Posted on by Zack Albert

Something the camera didn’t catch during Bubba Wallace’s emotional moment on the pre-race grid this week at Talladega Superspeedway was a light-hearted crack he made to the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series roster. The other 39 drivers had come together and pushed his No. 43 entry to the front of the field as a show of unity, but Wallace found a way to break some of the tension and gravity of a heavy weekend of swirling story lines.

“That’s just my sarcastic side coming out,” Wallace said in a Friday teleconference. “I was like, ‘I don’t like half you guys, but I appreciate all you guys,’ as a joking way.”

While there may be a kernel of truth to every joke, what’s telling is the support came from many corners of the NASCAR garage, from close friends to others who aren’t especially close to the Richard Petty Motorsports driver and to those who had previously crossed swords with Wallace on the track.

Among those in the latter category was Alex Bowman, the recipient of a post-race water-bottle splash after his on-track clash with Wallace last season at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. In social media and again Friday, Bowman said his competitive differences and past grievances with Wallace were worth setting aside for the greater good.

“Yeah, I think there’s no secret, we’re not best friends, right?” Bowman said. “We’ve had our fair share of run-ins and the on-track stuff is just going to happen — tempers are going to flare, and if you run into the same guy a couple of weeks in a row here and there, it’s not going to go great for your relationship. But that’s as a race car driver and that’s on the race track. As a human being, I have a big appreciation for him pushing us all to be better, speaking up and us do the same.

“It really comes down to, on the race track, we’re probably not going to be friends. But as a person, I appreciate what he’s doing and just wanted to show my support for him.”

The focus on Wallace has sharpened in recent weeks as he has provided his voice for change, both in society at large and within the NASCAR community, including his call for a ban on the confederate flag. Through it, he has had positive encouragement from his peers — on social media, in a video message organized by Jimmie Johnson and in Monday’s rally around him and his No. 43.

RELATED: NASCAR reveals findings | Pocono weekend schedule

“It was good to see everybody out there and I appreciate their support,” Wallace said. “I guess two people that stuck out was Aric Almirola sent a nice text on Monday right before all that on Monday, saying how we’re not friends and we don’t act like we are, but we’re going to stand next to each other and he’ll be proud to stand next to me as a brother and being human beings. I thought that was pretty special because him and I, we don’t click at all very well and will both tell you that.

“Alex Bowman coming up, he said we don’t see eye to eye on everything, but he stands behind me 100 percent, something along those lines. I thought that was pretty cool. I’ve always had respect for Alex, but we’ve definitely butted heads and we’ve lost respect at times for each other, but it shows that we can all come together.”

Denny Hamlin was among those showing support for Wallace’s cause last weekend at Talladega, both in his pre-race presence and with his No. 11 Toyota stripped of its usual FedEx logos and orange-white-purple look for a striking black car that showed its backing of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. He said Monday’s demonstration illustrated on-track rivalries are a lesser priority than the sense of camaraderie within the community of drivers.

“I don’t think it matters really who it is. You show solidarity and I think as drivers, even if you have differences with someone, you show that solidarity to show the family that we are,” Hamlin said. “Driving for change or wanting change in our culture is something that we are all unified on. I don’t think it matters what our differences or friendships are with a certain driver. That is something that we are all going to get behind.”

While Wallace aims to continue making an impact in the larger community, he’s ready this weekend for a pair of Cup Series events at Pocono Raceway with his fellow drivers — rivals or not.

“Just focus on racing. Let’s focus on how we can continue to push the message of love, compassion, understanding,” Wallace said. “Let’s help fight the good fight in what’s going on in the world today. Let’s get new fans out to the race track and encourage our fan base now to welcome them with open arms and show them a good time. I think that’s one important piece that we can focus on right now. Let’s get away from what happened at Talladega. Let’s move on from that. Let’s put it to bed.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR announced in a Friday penalty report that crew chief Theodore Brown has been indefinitely suspended due to a behavioral penalty.

