Posted on by Cameron Richardson

The first four months of the 2026 Cup Series season have seemingly created a wide gap between the true contenders for the championship in the return of The Chase format and those that are just competing for a spot in the 16-driver field.

Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin are blitzing the field as we enter the summer stretch of tracks, while the likes of Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Ty Gibbs are racing consistently enough to be potential competitors that can knock off Reddick and Hamlin by the time September comes around for the 10-race Chase.

In the latter half of the current top 16 after Sunday’s event at Pocono Raceway, there’s an established purgatory of talented drivers stuck in a funk that’s plagued their respective campaigns.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Pocono

Looking at a group that consists of Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace and three-time Cup Series titleholder Joey Logano, this trio seemed like surefire locks to make the field of 16. Now, all three of their spots are in limbo thanks to a string of bad luck catalyzed by their own unforced errors, and at tracks where they had a bit more control of their destiny versus what’s to come.

While it was early in the season, both Wallace and Logano were once safely inside the top 10 in points, and it was futile to consider them drivers on the outside looking in as the push to The Chase ramped up. Now in mid-June, the No. 22 Team Penske driver finds himself 18th in points, 21 points off teammate Austin Cindric for the final provisional spot in the postseason. Wallace, now 13th, owns just a 43-point buffer to the cutline.

Keselowski was ninth after Watkins Glen, and it took just four races to bottom out with four finishes of 30th or worse in the last five races as he’s now the first driver outside the top 16.

If we set Keselowski, Wallace and Logano’s numbers post-Kansas, it’s been a nightmare for the trio.

Just four top 10s combined in a seven-race stretch between Talladega and Pocono. Wallace delivered the only top five at Michigan with a third-place run.

Average finish in that stretch among the three? 24.8. Not good.

So it’s only fitting that their woes would result in a direct collision course at Pocono as the trio was caught up in a Stage 2 incident down the frontstretch that ended Keselowski’s day and parachuted Wallace and Logano to finishes outside the top 20.

keselowski pocono crash
James Gilbert | Getty Images

And what lies ahead are current trends that don’t favor all three, and a wide array of tracks where managing points will be incredibly difficult.

Legacy Motor Club’s rise is apparent right now. Erik Jones vaulted to 15th in points with a second straight top 10.

Shane van Gisbergen, while similarly struggling like Keselowski, Wallace and Logano, could really run up the score over the next two weeks at Naval Base Coronado and Sonoma Raceway. Same goes for Michael McDowell, who may not contend with SVG for victories, but will stack the deck on points to be within striking range of the Chase bubble.

MORE: Cup standings after Pocono | Cup schedule

Christopher Bell and William Byron aren’t having great seasons for their standards, but their stocks are rising despite up-and-down finishes. Chase Briscoe is only getting better and rose to 12th after Pocono. Spire Motorsports teammates Daniel Suárez and Carson Hocevar (eighth and ninth in points, respectively) may be too fast for the bubble drivers to catch up to.

However, the next stretch of the schedule offers an equal mix of optimism and result horrors that could nearly paint the picture of who will be in The Chase and who will be left pondering what went wrong.

After back-to-back road courses in California, it’s off to Chicagoland Speedway in NASCAR’s return trip for the first time since 2019. Then, it’s EchoPark Speedway for Sunday night action and pack-racing that can really cause a stir. Following EchoPark, the first points race at North Wilkesboro Speedway since 1996. The slate then culminates with the crown jewel Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which can always be treacherous to navigate.

A lot of racing to go and still 10 races to decide the postseason fates of most of the field, but as we’ve seen how strong starts can quickly turn sour in sports (too soon, San Antonio Spurs fans?), it may already be desperation mode for Wallace, Keselowski and Logano to save their seasons.

MORE: In-Season Challenge seeds set after Pocono

Posted on by Dustin Albino

With the field now set following Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway, NASCAR’s second In-Season Challenge is ready to begin, giving 32 drivers a chance to battle through five races for a $1 million prize at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Getting hot at the right time can change everything in NASCAR, and drivers know that five strong races could turn a long-shot contender into a millionaire, with last year’s finals being determined between No. 6 seed Ty Gibbs and the final driver into the tournament, Ty Dillon.

Print your bracket!

The road to glory will test drivers across nearly every discipline in NASCAR. The In-Season Challenge opens June 28 at Sonoma Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) before shifting to the returning intermediate layout of Chicagoland Speedway, the high-speed drafting action of EchoPark Speedway, a historic stop at North Wilkesboro Speedway and a finale at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Let’s see who could prevail with seeding finalized!

RELATED: Fill out your perfect bracket for a chance to win $1 million

BUY STOCK:

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, No. 45 Toyota
Seed: 1
Comment: There have been no weaknesses in Reddick’s game in 2026, leading the regular-season championship battle since hoisting the Harley J. Earl Trophy in February at Daytona International Speedway. The five-time victor this year has proven to excel at all types of race tracks, with the lone exception being short tracks, and even that has improved from prior years. The No. 45 team feels like a near lock for at least the semifinals.

