The start time for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway has been moved up due to concerns of inclement weather, the sanctioning body announced Saturday morning.
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The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VISITPA is now scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET (Prime Video, MRN Radio, HBO Max, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the 2.5-mile track in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The race was originally scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
The adjustment comes with late-afternoon and early evening weather concerns in the Long Pond area, with the earlier start giving fans and competitors the best opportunity to see the full 400-mile event. Prime Video’s flexibility as the broadcast partner also helped create the opportunity for NASCAR to move the race up by more than an hour.
Sunday’s race is scheduled for 160 laps and 400 miles as the Cup Series returns to one of the most unique layouts on the NASCAR schedule. The Pocono race marks the 16th points-paying event of the 2026 Cup Series season as the regular-season stretch continues to tighten the Chase picture. Denny Hamlin enters the weekend after winning last Sunday at Michigan International Speedway (and the Sunday before that at Nashville Superspeedway), while the rest of the field looks to build momentum during the summer portion of the schedule.