Posted on by Staff Report

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 25, 2020 – Mike Tirico will host NBC Sports’ coverage of the historic NASCAR/IndyCar crossover on Fourth of July weekend, anchoring 10-plus hours of coverage from Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 4-5 on NBC.

RELATED: Full NASCAR schedule

Tirico will be joined by special guests throughout the crossover weekend, including current and former IndyCar and NASCAR drivers.

“There is no one better to host this first-of-its-kind motorsports event than Mike Tirico,” said Sam Flood, executive producer and president, production, NBC and NBCSN. “Mike will present the scope and context of what it means to have these two iconic series competing over the same weekend at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

Tirico — who hosts NBC Olympics’ primetime coverage, Football Night in America and many other premier events — hosted NBC Sports’ inaugural Indianapolis 500 coverage in 2019, as well as this year’s Indy 500 Special: Back Home Again, which featured interviews with Simon Pagenaud and Alexander Rossi, on May 24 — the date that the 2020 Indy 500 was originally scheduled to take place. He also anchored NBC Sports’ coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero 400 from Daytona International Speedway in 2018 on NBC.

Click here for more on Mike Tirico.

Below is the schedule of race coverage for the Fourth of July weekend:

DATE

COVERAGE

TIME (ET)

NETWORK
Saturday, July 4 NTT INDYCAR Series GMR Grand Prix

12 p.m.

NBC
Countdown to Green

2 p.m.

NBC
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Indianapolis

3 p.m.

NBC
IMSA – Daytona

6 p.m.

NBCSN
Sunday, July 5 NASCAR Cup Series Race – Indianapolis

4 p.m.

NBC
Posted on by Staff Report

No stranger to the world of NASCAR, Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron will team with actress KiKi Layne on Saturday for co-grand marshal duties in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX/FOX Deportes, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR).

Theron and Layne, co-stars in the upcoming action-thriller “The Old Guard” (which premieres globally on Netflix July 10), will command drivers to start their engines just two years after Theron waved the green flag to open the 2018 season at the Daytona 500 as honorary starter. While NASCAR stock car racing was new to her at the time, her love of motorsports runs deep.

“My family loved car racing, so I was raised in a house where it was always on and a lot of the South African car racing and championships were always playing on TV,” Theron told NASCAR.com in 2018.

MORE: Actress Charlize Theron shares her connection to car racing

Theron is one of the most celebrated actresses of our time, captivating audiences with her ability to embody a range of characters. Most recently, she portrayed Megyn Kelly in “Bombshell,” which her production company, Denver & Delilah, produced. She received nominations for a Golden Globe, a SAG Award and an Academy Award for her remarkable performance.

Layne made her debut on the big screen as the female lead in “If Beale Street Could Talk,” which won Best Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards in 2019. The film was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture, and a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Picture.

Based on the acclaimed graphic novel by Greg Rucka and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, Beyond the Lights), “The Old Guard” is a gritty, action-packed film about a covert team of noble mercenaries with a mysterious inability to die. After being suddenly exposed, they’re forced to fight to keep their identity a secret just as an unexpected new member is discovered.

Saturday’s race at Pocono is the first of a unique doubleheader for the Cup Series, as it will race again on Sunday in the Pocono 350 (4 p.m. ET, FS1/FOX Deportes, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR).

Posted on by RJ Kraft

NASCAR Finish Line, a free-to-play gaming app from Penn National Gaming, is back with the resumption of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. Each week, there will be six groups of five drivers for the upcoming race. Users will predict which driver will finish first among each of the six groups and then the overall race winner and second-place finisher for a chance to win $25,000 if all eight scenarios are correctly selected.

RELATED: Download NASCAR Finish Line

The second of six groups for this weekend’s Pocono Raceway doubleheader (Saturday race at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio; Sunday race at 4 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) consists of Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones. Clint Bowyer is part of Group 2 for Saturday’s race, while Kurt Busch is part of Group 2 for Sunday’s race. Everyone but Jones and Bowyer have victories at the 2.5-mile track with Hamlin (five wins) and Busch (three wins) accumulating multiple wins to their ledger.