According to the penalty report, Brown violated Section 12.8.1.e of the NASCAR Rule Book, which states:

“Member actions that could result in a fine and/or indefinite suspension, or termination:

“Being charged with or convicted of significant criminal violations (e.g. Domestic Violence, Trafficking, Assault), or having had determinations rendered by criminal or civil authorities that in NASCAR’s judgement necessitate action. NASCAR will not pre-judge guilt or innocence in the criminal or civil legal system, or the guilt or innocence of the Member, but rather review each matter in its own context and circumstances and with regards to its potential effects upon the sport.”

Brown has served as crew chief for 33 total NASCAR Xfinity Series races in his career, including 10 total in 2020 for the No. 74 of Mike Harmon Racing.

Posted on by Staff Report

The starting lineup for Saturday’s Pocono Organics 325 in partnership with Rodale Institute NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) has been set.

Aric Almirola will start from the pole position, with Ryan Blaney — last Monday’s winner at Talladega Superspeedway — joining him on the front row to lead the field to green for the 140-lap, 325-mile race.

RELATED: Pocono schedule

The lineup for the race was determined by a random draw, with results airing on FS1’s “Race Hub.” The parameters for the draw were as follows:

  • Positions 1-12 determined by a random draw from charter teams in those positions in team owner points
  • Positions 13-24: Random draw among charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 25-36: Random draw among charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 37-40: will be filled out by open, non-chartered teams in order of owner points

Here is a look at the full lineup:

Starting spot Driver Car # Team
1 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
2 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
3 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
4 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
5 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
6 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
7 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
8 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske
9 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
10 Alex Bowman 88 Hendrick Motorsports
11 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
12 Jimmie Johnson 48 Hendrick Motorsports
13 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
14 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
15 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
16 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
17 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
18 Clint Bowyer 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
19 Erik Jones 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
20 John Hunter Nemechek 38 Front Row Motorsports
21 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing
22 Matt Kenseth 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
23 Bubba Wallace 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
24 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
25 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
26 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
27 Brennan Poole 15 Premium Motorsports
28 Joey Gase 51 Petty Ware Racing
29 Corey LaJoie 32 Go Fas Racing
30 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing
31 Garrett Smithley 53 Rick Ware Racing
32 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing
33 JJ Yeley 27 Rick Ware Racing
34 Ty Dillon 13 Germain Racing
35 James Davison 77 Spire Motorsports
36 Christopher Bell 95 Leavin Family Racing
37 Daniel Suarez 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing
38 Timmy Hill 66 Motorsports Business Management
39 BJ McLeod 78 BJ McLeod Motorsports
40 Josh Bilicki 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing
Posted on by Reid Spencer

Five races into the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, Grant Enfinger is the only series regular to have visited Victory Lane.

Enfinger took the checkered flag in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway and earned his second victory June 6 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers won the other three races: Chase Elliott in the much-ballyhooed bounty race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kyle Busch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (before the pandemic hiatus) and at Homestead-Miami Speedway (June 13).

RELATED: Action-packed weekend at Pocono

Remarkably, Enfinger is the only full-time driver in the series who has accumulated NASCAR Playoff points. The driver of the No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford has 11 — five each for the two victories and one for a stage win. No other driver eligible for the series title has scored a single playoff point.

Interestingly, however, Enfinger is third in the series standings, 48 points behind leader Austin Hill and four behind second-place Christian Eckes. Those two drivers have accumulated more stage points — as opposed to playoff points—in the first five races.

The playoff point picture is likely to change with no full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers in the field for Sunday’s Pocono Organics 150 (9:30 a.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Ross Chastain, a full-time NASCAR Xfinity driver this season, is the defending winner, and he’ll be racing in the Pocono Organics 150.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR President Steve Phelps detailed Thursday afternoon via teleconference findings from NASCAR’s internal investigation, which has concluded, into the noose found in the garage stall of No. 43 driver Bubba Wallace at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend.

