Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

LONG POND, Pa. — Denny Hamlin finally got a result representative of his team’s speed. Alex Bowman, meanwhile, followed up his Chicago Street Race win with a second consecutive top five.

Neither were able to chase down Ryan Blaney for the victory Sunday at Pocono Raceway, but both saw the positives after much-needed runs for different reasons.

MORE: Race results | At-track photos

Hamlin drove the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to a second-place finish in the Great American Getaway 400, marking his first top-10 finish — let alone top-five finish — since a runner-up result at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 2.

“We were in such a terrible slump,” Hamlin told NBC Sports. “We were terrible for a month and a half or so in our finishes, not in our performance. Feels good to have at least a solid day leaving here. I only care about winning, but still, this kind of rebound is something that at least makes you feel a little better.”

His strong finish at Pocono came with some coaching over the radio from crew chief Chris Gabehart, who tried to give Hamlin everything he needed to pass Bowman with seven laps to go and give the No. 11 car a chance to chase down Blaney.

“In that instance, I think both of us knew it’s gonna be a hard hill to climb to pass the 48 (Bowman) and the 12 (Blaney) in 20 laps at Pocono,” Gabehart told NASCAR.com. “But there were a couple little technical things that I saw that I was just trying to help him with that we’ve been working on at this track. But at some point, you just got to let him go to work and finally, that’s what we did.

“And I’m really proud of him passing the 48. People don’t realize late in the going up front at Pocono how hard it is to pass. So even passing just one of them was a good feat. We just couldn’t pass two of them.”

Hamlin was in control two weeks prior at Nashville Superspeedway, leading with two laps to go in regulation before five overtime attempts ultimately thwarted what appeared to be a sure win. In the five races between his top-10 drought, Hamlin finished 38th, 24th, 24th, 12th and 30th at Sonoma, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nashville and Chicago, respectively.

To right the ship at Pocono, where Hamlin leads all-time with seven victories, was significant, particularly ahead of the July 21 return of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Sun., 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

“Yeah, it’s a big deal to your point,” Gabehart said. “We’ve had a lot of struggles — and everyone does. But with results, we should have quite a few more points in the bucket than we do at this point. So to take a big chunk out of the points lead, have a solid day heading into, in the 11 car’s opinion, probably the most important race of the year — the Brickyard at Indy is a big one for us now that it’s back on the oval. To try to get that last major for Denny, carrying a lot of momentum into that race is a big deal.”

Alex Bowman speaks to reporters after a NASCAR race at Pocono.
Alex Daus | NASCAR Digital Media

Bowman was in need of a strong performance for a much different reason than Hamlin, however. The No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team has shown consistent speed all season with 12 top 10s in 21 races and a 13.3 average finish, good for fourth-best in the NASCAR Cup Series standings.

But following last week’s win at Chicago with another top-five finish — this time, a third-place effort at Pocono — helps build positive momentum for the group with five races remaining in the regular season.

“Definitely good to be stringing races like this together,” Bowman said. “We’re gonna have to do that in the playoffs, so if we can continue to do that throughout the regular season, I think that’s really good for us.”

MORE: Bowman: ‘Hard to be satisfied’ with third place

The strength Bowman’s shown on the results sheet the past two weeks appears to be no fluke either, with the No. 48 car displaying speed in Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions as well.

“I think we did a good job kind of across the board,” Bowman said. “We did a good job all weekend. Got a little behind in traffic on some of those restarts, but yeah, I think our team did a really good job. We had really good pitstops, good strategy and good calls.”

Ultimately, Bowman lost a spot on that final run to the checkered flag when Hamlin completed the pass at Lap 153 — but in Bowman’s opinion, that was the result of a making higher-percentage decision.

“I could have raced the hell out of Denny, for sure,” Bowman said. “And it probably would have brought everybody behind us back to us. And I got really loose. I watched a couple people smoke the fence off (Turn) 3 today and ruin their days and I’m like — I was really, really loose over there and kind of knew that there’s maybe a 20% chance I could have held him off if I made his life super difficult. Probably a 50% chance I would’ve crashed trying to do it, and third is better than crashed.

“So just tried to make a smart call there and obviously hate to lose positions, but, you know, he raced me super clean on the restart and just tried to give him that respect back.”

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

LONG POND, Pa. — Bubba Wallace entered Pocono Raceway trying to get back to showing his fun-loving personality on Sundays.