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota
Seed: 2
Comment: Hamlin is white-hot, winning the last three Cup Series races before the seeds were locked. Admittedly, his biggest weakness remains road courses, but an opening-round matchup with Ty Dillon leaves optimism. And then, when the series returns to turning left, nobody is currently better.

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 9 Chevrolet
Seed: 4
Comment: While Elliott hasn’t won a road-course race in the Next Gen car, he’s always formidable and should stay clear of a first-round matchup with Noah Gragson. The No. 9 team has also flown under the radar at intermediate tracks in 2026, best in camp at HMS. Elliott should be considered one of the favorites for the entire tournament, though he does have potential contests against Bubba Wallace and Ty Gibbs to be among the last four.

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 54 Toyota
Seed: 5
Comment: You can’t forget about the reigning winner! The primary difference is that Gibbs had an atrocious start to the 2025 season, whereas he’s a bona fide championship threat in 2026. This set of tracks lays out perfectly for the No. 54 team, with the biggest question mark being EchoPark.

Tyler Reddick at Pocono.
James Gilbert | Getty Images

STAY AWAY FROM: 

Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports, No. 77 Chevrolet
Seed: 9
Comment: Unless there’s absolute chaos at Sonoma, it’s tough to see Hocevar advancing through the first round. He goes into road-course races expecting to be the weak link of the No. 77 team, with finishes of 28th and 31st in two attempts this year.

Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, No. 23 Toyota
Seed: 13
Comment: The luck of the draw did no favors for Wallace. He has improved tremendously at road courses, but has an average finish of 24.0 at Sonoma through seven starts. Meanwhile, he’s pinned against Michael McDowell, who has never finished worse than seventh in the Next Gen car at the 1.99-mile road course.

Joey Logano, Team Penske, No. 22 Ford
Seed: 18
Comment: Logano should never be discredited for his relentlessness. He might even sneak through to Round 2 in a contest against Erik Jones, who has never finished better than 19th in the Next Gen at Sonoma. But a likely matchup against Hamlin at Chicagoland, an area where Ford has struggled mightily in 2026, doesn’t bode well for the three-time champion.

Ryan Preece, RFK Racing, No. 60 Ford
Seed: 19
Comment: Preece may have received the worst draw at Sonoma, as he’ll have the unenviable task of trying to beat Shane van Gisbergen, arguably the best road-course driver to ever strap into a Cup Series car. Good luck!

Joey Logano at Pocono.
David Jensen | Getty Images

DARK HORSE: 

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing, No. 97 Chevrolet
Seed: 14
Comment: Van Gisbergen has sailed to victory in six of the last seven road-course events, and has improved his craft tremendously at ovals, scoring a personal best fifth-place effort in the most recent intermediate race at Nashville Superspeedway. Fast forward to EchoPark and anything can happen, meaning it’s not unrealistic to see the No. 97 car in the semifinals at North Wilkesboro.

Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports, No. 38 Ford
Seed: 24
Comment: Let’s go off the beaten path with this pick. Smith grew up racing karts and has a competitor in Hocevar (road courses aren’t his specialty) in the opening round. The No. 38 team hasn’t seen the deserved results in recent weeks, wrecking out at Michigan International Speedway and Pocono while competing inside the top 10. With either Daniel Suárez or Front Row teammate Todd Gilliland waiting in the wings at Chicagoland, Smith is a real sleeper to advance to the quarterfinals.

shane van gisbergen at watkins glen
Chris Graythen | Getty Images
Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

LONG POND, Pa. — For a moment, Christopher Bell and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team seemed set to achieve the improbable.

Instead, a risky fuel gamble in The Great American Getaway 400 resulted in a 26th-place finish for Bell in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Pocono

Crew chief Adam Stevens last brought his driver to pit road at Lap 107 of 160, attempting to stretch the fuel tank from an estimated 42-lap window to a whopping 53-lap run to the finish. Stevens and spotter Tab Boyd coached Bell through the closing 50 laps, urging Bell to conserve gasoline while maintaining a competitive pace. But Bell was overtaken for the lead by teammate Denny Hamlin with four laps remaining before ultimately running his fuel tank dry as the field took the white flag.

“It was kind of optimistic for a minute,” Bell said. “But before we went green out of that final green-flag run, he (Stevens) was making it sound like there was no way we’re gonna make it. So whenever we got to 20 laps or so left, like, OK, 17 seconds (over Hamlin for the lead), and it’s like, OK, are we racing for the win, or are we racing to finish the race? And I don’t know. I just tried to do what he was telling me to do. He’s got the SMT data on what my throttle percentage is, what the RPMs are, so just didn’t have enough.”

Before Bell’s strategy gamble, the No. 20 car was mired outside the top 20 for much of the afternoon. With less to lose, that helped make Stevens’ decision to take the risk easier.