For a stats look at each driver, NASCAR.com has compiled the career average finish at Pocono, the average finish from the last two races at Pocono, the percentage of top fives at Pocono and the 2020 average finish for the season. All this has been done to see who is the best play to make in Group 2.

A point system has been assigned, starting with one point for the best finisher and counting up to five points for the worst finisher. Those numbers were then added up. The lowest total signifies the strongest driver (green), and the highest total represents the weakest driver (red).

Driver Avg. finish at Pocono Last 2 avg. finishes at Pocono Percentage of top fives at Pocono 2020 avg. finish
 Total
Ryan Blaney 11.5 (3) 11.0 (5) 12.5: 1 in 8 starts (5) 12.5 (4) 17
Clint Bowyer* 14.3 (5) 8.0 (4) 10.7: 3 in 28 starts (6) 16.5 (6) 21
Kurt Busch# 14.4 (6) 19.0 (6) 37.8: 14 in 37 starts (4) 11.2 (3) 19
Denny Hamlin 12.0 (4) 3.5 (2) 39.3: 11 in 28 starts (3) 10.2 (2) 11
Erik Jones 8.3 (1) 2.5 (1) 66.7: 4 in 6 starts (1) 16.0 (5) 8
Brad Keselowski 11.1 (2) 5.0 (3) 50.0: 10 in 20 starts (2) 9.7 (1) 8

*Bowyer is only part of Group 2 for Saturday; #Busch is only part of Group 2 for Sunday.

The runaway favorites for this group are Jones and Keselowski with Hamlin not far behind. If you favor Pocono-only statistics, Jones is the play to make without question. He has the best Pocono numbers of the group, and the only thing he is missing is a win. If you value wins, Hamlin is the choice to make as he has five at Pocono, is the most recent winner there and has a knack for winning in streaks there. He has won back-to-back races at Pocono twice, and Saturday would mark the first race there since his most recent win. If you like a mix of Pocono stats and 2020 numbers, then Keselowski is the pick to make.

Make sure to get your picks for all the groups as well as the first- and second-place finishers in the NASCAR Finish Line App before both races at Pocono.

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series is set for its first doubleheader and trip to Pocono Raceway this season. Pennsylvania’s “Tricky Triangle” will play host to Saturday’s Pocono Organics 325 in partnership with Rodale Institute (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and Sunday’s Pocono 350 (4 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). This weekend marks the first time that NASCAR’s top division has point races on consecutive days at the same track.

As has been the case with other events since the sport’s return after the COVID-19 outbreak, both races will be held without practice or qualifying.

The events will mark the 14th and 15th NASCAR Cup Series races of the year, the 10th and 11th since the coronavirus pause. With plenty of variables in play for an action-packed Pocono weekend, here’s a primer with helpful information for the doubleheader.

RELATED: How to follow the races | Schedule for Pocono

TRACK DETAILS

Pocono Raceway is a 2.5-mile triangular track — nicknamed the “Tricky Triangle.” Each turn has a varied degree of banking: Turn 1 is 14 degrees, Turn 2 is 8 degrees and Turn 3 is 6 degrees. Turns 1 and 3 are connected by a 3,740-foot frontstretch, while Turns 2 and 3 are bridged by a 3,055-foot back straightaway. The short straightaway has a length of 1,780 feet. Each turn is modeled after a different track with Turn 1 modeled after Trenton Speedway, Turn 2 (i.e. the tunnel turn) modeled after Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Turn 3 modeled after the Milwaukee Mile.

The NASCAR Cup Series held its first race in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 4, 1974 with the Purolator 500. Richard Petty won in the No. 43 Dodge, beating runner-up Buddy Baker by 18.8 seconds. Petty led a race-high 152 laps in the 192-lap event, which was shortened from the original 200 laps scheduled due to rain. NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon holds the record for most all-time wins at Pocono with six.

