(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)
By Aaron Bearden
After racing on a Monday for a bite of lobster (literally) at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Cup Series field is off to Pennsylvania for a race at the Tricky Triangle.
Pocono Raceway will play host to the HighPoint.com 400 on Sunday, wrapping up a weekend that includes the ARCA Menards Series, Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series. This will be the tour’s only trip to Pocono, a unique 2.5-mile oval that’s hosted Cup races since 1974.
Pocono’s nickname is fitting. It’s a tricky, challenging oval for drivers and teams alike. Long straightaways prioritize carrying momentum off of the corners, but with three unique turns it’s difficult to find a setup that handles well throughout the track.
Here’s what you need to know to follow the weekend ahead in Long Pond, Pa.
Track Details
Track: Pocono Raceway
Length: 2.5 Miles
Races Hosted:
- Cup: 89
- Xfinity: 7
- Trucks: 13
- ARCA: 69
Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube
Schedule
(All times ET)
Friday, July 21
11:30 a.m.: ARCA practice (No TV)
12:30 p.m.: ARCA qualifying (No TV)
1:35 p.m.: Truck Series practice (FS1)
2:05 p.m.: Truck Series qualifying (FS1)
3:35 p.m.: Xfinity Series practice (USA/NBC Sports App)
4:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series qualifying (USA/NBC Sports App)
6:00 p.m.: ARCA Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150 (FS1/MRN)
Saturday, July 22
Noon: Truck Series CRC Brakleen 150 (FS1/MRN)
2:35 p.m.: Cup Series practice (NBC Sports App/MRN, 3:00 p.m. on USA)
3:20 p.m.: Cup Series qualifying (USA/NBC Sports App/MRN)
5:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Pocono 225 (USA/NBC Sports App/MRN)
Sunday, July 23
2:30 p.m.: Cup Series HighPoint.com 400 (USA/NBC Sports App/MRN)
Race Details
Cup Series
Race: HighPoint.com 400
Length: 160 laps, 400 miles
Stages: 30/65/65 laps
Last Year: Chase Elliott won… In tech. The first disqualification of a race winner in NASCAR’s modern era saw both first-place finisher Denny Hamlin and runner up Kyle Busch stripped of their points and finishing position. That gave a shocking win to Elliott, who finished third. It was a controversial end to a weekend marred by a concussion for Kurt Busch sustained in a qualifying crash. Busch has yet to return to active competition.
Storylines
Playoff Battle Heats Up
With just six races remaining in the Cup Series regular season, the fight for the final playoff spots remains tight as ever as the intensity builds. Unlike last year, when the depth of winners left most drivers in need of a victory, there’s a genuine fight for playoff spots on points.
Bubba Wallace sits 15th with just two points separating him from the cutline. Michael McDowell holds the last spot by point, with Daniel Suarez one point out. AJ Allmendinger (-20) is within range. Meanwhile drivers like Ty Gibbs (-41), Alex Bowman (-42) and Chase Elliott (-60) find themselves in need of a major points swing or win to keep their championship hopes alive.
With wildcard tracks like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and Daytona International Speedway just down the road, making the most of more predictable races like Pocono could be key to making the playoffs.
Denny Eyes Redemption
Denny Hamlin is one of the all-time greats at Pocono Raceway. His six Cup wins are tied with Jeff Gordon for the most in the track’s history. So his legacy at the track is already set.
But the only reason he’s tied with Gordon is because he was disqualified from a win last year. A post-race technical inspection failure kept Hamlin from taking the record for himself.
A year later, Hamlin returns to the Tricky Triangle fourth in the regular season standings. But he has just one win, so the three-time Daytona 500 winner could use another victory to bolster his playoff point total as the postseason draws near. Keep an eye on the No. 11 team this weekend.
Please, Please Don’t Rain
If you’ve been watching NASCAR this year, you’re probably sick of rain. Each of NBC’s four races as the Cup Series’ television partner have been impacted by the liquid menace, including two shortened races and a Monday postponement.
At the time of writing (Wednesday, July 19), the National Weather Service forecast for Sunday calls for sun and a high near 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Hopefully this weekend will bring an end to the rain-related pain for the NASCAR Cup Series.
Xfinity Series
Race: Explore the Pocono Mountains 225
Length: 90 laps, 225 miles
Stages: 20/20/50 laps
Last Year: Noah Gragson survived a late-race challenge from Ty Gibbs to score the win, retaining the lead in a final-lap battle after Gibbs got loose on the bottom heading into Turn 2.
Storylines
A Wild Stretch Begins
The Xfinity Series still has eight races remaining before the playoffs. But the next six are going to present a unique challenge to the field.
There are no intermediate ovals on NASCAR’s second series for the foreseeable future. Pocono will be followed by three road courses – Road America, Indianapolis and Watkins Glen International – along with the two-mile Michigan International Speedway and Daytona.
This has potential to be a time of uncertainty that shakes up the series standings. With drivers like Riley Herbst, Parker Kligerman, Brett Moffitt and Brandon Jones battling for a playoff position, the varied schedule could yield some stress heading through August. It starts this weekend at Pocono.