“Well, we just sucked all day, and we were going to run 18th to 25th,” Stevens told NASCAR.com. “And that opportunity presented itself, and honestly, we were hoping for a caution early in that run. And we didn’t get it, and then we decided just to save and see how close we could get. And when you’re saving that hard, we don’t really have a great way to really know for sure how we’re doing, so it was worth a shot. Just a lap and a quarter short.”

His Pocono drive was also complicated by Bell’s fractured left wrist, which he sustained in a vicious crash one week earlier at Michigan International Speedway. Bell wore a sleek black cast molded as closely as possible to fit his steering-wheel grip as the No. 20 team worked to make his interior more comfortable given any new physical restrictions. NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Brandon Jones was on standby if Bell needed relief, but Bell completed all 400 miles.

“My wrist is fine whenever I’m by myself,” Bell said, “but certainly, any sort of adverse conditions — like whenever I banged (doors) with the 21 or whoever getting into (Turn) 3 and then they wrecked in front of me, like I just don’t really have the ability to make sharp, quick corrections to the car. So whenever I run by myself and we got single-filed out, I felt like it didn’t bother me, but I certainly think it affected our restarts.”

Bell said he had no pain in his wrist following Sunday’s race despite the in-race difficulties, but any decisions about potential changes for next week’s race on the street course at Naval Base Coronado will be reserved for the days ahead.

RELATED: In-Season Challenge seeds set after Pocono

Bell was running second at the time of his crash at Michigan and this week was running fourth when he ultimately ran out of fuel. The finishes to show for those two races: 31st and 26th.

“This whole year has just been hard on all of us,” Stevens said. “And then you throw in an injury with another good car last week, and it’s not easy on him, it’s not easy on the team. And to put that aside and do your job physically is one accomplishment, and then mentally is another. So, like I said on the pace laps, he’s a tough cookie. He’s got his mind focused on the right things, and eventually it’ll turn our way.”

In the two races before Michigan, Bell and Co. earned consecutive runner-up finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway. That helped spark some optimism, but the weight of not winning still carried midway through June.

“The year just hasn’t gone our way. Whatever the future holds, it holds,” Bell said. “I feel confident that our time will come. Adam’s doing a great job calling the races and giving me really fast race cars. I feel like I can drive good whenever everything’s right, and we’ll see what happens.”

Posted on by Staff Report

The second edition of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge is just around the corner, and the bracket has been set following Sunday’s Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway, won by Denny Hamlin.

Full In-Season Challenge printable bracket

Points leader Tyler Reddick will enter the In-Season Challenge as the No. 1 seed, with Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and Ty Gibbs clinching the top five seeds in the bracket.

Alex Bowman and Cole Custer were tied for the 32nd and final spot in the tournament after Pocono, but Bowman earned the tiebreaker based on highest finish in 2026 (third at Talladega).

RELATED: Race results | How the In-Season Challenge works | Register now!

The In-Season Challenge begins Sunday, June 28 at Sonoma Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) with the tournament making stops at Chicagoland Speedway, EchoPark Speedway, North Wilkesboro Speedway and the championship round hosted at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 26.

SEED LIST

 

1. Tyler Reddick
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Ryan Blaney
4. Chase Elliott
5. Ty Gibbs
6. Kyle Larson
7. Chris Buescher
8. Daniel Suárez
9. Carson Hocevar
10. Christopher Bell
11. William Byron
12. Chase Briscoe
13. Bubba Wallace
14. Shane van Gisbergen
15. Erik Jones
16. Austin Cindric
17. Brad Keselowski
18. Joey Logano
19. Ryan Preece
20. Michael McDowell
21. AJ Allmendinger
22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
23. Ross Chastain
24. Zane Smith
25. Todd Gilliland
26. John Hunter Nemechek
27. Riley Herbst
28. Austin Dillon
29. Noah Gragson
30. Josh Berry
31. Ty Dillon
32. Alex Bowman

MORE: Register now for bracket game! | Advice for filling out bracket

FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS

No. 1 Tyler Reddick vs No. 32 Alex Bowman
No. 16 Austin Cindric vs No. 17 Brad Keselowski
No. 8 Daniel Suárez vs No. 25 Todd Gilliland
No. 9 Carson Hocevar vs No. 24 Zane Smith
No. 12 Chase Briscoe vs No. 21 AJ Allmendinger
No. 5 Ty Gibbs vs No. 28 Austin Dillon
No. 13 Bubba Wallace vs No. 20 Michael McDowell
No. 4 Chase Elliott vs No. 29 Noah Gragson
No. 2 Denny Hamlin vs No. 31 Ty Dillon
No. 15 Erik Jones vs No. 18 Joey Logano
No. 7 Chris Buescher vs No. 26 John Hunter Nemechek
No. 10 Christopher Bell vs No. 23 Ross Chastain
No. 11 William Byron vs No. 22 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
No. 6 Kyle Larson vs No. 27 Riley Herbst
No. 14 Shane van Gisbergen vs No. 19 Ryan Preece
No. 3 Ryan Blaney vs No. 30 Josh Berry
Posted on by Staff Report

The all-time list of NASCAR Cup Series winners starts with Richard Petty (200 wins) and includes more than 60 drivers who won just a single time at NASCAR’s top level.