Saturday’s 325-miler will be the 85th race for NASCAR’s top division at Pocono. Sunday’s 350-miler will then mark the 86th.

STAGE LENGTHS

Saturday: Stage 1 is set to end at Lap 25, Stage 2 at Lap 77, and the final stage is slated to conclude on Lap 130.
Sunday: Stage 1 is set to end at Lap 30, Stage 2 at Lap 85, and the final stage is slated to conclude on Lap 140.

STARTING LINEUP

Both NASCAR Cup Series races will be held without practice and qualifying as the sanctioning body tries to limit exposure for on-site personnel to control the spread of coronavirus. Saturday’s starting lineup will be determined by a random draw Thursday among groups in the team owner standings:

  • Positions 1-12: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 13-24: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 25-36: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 37-40: Open teams in order of owners points

Sunday’s starting lineup will then be based off of Saturday final results. Positions 1-20 will be an inversion of the top 20 finishers. Positions 21-40 will see the bottom 20 start where they finished in the first race.

Pit-stall selection for Saturday’s race will be based on the finishing order from Monday’s event at Talladega Superspeedway. Saturday’s winner will then have first pick for Sunday’s pit-stall selection, as others follow in order.

RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for intermediate-sized tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to set a target of 550 horsepower. The cars will use aero ducts in addition to other aerodynamic devices to increase downforce.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Because Pocono Raceway is a flat track, teams will use various tuning tools to maximize grip and performance, with one of those being adjusting left-side air pressures. Goodyear has integrated multiple construction updates over the past several seasons, allowing teams to be at the bottom end of left-side air pressure recommendations without harming the structural integrity of the tire. Observing those minimums are an important part of maximizing durability.

“Pocono has a unique track layout and always presents a challenge,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Being 2.5 miles in length, fuel windows are relatively ‘short’ in terms of the number of laps. … Depending on how the cautions fall, we may see some varying pit strategies that could jumble the field. Also this weekend, with back-to-back races in the Cup Series, it will be interesting to see how teams use the information from Saturday’s race to make adjustments and improvements for Sunday. Since we have restarted the season, teams have had no practice, so Sunday will really be more like a ‘normal’ race where teams have had a chance to adjust on their cars from day to day.”

Teams in all three NASCAR series will run the same tire setup. It’ll feature the same right-side tire code ran at this track last season, but the left-side tire is a new code with a construction update.

The NASCAR Cup Series will have six sets of tires for each race. The NASCAR Xfinity Series will have five sets (Sunday, 12:30 p.m. ET on FS1). The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series will have four sets (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET on FS1).

STATS TO KNOW

— Toyota drivers have won the last five races at Pocono Raceway. Kyle Busch has won three (July 2017, July 2018 and June 2019) of those five in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Martin Truex Jr. took the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota to Victory Lane in June 2018. Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota took the July 2019 checkered flag. All those drivers happen to race for Joe Gibbs Racing now, too.

— Chevrolet, meanwhile, is winless in the last seven Pocono Raceway events. Kurt Busch was the last Chevrolet driver to win at the Pennsylvania track with his former No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing entry in June 2016.

— Hendrick Motorsports has the most starts (245), wins (17), poles (13), top fives (70), top 10s (126) and laps led (3,270) at Pocono Raceway.

— Four drivers have scored their first career win at Pocono Raceway: Jeremy Mayfield (June 1998), Denny Hamlin (June 2006), Chris Buescher (August 2016) and Ryan Blaney (June 2017).

— In the last six Pocono Raceway events, only two drivers have led the most laps. Kyle Busch has four times: 100 in June 2017, 74 in July 2017 (won), 52 in July 2018 (won) and 79 in June 2019 (won). Kevin Harvick handled the other two races: 89 in June 2018 and 62 laps in July 2019.

— Only two of the 12 stage winners at Pocono Raceway went on to win the race. Kyle Busch (August 2017) and Martin Truex Jr. (June 2018) both won Stage 1 en route to their overall victories.