A photo of the noose was released by the sanctioning body earlier Thursday, one day after an FBI investigation concluded no federal hate crime was committed against Wallace, who is Black, and the noose had been on the garage door at Talladega since October 2019.

Phelps also detailed both the timeline of events from discovery through the completion of the investigation — scroll to the bottom of this story for the full timeline — and NASCAR’s next steps moving forward.

Talladega Pit Stall 43

“Upon learning of and seeing the noose, our initial reaction was to protect our driver,” Phelps said. “We’re living in a highly charged and emotional time. What we saw was a symbol of hate and was only present in one area of the garage and that was of the 43 car of Bubba Wallace. In hindsight, I should have used the word ‘alleged’ in our statement.

“As you can see from the photo, the noose was real, as was our concern for Bubba. With similar emotion, others across our industry and our media stood up to defend the NASCAR family. Our NASCAR family. Because they are part of the NASCAR family, too. We are proud to see so many stand up for what’s right.”

Phelps outlined specific steps NASCAR would take moving forward. It includes sensitivity and unconscious bias training for all members of the industry, additional, thorough sweeps through the garage areas and installation of additional cameras in all garages.

MORE: NASCAR statement on FBI investigation

“Our ultimate conclusion for this investigation is to ensure that this never happens again, that no one walks by a noose without recognizing the potential damage it can do,” Phelps said. “Going forward, our efforts are best spent on making sure every competitor feels safe and every guest feels welcome. I would also like to reinforce that what we did see at Talladega in pre-race on Monday, our drivers, crews and officials proudly demonstrated that we are united in the belief that there is no place for racism in our sport.”

After Sunday’s discovery, NASCAR officials asked each track to sweep through respective garages. Across the 1,684 garage stalls at 29 tracks, NASCAR found only 11 total had a pull-down rope tied in a knot and only one noose — the one discovered Sunday in the No. 43 garage stall.

Wallace 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.

“Bubba Wallace and the 43 team had nothing to do with this,” Phelps reiterated Thursday. ” … I want to thank Bubba Wallace and everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports. Specifically, I want to thank Bubba for his leadership over this past three weeks. Bubba has done nothing but represent this sport with courage, class and dignity and he stood tall for what he believes in. And we all need to stand with him. I know I’m going to.”

INVESTIGATION TIMELINE

Sunday, June 21
~ 4:30 p.m.: NASCAR alerted to the presence of the noose by member of No. 43 team. NASCAR security performs full sweep of the garage. Only the pull rope of the 43 team was discovered to be a noose; all the others were regular ropes.
~ 6 p.m.: NASCAR senior leadership meets, determines need for investigation and begins initial steps of the investigation.
~ 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR President Steve Phelps notifies Bubba Wallace of noose discovered in garage.
~ 10:40 p.m.: NASCAR releases statement after continuing to gather facts and further investigation.

Monday, June 22
– Early Monday a.m.: FBI Birmingham office reaches out to NASCAR.
~ 10 a.m.: FBI arrives at Talladega Superspeedway with 15 field agents to begin investigation. NASCAR provides the FBI with a list of personnel with access to the garage, as well as video and images taken from the weekend and the 2019 fall weekend as well.
– Over the course of the day: FBI interviews race team personnel from multiple teams, NASCAR officials, track, fire and safety personnel and track custodial staff. Talladega Superspeedway also provides the FBI with a list of events that had taken place since October 2019, which is when the new garages opened.
– End of the day: FBI reports interviews are complete for the day and the evidence at that point was inconclusive, with plans to continue its investigation the next morning.

Tuesday, June 23
– Early Tuesday a.m.: NASCAR receives additional video and provides it to the FBI. The video corroborated the testimony from one of the interviews the FBI had conducted earlier that the noose was present in that stall during the fall 2019 Cup event. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI informed NASCAR that their investigation had conclusively found this was not a hate crime.
– 4:10. p.m.: FBI releases statement indicating findings of investigation.
– 4:15 p.m.: After awaiting signal from the FBI, NASCAR releases statement on FBI investigation, with teleconference that follows.

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)