Below is the list of all-time winners, in order, in the Cup Series.

Last update: After Race 16 of the 2026 season (Pocono Raceway).

Active drivers in ALL CAPS

RankDriverWins
1.Richard Petty200
2.David Pearson105
3.Jeff Gordon93
4.Bobby Allison85
5.Darrell Waltrip84
T-6.Jimmie Johnson83
T-6.Cale Yarborough83
8.Dale Earnhardt76
9.DENNY HAMLIN64
10.Kyle Busch63
11.Kevin Harvick60
12.Rusty Wallace55
13.Lee Petty54
T-14.Ned Jarrett50
T-14.Junior Johnson50
16.Tony Stewart49
17.Herb Thomas48
18.Buck Baker46
19.Bill Elliott44
20.Mark Martin40
T-21.Tim Flock39
T-21.Matt Kenseth39
T-23.Bobby Isaac37
T-23.JOEY LOGANO37
25.BRAD KESELOWSKI36
T-26.Kurt Busch34
T-26.Martin Truex Jr.34
28.Fireball Roberts33
T-29.KYLE LARSON32
T-29.Dale Jarrett32
T-31.Carl Edwards28
T-31.Rex White28
T-33.Dale Earnhardt Jr.26
T-33.Fred Lorenzen26
T-35.Jim Paschal25
T-35.Joe Weatherly25
T-37.CHASE ELLIOTT23
T-37.Ricky Rudd23
39.Terry Labonte22
T-40.Jeff Burton21
T-40.Bobby Labonte21
T-40.Benny Parsons21
T-40.Jack Smith21
44.Speedy Thompson20
T-45.Davey Allison19
T-45.Buddy Baker19
T-45.Greg Biffle19
T-45.Fonty Flock19
T-49.Geoff Bodine18
T-49.Neil Bonnett18
T-49.Harry Gant18
T-49.Kasey Kahne18
T-49.Ryan Newman18
T-49.RYAN BLANEY18
T-55.Marvin Panch17
T-55.Curtis Turner17
57.WILLIAM BYRON16
58.Ernie Irvan15
T-59.Dick Hutcherson14
T-59.LeeRoy Yarbrough14
T-61CHRISTOPHER BELL13
T-61.Dick Rathmann13
T-61.Tim Richmond13
T-61.TYLER REDDICK13
T-65.Donnie Allison10
T-65.Clint Bowyer10
T-65.Sterling Marlin10
T-68.Paul Goldsmith9
T-68.Cotton Owens9
T-68.Bob Welborn9
T-71.ALEX BOWMAN8
T-71.Kyle Petty8
T-73.SHANE VAN GISBERGEN7
T-73.Darel Dieringer7
T-73.AJ Foyt7
T-73.Jamie McMurray7
T-73.Jim Reed7
T-73.Marshall Teague7
T-79.AUSTIN DILLON6
T-79.CHRIS BUESCHER6
T-79.ROSS CHASTAIN6
T-82.Ward Burton5
T-82.Dan Gurney5
T-82.Alan Kulwicki5
T-82.Tiny Lund5
T-82.Dave Marcis5
T-82.Jeremy Mayfield5
T-82.Ralph Moody5
T-89.CHASE BRISCOE5
T-89.Lloyd Dane4
T-89.Bob Flock4
T-89.Charlie Glotzbach4
T-89.Eddie Gray4
T-89.Bobby Hamilton4
T-89.Pete Hamilton4
T-89.Parnelli Jones4
T-89.Hershel McGriff4
T-89.Joe Nemechek4
T-89.Eddie Pagan4
T-89.Ken Schrader4
T-89.Morgan Shepherd4
T-89.Nelson Stacy4
T-89.RICKY STENHOUSE JR.4
T-89.Billy Wade4
T-89.Michael Waltrip4
T-89.Glen Wood4
T-107.AJ ALLMENDINGER3
T-107.Aric Almirola3
T-107.AUSTIN CINDRIC3
T-107.Bill Blair3
T-107.Robby Gordon3
T-107.ERIK JONES3
T-107.Dick Linder3
T-107.Frank Mundy3
T-107.Elliott Sadler3
T-107.Gwyn Staley3
T-107.DANIEL SUÁREZ3
T-107.Brian Vickers3
T-107.BUBBA WALLACE3
T-120.MICHAEL MCDOWELL2
T-120.Marcos Ambrose2
T-120.John Andretti2
T-120.Johnny Beauchamp2
T-120.Red Byron2
T-120.Derrike Cope2
T-120.Ricky Craven2
T-120.Ray Elder2
T-120.James Hylton2
T-120.Bobby Johns2
T-120.Joe Lee Johnson2
T-120.Al Keller2
T-120.Elmo Langley2
T-120.Danny Letner2
T-120.Juan Pablo Montoya2
T-120.Billy Myers2
T-120.Jimmy Pardue2
T-120.Steve Park2
T-120.Tom Pistone2
T-120.Marvin Porter2
T-120.David Ragan2
T-120.David Reutimann2
T-120.Gober Sosebee2
T-120.Jimmy Spencer2
T-120.Emanuel Zervakis2
T-145.CARSON HOCEVAR1
T-145.Johnny Allen1
T-145.Bill Amick1
T-145.Mario Andretti1
T-145.Earl Balmer1
T-145.Trevor Bayne1
T-145.Johnny Benson1
T-145.JOSH BERRY1
T-145.Brett Bodine1
T-145.Ron Bouchard1
T-145.Richard Brickhouse1
T-145.Dick Brooks1
T-145.Bob Burdick1
T-145.Harrison Burton1
T-145.Marvin Burke1
T-145.Neil Cole1
T-145.Jim Cook1
T-145.Cole Custer1
T-145.Mark Donohue1
T-145.Joe Eubanks1
T-145.Lou Figaro1
T-145.Jimmy Florian1
T-145.Larry Frank1
T-145TY GIBBS1
T-145.Danny Graves1
T-145.Royce Haggerty1
T-145.Justin Haley1
T-145.Bobby Hillin1
T-145.Jim Hurtubise1
T-145.John Kieper1
T-145.Harold Kite1
T-145.Paul Lewis1
T-145.Johnny Mantz1
T-145.Sam McQuagg1
T-145.Casey Mears1
T-145.Paul Menard1
T-145.Lloyd Moore1
T-145.Jerry Nadeau1
T-145.Norm Nelson1
T-145.Bill Norton1
T-145.Phil Parsons1
T-145.Dick Passwater1
T-145.Lennie Pond1
T-145.Bill Rexford1
T-145.Jody Ridley1
T-145.Shorty Rollins1
T-145.Jim Roper1
T-145.Earl Ross1
T-145.John Rostek1
T-145.Johnny Rutherford1
T-145.Greg Sacks1
T-145.Leon Sales1
T-145.Frankie Schneider1
T-145.Wendell Scott1
T-145.Buddy Shuman1
T-145.Regan Smith1
T-145.John Soares1
T-145.Lake Speed1
T-145.Chuck Stevenson1
T-145.Donald Thomas1
T-145.Tommy Thompson1
T-145.Art Watts1
T-145.Danny Weinberg1
T-145.Jack White1
Posted on by Staff Report