Source: NASCAR statistics, Racing Insights 

LIVE COVERAGE

Tune in to television coverage Saturday on FOX (3:30 p.m. ET) and Sunday on FS1 (4 p.m. ET) or on the FOX Sports App for both events. For full radio coverage from Pocono Raceway, listen in to MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on-air. 

RELATED: Ways to follow the races

For a more interactive experience, head over to NASCAR.com or the NASCAR app to check out an enhanced Race Center, live Lap-by-Lap coverage, the customizable live leaderboard with Scanner and the return of Drive (featuring in-car cameras).

Be sure to set your lineup in Fantasy Live and make your picks in the NASCAR Finish Line App!

2019 RACE WINNERS

Kyle Busch won the 2019 Pocono 400 on June 2, 2019. The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led a race-high 79 laps, including the last 21, to win the 160-lap event. Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski finished runner-up by 2.224 seconds.

Denny Hamlin won the 2019 Gander RV 400 on July 28, 2019. The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led 32 laps, including the last 20, to win the 163-lap event in overtime. Teammate Erik Jones finished runner-up by .314 seconds. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick led a race-high 62 laps but ultimately came in sixth.

RELATED: Pocono-1 recap | Pocono-2 recap

ACTIVE POCONO WINNERS

Denny Hamlin (five); Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch (three); Martin Truex Jr. (two); Ryan Blaney, Matt Kenseth, Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman (one)

Posted on by Zack Albert

The FBI concluded Tuesday that no federal hate crime was committed last weekend targeting Richard Petty Motorsports driver Bubba Wallace at Talladega Superspeedway.

A joint statement from U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr. released Tuesday afternoon determined that a noose knot had been in Cup Series garage stall No. 4 — which had been assigned to the Petty No. 43 team last weekend — since at least last October and that no federal charges would be pursued.

MORE: NASCAR statement on FBI investigation at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR followed the joint statement with its own remarks Tuesday, stating that photographic evidence confirmed that the knotted rope used as a garage door pull had been in place before last weekend. A NASCAR spokesperson said that the No. 4 space in the Cup Series garage was the only stall found with the door pull fashioned into a noose.

“This was obviously well before the 43 team’s arrival and garage assignment,” the NASCAR statement read in part. “We appreciate the FBI’s quick and thorough investigation and are thankful to learn that this was not an intentional, racist act against Bubba. We remain steadfast in our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all who love racing.”

Wallace, the Cup Series’ lone Black driver, has become more outspoken in recent weeks as he has championed causes to fight racial injustice. Other drivers in the NASCAR garage have rallied behind his message and showed their support Monday before the GEICO 500 at Talladega.

“I was relieved just like many others to know that it wasn’t targeted towards me,” Wallace said on Wednesday’s Today Show on NBC. “But it’s still frustrating to know that people are always going to test you and always just going to try to debunk you. And that’s what I’m trying to wrap my head around now, from (people) saying I’m a fake and that I reported it when it was news that was brought to me, it was information that was brought to me that was already reported.”

Wallace also posted the following statement on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon that reads as follows:

RPM posted a statement on Twitter Tuesday night as well. It read as follows:

NASCAR President Steve Phelps thanked the U.S. Attorney’s office and FBI on Tuesday evening for their “very swift and thorough work.” Eric Nyquist, NASCAR senior vice president and chief communications officer, said that the sanctioning body’s own investigation was continuing and that Phelps would provide another update at a later date.

“For us at NASCAR, this is the best result we could hope for,” Phelps said in a teleconference. “It was disturbing to hear that it was thought that one of our own had committed this heinous act. It is fantastic to hear from the FBI definitively that there was not a hate crime.

“I do want to make sure everyone understands that if given the evidence that we had delivered to us on Saturday night or late Saturday afternoon, we would do the same thing. We would have done the same investigation. It was important for us to do. There is no place in our sport for this type of racism or hatred. It’s not part of who we are as a sport.”

