The Great American Getaway 400
(⏰ Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET | USA Network | NBC Sports App | MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | NASCAR 101
Location: Long Pond, Pa.
Track length: 2.5 miles
Race purse: $7,776,907
Race distance: 160 laps | 400 miles
Stages: 30 | 95 | 160
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Starting lineup: Ty Gibbs drives to pole position
Pit stall assignments: See where drivers will pit
Defending winner: Denny Hamlin, July 2023
Key things to watch
Saturday sessions
Ty Gibbs rolled to his second career Cup Series pole, putting the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota through its paces at a speed of 170.039 mph. Both of his poles have come this season, with his first No. 1 starting spot arriving in May for the Coca-Cola 600. William Byron will start second in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet, and the second row will be two more JGR Toyotas, with Martin Truex Jr. third and Denny Hamlin fourth.
Practice was an eventful stretch for the field, which was split in half for a pair of 20-minute sessions. Tyler Reddick topped the speed chart at 168.231 mph, but his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota spun during practice, avoiding contact with the wall. Kyle Larson was another spinner, looping his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet off Turn 2 during the first 20-minute stint. Byron was second-fastest overall in practice, with Truex completing the top three. | Full Saturday recap
Big story line
Playoff pressure still percolates as teams make their case
Alex Bowman’s victory last week in the Chicago streets did another number on the Cup Series Playoffs picture, but it also completed a four-team sweep for Hendrick Motorsports in terms of postseason eligibility. The only other organization with all of its teams in the provisional playoff grid is Team Penske, which converted with victories by Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano in a lucrative five-week stretch.
Which other organizations have the oomph to put all of their drivers in the field? There are a handful of likely candidates, and their drivers are all along the bubble.
Six races remain before the 16-driver grid of championship hopefuls is set, and that half-dozen includes Sunday’s 400-miler at the famously triangular track in the Keystone State. Twelve drivers have secured clinching victories in the regular season thus far, and three drivers — Bowman, Blaney and Logano — have extricated themselves from bubble limbo with breakthroughs in the last four weeks.
Joe Gibbs Racing has two drivers in the win column this year, with Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin snagging three apiece. The rest of their four-car fleet is still looking for that first 2024 victory, led by veteran Martin Truex Jr., a two-time Pocono winner and the top points-earner currently winless. Ty Gibbs is right behind teammate Truex in the playoff picture, and a win — which seems on the verge, especially given his best final-round speed in Saturday’s Busch Light Pole qualifying session — would be a Cup Series career first.
Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain is among those searching, aiming to join teammate Daniel Suárez in the win column. He’s plus-53 above the provisional elimination line and was in the late-race mix two weeks ago at Nashville Superspeedway. Chastain is still seeking his first Pocono top-10 finish.
Chris Buescher sits as the last driver above the bubble line, plus-45, and also on the cusp in his bid to meet RFK Racing owner/driver Brad Keselowski in the playoff fold. His first Cup Series victory came at Pocono as a rookie in 2016, and he got hot just before the postseason last year, winning three of five to close out the regular-season campaign.
History tells us…
Toyota drivers have their triangle tendencies. Recent results suggest with good reason that Toyota drivers have found favor in the Pocono hills, with eight victories in the last 11 races there. Leading that charge has been Denny Hamlin — the defending race victor and a record seven-time Pocono winner overall. Hamlin is the track’s laps leader among active Cup Series drivers with 827 circuits out front, though he’s finished outside the top 20 in his last five Cup Series races, including a 30th-place run at Chicago last weekend.
The most recent winners outside of the Joe Gibbs Racing umbrella have been Chevrolets driven by Hendrick Motorsports pilots Chase Elliott (2022) and Alex Bowman (2020). The last Ford win at Pocono was courtesy of Kevin Harvick, who delivered in Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 4 on the front end of a weekend doubleheader in 2020.
He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…
ALEX BOWMAN. Last weekend’s Chicago victory might have exposed some of the under-the-radar nature of the No. 48 Chevrolet driver, but Bowman can still be had for 30-1 opening odds on the DraftKings board. He’s further down the list compared to other former Pocono winners, but three wins in the last five races on the 2.5-mile track indicate a level of consistency that’s worth a look. Bowman starts sixth Sunday.
Even further back on the board, Stewart-Haas Racing drivers Josh Berry and Chase Briscoe may not be auditioning for 2025 rides anymore, but they’re intent on finishing up strong as the organization bids farewell. They’re both overachievers setting off at an enticing 100-1, with Berry the higher qualifier in fifth to Briscoe’s 28th. | Pocono odds
Speed reads
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
– On the move: Noah Gragson to join Front Row Motorsports in 2025 | Read article
– Crew chief transfer: Rodney Childers to head to Spire next season | Read article
– Electric company: NASCAR explores EVs: ‘We want to be in the driver’s seat’ | Read article
– Prototype preview: Closer look at NASCAR’s electric vehicle | Photo gallery
– Gala appearance: Ryan Blaney hits Hollywood for ESPY Awards | Read article
– Penalty phase: Bubba Wallace fined for Chicago post-race bump | Read article
– Spots getting scarce: Tension mounts along playoff bubble | Read article
– Power Rankings: Kyle Busch could find summer stride; see full Top 20 | Photo gallery
– Turning Point: Sizing up the latest bubble dweller to reach playoff potential | Read article
– Racing Insights: Full finishing order projections for Sunday’s 400-miler | Read article
– Field of 16: How the playoff picture shakes out for Pocono | Read article
– 36 for 36: Check out this week’s survivor pool picks | Read article
– Fantasy Fastlane: Strong signs for Hamlin, Larson, Reddick this weekend | Read article
– Fantasy Update: Toyota, Hendrick Motorsports lead charge| Read article
– NASCAR Classics: Head into the video vault with vintage Pocono replays | Read article
– Paint Scheme Preview: Fresh designs primed for Pennsylvania | Pick your favorite
Fast facts ⏩
Race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.
– Team Penske has nine Pocono Raceway wins, but none since Brad Keselowski prevailed back in 2011
– Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick are tied for the most points earned (211) in the last six Cup Series races
– The Stage 2 winner has failed to win the overall race in the last 12 Pocono events