Another curveball struck those around the current Chase bubble Sunday afternoon at Pocono Raceway as Brad Keselowski, Shane van Gisbergen, Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell and Joey Logano were all caught up in a multicar wreck down the frontstretch during Stage 2.

Running three-wide off Turn 3, Shane van Gisbergen and Josh Berry made contact before Austin Hill made it three-wide on the bottom with the stack-up ultimately forcing the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford into the wall. A chain reaction ensued with Noah Gragson and Logano spinning. The No. 22 Team Penske Ford just clipped the left rear of Wallace’s No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota, sending Wallace around.

With nowhere to go, Keselowski hit the side of the No. 23, causing race-ending damage to the front end of the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford. Bell also brushed the outside wall in the incident.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Pocono

Keselowski and Gragson went behind the wall, while the others involved remained on track. Gragson was credited with a 35th-place result, and Keselowski was scored last in 38th.

Wallace finished 21st on the lead lap. Bell recovered and nearly stole Sunday’s race on fuel strategy, but ran out just before the final lap and crossed the line 26th. Van Gisbergen and Logano both finished outside the top 30, multiple laps down.

Bell (10th), Wallace (11th), van Gisbergen (14th) and Keselowski (15th) all entered Sunday’s race in provisional Chase spots while Logano was 17th, three points behind teammate Austin Cindric for the final spot.

After Sunday, Keselowski dropped outside The Chase to 17th, while Wallace also conceded two spots and is 13th heading to Naval Base Coronado next Sunday (4 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“I thought we had decent pace and just trying to bide our time,” Keselowski said after exiting the infield care center. “The race was going to crack open in different strategies. These guys run really stupid races where they’re like three wide on Lap 5 in a race where strategy is going to re-shuffle the field three more times. So we were just trying not to get caught up in their junk, and I missed the first wave of the junk, but not the second.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

Quite simply, Pocono Raceway’s best was best once again.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin hoisted his record eighth NASCAR Cup Series trophy at the 2.5-mile Pocono track in Sunday’s running of the Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA — his No. 11 JGR Toyota holding off the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota of Tyler Reddick by 1.678 seconds in a dramatic fuel-saving dance to the checkered flag.

The victory marks the first time in his 21-year full-time career Hamlin has won three consecutive races — at Nashville, Michigan and now Pocono. It’s sure been a productive summer for the 45-year-old Virginian, who now has 64 series wins — placing him ninth on the sport’s all-time list and moving him ahead of his former teammate, the late two-time series champion Kyle Busch.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Pocono

“Just so special here,” said a smiling Hamlin of his effort at the “Tricky Triangle.”

