet 23. (99) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet 24. (00) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet 25. (7) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet 26. (51) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet 27. (66) Timmy Hill, Toyota 28. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota 29. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford 30. (22) Joey Logano, Ford 31. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford 32. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet 33. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford 34. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford 35. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet 36. (21) Paul Menard 37. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet 38. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet 39. (43) Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet 40. (95) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet Follow Horrow on Twitter @EllenJHorrow<doc-sep>Before you set your NASCAR DFS lineups on DraftKings or FanDuel for the 2018 Gander Outdoors 400 at Pocono on Sunday, you need to hear what Mike McClure has to say. McClure is a predictive data engineer and DFS pro with almost $2 million in career winnings. He has crushed his DFS selections in multiple sports recently, producing tournament rosters that have cashed huge in the NFL, NBA, golf and NHL. He has been rolling through NASCAR as well, locking in Kyle Busch last week at New Hampshire. The result: Busch led 36 laps and finished second. Anybody who had him in their lineups was well on their way to a winning DFS day. Now, he's set his sights on Sunday's NASCAR at Pocono race and is revealing his optimal Gander Outdoors 400 DFS lineups and picks only over at SportsLine. You'll want to see these NASCAR DFS picks before finalizing your own roster. We can tell you McClure loves Clint Bowyer as a value pick at $9,100 on DraftKings and $10,000 on FanDuel. Bowyer ultimately finished 20th at the June race in Pocono, but that was misleading because he was close to the front of the pack for much of the day before fading late. He's one of just four drivers with multiple wins in NASCAR this year, so he's a value pick that could pay off huge in this race. Another pick McClure is eyeing for NASCAR at Pocono: Brad Keselowski at $9,400 on DraftKings and $11,000 on FanDuel. Keselowski has nine top-five finishes in 17 career starts at this track and is the active leader in NASCAR in average finish position at Pocono. He also won here in 2011, so look for him at or near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday. McClure is also targeting a value driver who has a strong track record at Pocono. He's in prime position to make a run at the checkered flag, but comes at a price that won't break the bank. This pick could be the difference between cashing in your tournaments or going home with nothing. So what Gander Outdoors 400 DFS lineup should you enter? And what value pick is the key to victory in DFS? Visit SportsLine now to see the complete optimal tournament lineup for NASCAR at Pocono, all from the man who has made almost $2 million playing DFS, and find out.<doc-sep>
Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images After Kevin Harvick's and Kyle Busch's cars failed the post-qualifying inspection, Daniel Suarez was awarded the pole for Sunday's 2018 Gander Outdoors 400 at Pocono Raceway. Harvick was initially in the top spot after posting a qualifying speed of 177.75 mph, followed by Busch in second. Per Kelly Crandall of Racer Magazine, Harvick's car failed the body scan and Busch's car failed the chassis station. This marks the first career pole win for Suarez. He will also be chasing his first victory in two seasons on the Monster Energy circuit win in 2018. Joining Suarez on the front row will be Denny Hamlin. The rest of the top five includes Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski and Jamie McMurray. After multiple cars failed inspection, here's the full starting lineup from Long Pond, Pennsylvania, via NASCAR.com: Row 1: Daniel Suarez, Denny Hamlin Row 2: Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski Video Play Button Videos you might like Row 3: Jamie McMurray, Chase Elliott Row 4: Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr. Row 5: Ryan Newman, Alex Bowman Row 6: Matt Kenseth, Chris Buescher Row 7: Michael McDowell, AJ Allmendinger Row 8: Ty Dillon, David Ragan Row 9: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Matt DiBenedetto Row 10: Jeffrey Earnhardt, JJ Yeley Row 11: Corey LaJoie, Gray Gaulding Row 12: Kyle Weatherman, Landon Cassill Row 13: Reed Sorensen, BJ McLeod Row 14: Timmy Hill, Kyle Busch Row 15: Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano Row 16: Clint Bowyer, Kyle Larson Row 17: Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola Row 18: Jimmie Johnson, Paul Menard Row 19: Austin Dillon, William Byron Row 20: Bubba Wallace, Kasey Kahne Suarez was a pleasant surprise Saturday even before the violations pushed him into the pole. He posted the third-fastest time during qualifying. The 26-year-old is currently 20th in the standings this season and is still in search of his first win on the Monster Energy circuit. Suarez has only finished inside the top 15 twice in the past nine races. He's got a stiff challenge ahead of him, but Saturday's qualifying run was a huge boost to his confidence. Harvick and Busch now have their work cut out for them after initially appearing to carry over their momentum from last week at New Hampshire. They were the top two finishers in that race, with the No. 4 car finding a way to nudge Busch out of the way to earn the checkered flag: Appearing on Fox Sports' Race Hub (via For The Win's Michelle R. Martinelli) earlier this week, Harvick spoke about his friendly rivalry with Busch: "There's a respectful rivalry there. I love racing Kyle Busch, and I love the things he does and the things he can do in a race car are great. And as a team, we love beating him, and as a driver, I love beating him. You go out on the race track and that's your goal - (it's) to go out and beat the best, and right now, it's been (Busch) and (Truex), and they've been the cars to beat over the last few weeks." Busch, who won this event in 2017, enters Pocono Raceway atop the Monster Energy Series standings with 844 points. Harvick is in second with 791 points, but he also leads all drivers with six wins, 15 top-five finishes and 1,052 laps led. With that duo starting from the back of the pack, this is an opportunity for Harvick to close that 53-point gap even more if he can get off to a fast start and Busch struggles to find his footing. It was a rather disappointing qualifying day for Martin Truex Jr. He originally qualified in 14th, but thanks to all of the disqualifications, he'll start from eighth in the same row as Kurt Busch. Expectations were much higher for the No. 78 car, though. Truex won the first race of the season at Pocono in June after qualifying fourth. He's finished inside the top five in each of the past five races, with his lone hiccup being an 18th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway after the victory in Pennsylvania. The 40-car field will start their engines on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET to determine which driver will earn bragging rights with the playoffs starting in September.