Phelps provided a timeline of events, saying that a Richard Petty Motorsports crew member initially found the noose-shaped pull, then brought it to the attention of RPM No. 43 crew chief Jerry Baxter. NASCAR Cup Series director Jay Fabian was then notified, and investigators were later brought in. NASCAR released a statement about the initial findings late Sunday night.

The next day, when news of the initial findings spread, the other 39 drivers in the field pushed Wallace’s No. 43 to the top of the starting grid for Monday’s rain-delayed race, then stood shoulder to shoulder to show their resolve. Phelps said that for him, Tuesday’s conclusion did not dampen that show of support.

“Yesterday to me as a sport was one of the most important days we’ve had,” Phelps said. “It’s one of the most kind of indelible prints on my mind until the day I die, seeing the support that Bubba had from not just the drivers but all the crews, all the officials who were down in pit road, anyone who was part of that footprint.  Everyone wanted to show their support for a family member of NASCAR. We are one big family. We are one large community. And everyone’s belief is that someone was attacking a member of our family.

“It turned out that that was not the case, but at the time that’s what our industry thought, so drivers, crew, our officials, everyone supported Bubba Wallace and the 43 team, and that was a very powerful image in not just the history of our sport but I think in all sports.”

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

“The FBI has completed its investigation at Talladega Superspeedway and determined that Bubba Wallace was not the target of a hate crime. The FBI report concludes, and photographic evidence confirms, that the garage door pull rope fashioned like a noose had been positioned there since as early as last fall. This was obviously well before the 43 team’s arrival and garage assignment. We appreciate the FBI’s quick and thorough investigation and are thankful to learn that this was not an intentional, racist act against Bubba. We remain steadfast in our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all who love racing.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials penalized the Richard Childress Racing’s No. 21 Chevrolet team Tuesday for a lug-nut infraction from last Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

RELATED: Race results | 2020 Xfinity Series standings

The RCR No. 21 — driven to a sixth-place finish by rookie Anthony Alfredo in the Unhinged 300 — was found with a single lug nut not safely secured in a post-race check. The safety violation (Section 10.9.10.4 in the NASCAR Rule Book) resulted in a $5,000 fine for crew chief Andy Street.

No other post-race penalties were issued from the weekend at the 2.66-mile Alabama track.

Posted on by Data Skrive

Brett Moffitt finished fifth in the Unhinged 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday.

Moffitt did not add any points to his season total as he has declared for the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.

Moffitt started in 20th position. The fourth-year driver has two top-10 finishes in his career.

Moffitt made his career debut at Talladega Superspeedway in Saturday’s race.

The Grimes, Iowa native began the race six spots behind his career mark of 14.1, but finished eight places ahead of his career average of 12.6.

Moffitt raced against 39 other drivers on the way to his fifth-place finish. The race endured six cautions and 22 caution laps. There were 22 lead changes.

Justin Haley brought home the win in the race, and Ross Chastain finished second. Jeb Burton crossed the finish line third, with Austin Cindric securing fourth place. Moffitt rounded out the top five.

After Haley won the first stage, Chase Briscoe drove the No. 98 car to victory in Stage 2.

Brett Moffitt Driver Page | Get Moffitt Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Anthony Alfredo finished sixth in the Unhinged 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday.

The top 10 finish for Alfredo added 40 points to his season total.

Alfredo started in 10th position and led five laps in the race. The first-year driver has collected one top-five and three top-10 finishes in his career.

The Ridgefield, Connecticut native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting six spots higher than his career mark of 16.2 and completing the race three places ahead of his nine career average finish.

Alfredo’s sixth-place finish was against 39 other drivers. The race endured six cautions and 22 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 22 lead changes.

Justin Haley secured the win in the race, and Ross Chastain followed in second. Jeb Burton crossed the finish line third, Austin Cindric took fourth, and Brett Moffitt grabbed the No. 5 spot.

After Haley won Stage 1, Chase Briscoe drove the No. 98 car to victory in Stage 2.

Anthony Alfredo Driver Page | Get Alfredo Gear | Race Center