“Just so happy for this whole Joe Gibbs Racing team,” he continued. “This is a team effort. They’ve given me fast cars. The pit crew is flawless right now. We’ve just got it all going.

“I’d say it’s certainly the best we’ve been,” Hamlin said of his team’s current confidence level. “We come to the race track every week knowing that we’ve got a great shot to win. The team is doing an amazing job knowing exactly what I need in the car every week, and that’s why we’re winning.”

Now, with only 10 races left to set the 16-driver Chase field, Hamlin’s win streak has decisively cut Reddick’s once triple-digit lead atop the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings. Reddick is only 19 points ahead of Hamlin — who, along with NBA legend Michael Jordan, co-owns Reddick’s team. It’s the smallest margin atop the standings this year for the five-race winner Reddick.

“It’s a bummer,” conceded Reddick, who rallied from fifth to second place in the closing laps after concerns of a tire going down on a late-race restart.

“We definitely lost time in a couple spots there. Some of it is everyone’s racing hard for track position and some of it is just bad luck, I guess, just where you catch cars.

SHOP: Race winner gear

“We knew qualifying was going to be tricky coming into this and just weren’t able to get stage points. Scoring the points we did just didn’t get the job done.”

Hamlin’s JGR teammate Christopher Bell, who gambled with a fuel-saving strategy in the closing laps, was passed by Hamlin with four laps remaining and then ran out of gas just as the field took the white flag. He finished 26th despite his valiant effort on the day, nursing a broken left wrist he suffered in an accident last week at Michigan.

“We were mired back in the 20s, so I think it was an amazing call,” Bell said of the gamble, calling the calculated risk “worth it.”

Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron finished third in the No. 24 Chevrolet, followed by Legacy Motor Club’s John Hunter Nemechek — claiming his best finish of the season. His race-best 42 laps out front in the No. 42 Toyota were more laps than he led in either the entire 2024 or 2025 seasons.

Hendrick’s Kyle Larson finished fifth and led laps early. Legacy’s Erik Jones was sixth — his second consecutive top-10 finish — followed by Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, JGR’s Ty Gibbs and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney.

Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott finished 11th — just missing out on a fifth consecutive Pocono top 10. Hamlin won Stage 1, and Front Row Motorsports’ Todd Gilliland claimed the Stage 2 win — his first career stage victory.

With the regular season winding down, points positions to determine which 16 drivers will race for the championship are close. Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen is 14th, 10 points clear of 17th-place Brad Keselowski. Jones and Austin Cindric are ranked 15th and 16th, respectively — both only four points above the cutline. Behind Keselowski, Team Penske’s Joey Logano is 21 points out of 16th place.

The NASCAR Cup Series will headline a tripleheader weekend in Southern California with next Sunday’s inaugural Anduril 250 (4 p.m. ET on Prime Video, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the Qualcomm Circuit on Naval Base Coronado.

Note: NASCAR Cup Series post-race inspection was clear, confirming Hamlin as the race winner. Six cars will return to the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, this week for further inspection: the Nos. 5, 7, 12, 17, 42 and 45. 

Stage 2 recap

Todd Gilliland stretched his fuel tank over the final 44 laps of the frame to win Stage 2 of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono. It was his first career stage win.

Chase Briscoe finished second, followed by John Hunter Nemechek, Erik Jones and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to complete the top five. Ross Chastain, Carson Hocevar, Daniel Suárez, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott completed the top 10.

MORE: Full Stage 2 results

After short-pitting the opening stage, Nemechek commenced the second frame from the lead, but not for long. Tyler Reddick, who also stayed out, passed the No. 42 Legacy Motor Club driver at Lap 39, taking his first lead of the afternoon.

Behind them, battling Hamlin for a spot in the top five, Zane Smith got loose exiting Turn 1 and spun around, contacting the inside wall at Lap 41.

Shortly after the restart, Shane van Gisbergen and Josh Berry made contact exiting Turn 3, battling mid-pack as Austin Hill made it three-wide, triggering a crash that involved nine cars. Of note, Bubba Wallace spun in front of Keselowski, with the RFK Racing co-owner t-boning Wallace. Noah Gragson, Christopher Bell, Austin Hill and Connor Zilisch all also caught a piece of the wreck. Keselowski and Gragson went behind the wall.

During the caution period, over half the field came down pit road for service, including Reddick from the lead, handing the top spot back to Nemechek.

Nemechek led 33 laps and paced the race until pitting at Lap 78, with just 17 circuits remaining in Stage 2. Most cars that pitted during the previous yellow stayed on track, while those on the opposite strategy cycled toward the rear of the field, handing the lead to Elliott. Hamlin got the lead back at Lap 88, but just two laps later, the next wave of pit stops began.