Cup Drivers Enter the Mix
A couple playoff hopefuls from the Cup Series will try to kick start their weekends with a strong run in the Xfinity Series. They should both be familiar with the tour – after all, they’re former champions.
Chase Elliott will return to the Xfinity Series for the first time since the 2021 race on the Indianapolis road course, competing for Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 17 Chevrolet. The 2014 Xfinity champ tried to compete at Darlington Raceway in 2022, but failed to make the field after qualifying was rained out.
Kaulig Racing will also welcome a Cup Series star. Daniel Suarez will contest the event for the No. 10 team, making his second Xfinity Series start of the year. The 2016 champ previously ran for SS GreenLight Racing at Sonoma Raceway in June, finishing 27th.
Can Anyone Stop JHN?
Over the past couple weeks, John Hunter Nemechek has taken what was a tight battle atop the standings and blown it open. The Joe Gibbs Racing star has ridden back-to-back wins to a 33-point lead over Austin Hill while giving himself a healthy playoff point total with four wins on the year.
With 24 guaranteed playoff points already secured, Nemechek is looking like a near-lock for the Championship 4. Hill and the rest of the field are going to need to step up if they don’t want Nemechek to run away with the regular season title.
Truck Series
Race: CRC Brakleen 150
Length: 60 laps, 150 miles
Stages: 15/15/30 laps
Last Year: Chandler Smith was the class off the field, leading 49 of 60 laps and taking his second victory of the season while Zane Smith clinched the regular season title.
Storylines
Saturday Sprint
Whatever happens for the Truck Series at Pocono, expect it to happen quickly. At just 60 laps and 150 miles, the race is one of the quickest on the series schedule.
Last year’s race took just 1:20.39, which was seven minutes longer than the 2021 edition of the event. Early editions of the race went even quicker, with a shorter 50-lap distance barely stretching beyond an hour of runtime.
There’s little time to make things happen and a thin margin of error. Expect the intensity to ramp up from the drop of the green flag on Saturday afternoon.
Playoff Push
Speaking of having little time to make something happen, Pocono is the penultimate race of the Truck Series regular season. The playoff field will be decided next weekend at Richmond Raceway before the postseason starts one earnest on Aug. 11 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Corey Heim seems primed to lock in the regular season title, sitting 26 points clear of defending champ Zane Smith at the top of the standings. But the battle on the bubble to make the playoff field is tight.
Matt DiBenedetto, Nick Sanchez and Matt Crafton currently hold the last provisional playoff spots on points. But the margins are thin – DiBenedetto is in the clear by five points, Sanchez is up two and Crafton’s only in by a point. Stewart Friesen sits one point out in 11th, while Tanner Gray is 24 points back in 12th.
Grant Enfinger, Christian Eckes, Carson Hocevar and Ben Rhodes are safe with wins. Ty Majeski is winless, but is a playoff lock on points. A host of others including Chase Purdy, Tyler Ankrum, Rajah Caruth and Hailie Deegan will likely need a win to keep their championship hopes alive.
The race for the final playoff spots is on. These next two weeks should be intense.
Cup Drivers Dip Down
A trio of Cup Series regulars will contest Saturday’s short race, including a two-time Cup champ and a pair of drivers from last year’s Championship 4.
Leading the group is the Truck Series’ all-time wins leader, Kyle Busch. The Richard Childress Racing star will contest his fifth and final Truck race of the 2023 season, competing in his own No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevrolet. Busch has one win and two runner-up runs in his starts to date.
Also in the field will be a former teammate of Busch’s. Christopher Bell will venture down to the series for the second time this year, competing in the No. 61 Toyota for Hattori Racing. Bell finished 16th in his first start for the team at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Last year’s Cup runner up, Ross Chastain, is the third Cup driver in the field. The Floridian will make his seventh start of the year for Niece Motorsports, the team he took to victory lane at Pocono on the way to the Championship 4 in 2019.
ARCA Menards Series
Race: Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150
Length: 60 laps, 150 miles
Last Year: Taylor Gray was declared the winner of a race shortened 16 laps for impending darkness. Gray fell a lap down during a race break, but caught a timely caution to return to the lead lap and took fuel. He then stayed out as the leaders pitted later on and held the top spot to the end from there.
Storylines
Jesse Love Eyes Another One
This is looking like the year of Jesse Love in the ARCA Menards Series. The two-time ARCA Menards Series West champ has four wins and a comfortable 49-point lead on Frankie Muniz in the standings.
He’ll look to add his name to the list of Pocono winners this week for Venturini Motorsports. Drivers trying to stop Love include Connor Mosack, Dean Thompson, Jake Finch and Cody Coughlin.
No Seriously, Rain, Stay Away
The weather forecast for most of the week looks positive. But Friday has chances for showers and thunderstorms. At the time of writing, the National Weather Service is listing a 60% chance of precipitation, with showers likely before 8 p.m. ET.
Assuming that weather plays a factor in Friday’s race, it could be a tricky (pun intended) one strategically. Darkness, rain-shortening and postponement could all be at play.