Kyle Larson came down pit road first, followed by leaders Hamlin and Elliott at Lap 91. Ryan Blaney and Ty Gibbs came one circuit later. Austin Cindric and Bell were also among those pitting before the stage break.

Stage 1 recap

Denny Hamlin passed Kyle Larson with six laps to go to win Stage 1 of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway.

Larson hung on for second, followed by Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe and Chris Buescher. Daniel Suárez, William Byron, Erik Jones, Joey Logano and Austin Hill completed the top 10.

MORE: Full Stage 1 results

Hamlin fired off from the pole, but Larson, who rolled off second, nabbed the top spot on the initial start and paced the first 24 laps. Larson jumped out to a multi-second lead, but the 45-year-old — often known for his long-run pace — tracked down the two-time series champion at Lap 24 with a daring pass down the frontstretch.

A handful of cars pitted before the stage end, including Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, Zane Smith and John Hunter Nemechek, intending to gain track position for Stage 2.

The opening 30-lap frame went caution-free.

Posted on by Staff Report

Ready to watch NASCAR in 2026 and want NASCAR TV and streaming programming this week? Here is this week’s NASCAR broadcast schedule. All times listed are ET.

HOW TO WATCH

Key information: FOX, FS1, FS2 | Prime Video | TNT Sports | Max in-car cameras | NBC, USA | The CW

Stream NASCAR races: Get FOX Sports App | Get the NBC Sports App | Watch on Peacock | FloRacing

Watch NASCAR 24/7: NASCAR Channel on Prime Video, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi and Xumo

More on The CW: Find your station

International: Watch NASCAR outside of the US

LISTINGS

Monday, June 15

5 p.m., ARCA Menards Series: Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150 at Pocono Raceway (re-air), FS2
6:30 p.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour: Erik Jones Interview (re-air), FS2
10 p.m., SPEED With Harvick & Buxton (re-air), FS2

Tuesday, June 16

5:30 a.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour: Erik Jones Interview (re-air), FS2
6 a.m., ARCA Menards Series: Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150 at Pocono Raceway (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour: Pocono Recap, FS1

Wednesday, June 17

1:30 a.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour: Pocono Recap (re-air), FS2
2:30 a.m., SPEED With Harvick & Buxton (re-air), FS2
4 p.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour: Pocono Recap (re-air), FS2
5 p.m., SPEED With Harvick & Buxton (re-air), FS2
10 p.m., ARCA Menards Series: Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150 at Pocono Raceway (re-air), FS2

Thursday, June 18

5:30 p.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour: Erik Jones Interview (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour: Pocono Recap (re-air), FS2
7 p.m., SPEED With Harvick & Buxton (re-air), FS2
10 p.m., SPEED With Harvick & Buxton (re-air), FS1
10:30 p.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, FS1

Friday, June 19

8:30 a.m., SPEED With Harvick & Buxton (re-air), FS2
9 a.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour (re-air), FS2
Noon, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Practice and Qualifying at Naval Base Coronado, FS2
3:30 p.m., NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: Practice at Naval Base Coronado, The CW App
5 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Practice at Naval Base Coronado, Prime Video
6:15 p.m., NASCAR Weekly Racing at Autodrome Granby, FloRacing
7 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Navy 250 at Naval Base Coronado, FS1

Saturday, June 20

5 a.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Navy 250 at Naval Base Coronado (re-air), FS2
1 p.m., NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: Qualifying at Naval Base Coronado, The CW
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Qualifying at Naval Base Coronado, Prime Video
4 p.m., NASCAR Countdown Live, The CW
5 p.m., NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: United Rentals Driven to Serve 250 at Naval Base Coronado, The CW
5:45 p.m., NASCAR Weekly Racing at Jennerstown Speedway, FloRacing
6:30 p.m., ARCA Menards Series: Herr’s Snacks 200 at Berlin Raceway, FS2
7 p.m., NASCAR Weekly Racing at Langley Speedway, FloRacing
8 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour: Thunder in the Mountains 200 at White Mountain Motorsports Park, FloRacing
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Navy 250 at Naval Base Coronado (re-air), FS2
TBD, NASCAR Modified 100 at Bowman Gray Stadium, FloRacing
TBD, NASCAR Weekly Racing at Riverhead Raceway, FloRacing

Sunday, June 21

4 a.m., ARCA Menards Series: Herr’s Snacks 200 at Berlin Raceway (re-air), FS2
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: NASCAR on Prime pre-race coverage, Prime Video
4 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado, Prime Video
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: NASCAR on Prime post-race coverage, Prime Video
11 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Navy 250 at Naval Base Coronado (re-air), FS2

Editor’s Note: The 2026 NASCAR TV Schedule is updated weekly throughout the season.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

LONG POND, Pa. — The 2026 season has presented Ford its fair share of challenges.

Through the season’s first 15 races, the manufacturer has just one win, which came with Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Team Penske group on March 8 at Phoenix Raceway. Sitting third in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, Blaney is one of just two Fords inside the top 10 in points ahead of Sunday’s race at Pocono Raceway (1 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Pocono schedule | Cup standings

The last month and a half has been underwhelming for the Blue Ovals. In five races since the beginning of May, Ford has just one top five: a fifth-place finish for Chris Buescher on May 3 at Texas Motor Speedway. The manufacturer was shut out of at least the top six positions at Watkins Glen International, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway and Michigan International Speedway.

As his point total depicts, Blaney has been the best of the Mustangs this year. But the most recent of his three top fives came in a runner-up finish to Ty Gibbs at Bristol Motor Speedway in the middle of April.

Optimism isn’t lost within the Ford camp — not by a long shot. However, there is a realistic acceptance that there is a gap between their current capabilities and the performance and execution of the Toyota and Chevrolet teams.

“You’re always trying to get better,” Blaney said Saturday at Pocono. “There’s always things we’re looking at doing to try to be a little better here and there. I mean, obviously you can’t do any body stuff, but can always set up things you’re trying to change. Like, did this work a little bit better here? Can we continue to refine that or work on that path? Sometimes you go down the wrong path, you know? And you learn from those. Not saying I don’t think we’ve gone down any wrong path; it’s just we’re continuing to try to figure things to do the best we can.

“There are things we can do, just try to refine some stuff. A little bit goes a long way in this series, so hopefully we can just start piecing together little things, and they start to add up.”

Team Penske has earned the best finishes for the Ford bunch over the past month, with Blaney, Joey Logano and Austin Cindric each taking turns as the manufacturer’s best finisher over the past four races. But best of the bunch isn’t all they’d like to be. And without a new body until the 2027 introduction of the Dark Horse Mustang SC, how can teams realistically erase any deficiencies?

“My message to my guys in general is we have to keep giving our 100%, trying to find every little bit we can,” No. 22 crew chief Paul Wolfe told NASCAR.com. “Because as long as I’ve been doing this now, eventually it’ll turn around and you’ll have at least equal or maybe we’ll have the advantage from a car-potential standpoint. And at that moment, you need to make sure you’ve got all your i’s dotted, t’s crossed, so that we can get back to Victory Lane and win those races like we know we’ve done in the past and that we’re capable of as a team.”

Ryan Blaney drives a Ford at Michigan in a NASCAR Cup Series race.
Brett Farmer | Getty Images

At RFK Racing, Buescher has been the lead dog of the three-car program statistically, joining Blaney as the only other Ford inside the top 10 in points, entering Sunday’s race eighth in the standings. As Buescher acknowledged in his Saturday press conference, “Our RFK circle had a pretty brutal month.” In five races for Buescher, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Preece since May began, the trio has combined for only two top 10s but collected five DNFs across 20 combined starts.

“We’ve never had to work so hard to run ninth at Michigan,” Buescher said. “That was largely due to several instances throughout the race that resulted in having to tape up the nose, so again, not the best read on the day and where we stacked up. I certainly look back at practice and even qualifying and the race at times, I feel like we had the ability to run top five, fifth to seventh. That was kind of what we were capable of there, and I guess (that’s) good and bad. That’s kind of where we’ve found ourselves at a lot of the mile-and-a-halfs.

“We’re close, but we have to keep pushing. We have some work to do, and we’re aware of that, but we’re certainly in the ballpark, and we feel like we’ve got good-handling race cars at RFK, and we’re working steadily to figure out how to get these Mustangs into Victory Lane. We’re just not quite there at that last step yet.”

Despite the lack of statistical success this season, Buescher said he has been eager to return to Pocono “for a lot of weeks,” particularly after a fourth-place run at the “Tricky Triangle” just one year ago. He anticipates last year’s notes will still apply — and practice proved he may be right as his No. 17 Ford was fastest in overall and five-lap averages.

“It’s going to translate, last year’s stuff,” Buescher said. “We’re not sitting still. We didn’t just copy-paste, but it is very largely based around what we had here last year and what was so fast for us. We very narrowly missed the pole here last year. We had a very fast lap in the race and ran up front all day. Just again, it’s the detail work that you’ve got to get right. These races are so hard to win, and they’re supposed to be, but, man, to really get those good days and turn them into great days, it’s down to the detail work. And we’re going to keep working on that.”

Buescher will start The Great American Getaway 400 from sixth position as Ford’s best qualifier, with Team Penske housemates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano 10th and 11th, respectively.

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to rural Pennsylvania for race 16 of the 2026 season at Pocono Raceway, while the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series returns to action after its first off weekend of the year at the “Tricky Triangle.” Bookmark this page for everything you need throughout race weekend, including qualifying orders, practice speeds, race results and more.

RELATED: Full weekend schedule | TV listings

NASCAR Cup Series

Race day: Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on Prime Video. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.

Tires: Eight sets for the weekend (six new sets for the race, one set for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and one set for practice).

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Starting Lineup
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Unofficial Race Results

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series

Race day: Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on The CW. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.

Tires: Five sets for the weekend (three new sets for the race, one set for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and one set for practice). 

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Starting Lineup
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results