His No. 23 Toyota challenged that goal throughout Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race, but the 23XI Racing veteran rebounded from a frustrating start to a 10th-place finish — his second top 10 in the past three weeks.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

“All in all, I was trying to have fun the first two stages,” Wallace said. “That’s what I said I was gonna do. I tried my ass off, and here we are, so good day.”

Wallace now has four straight finishes of 11th or better at Pocono — site of his Cup debut in 2017. But the Alabama native still felt like more points were left on the table.

Meanwhile, Ross Chastain — who now sits in the final position on the provisional playoff grid by 27 points over Wallace — crashed out of the race on Lap 53 and finished 36th. Additionally, Ty Gibbs qualified on pole but ultimately suffered an engine failure, relegating him to a 27th-place finish. Gibbs now sits 67 points ahead of the elimination line, with Wallace still on the outside looking in.

An ill-handling race car and strategy moves prevented the No. 23 team from collecting any stage points early in the contest, but the result was better than the start.

“We didn’t capitalize on points,” Wallace said. “But the 1 (Chastain) had a bad day. The 54 (Gibbs) had a bad day. It was a nice rebound. You know, usually we’re the opposite. We start really good and end up fading and giving up a lot of track position. Here, we were able to call a good strategy and hang on. We just didn’t have the car.

“The 6 (Brad Keselowski), drove it down in (Turn) 1, and I was gonna race the hell out of him for it, and I realized I was going to crash and he was just going to keep going. So it’s pretty eye-opening on how far we’re off. So gotta have a good debrief tomorrow.”

Knowing the No. 23 car was lacking Sunday, crew chief Bootie Barker may not have loved the overall performance but was focused on the post-race positives.

“Great team, great driver,” Barker said. “We got it in us. We capitalized. I’m happy.”

And while Wallace was trying to have fun again, that wasn’t exactly high on Barker’s list of objectives.

“Yeah, to hell with fun as far as I’m concerned,” Barker said. “I just want to run hard, and he did, so I’m proud of him for that. He did good, man.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney returned to the site of his first career NASCAR Cup Series win and pulled away from the field in the closing laps of Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 at a sold-out Pocono Raceway to deliver a strong reminder to the competition that he’s primed to contend for another season trophy.

Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford held off Denny Hamlin, the track’s all-time winningest driver, in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota by 1.312 seconds to give Blaney his second victory of the season – both coming in just the last five races – and the 12th win of the 30-year-old’s career.

“Hell yeah, boys, let’s go,” an elated Blaney screamed to his team as he crossed the historic Pocono finish line.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Pocono

With the victory, Blaney moves up to fifth place in the championship standings, and thanks to his first win of the year at Iowa Speedway on June 16, he’s one of only five drivers with multiple victories on the season.

“Feel like we’ve gotten to a great pace and speed the last couple months,” Blaney said. “Honestly thought we let a couple races slip away from us I thought we should have won. It’s just so cool to win here again. Won here seven years ago for my first Cup win, so awesome to be back.’’

SHOP: Race winner gear

Although he ran among the top 10 for much of the race, Blaney ultimately took the lead on a restart with 44 laps remaining and never relinquished it despite two more restarts and a highly motivated Hamlin lining up either alongside him or directly behind him on each of those green flags.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman, last week’s race winner, filled Blaney’s mirrors for much of the closing laps until getting passed by Hamlin with seven laps remaining. Bowman finished third, with his Hendrick teammate William Byron and Blaney’s Team Penske teammate Joey Logano rounding out the top five.

“Track position was just such a big thing, and when that 12 [Blaney] jumped on that stage we won, that put them in front of us and certainly were going to be hard to pass,’’ said Hamlin, a seven-time Pocono race winner who won Sunday’s second stage.

“Just not enough laps of green there at the end, but hats off to them, great run. He kept up great pace at there at the front and hard for me to even get up there close enough to try to reel him in.”

23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski, JGR’s Martin Truex Jr. (the opening stage winner), Hendrick’s Chase Elliott and 23XI’s Bubba Wallace rounded out the top 10. Both Elliott’s and Wallace’s finishes, in particular, were impactful on the championship standings.

The 2020 series champion Elliott took over the championship lead from his teammate, 2021 series champ Kyle Larson, and he takes a slim three-point advantage atop the regular season standings with only five races remaining before the playoffs. The Regular Season Champion receives a valuable 15 extra playoff points to carry with him through the 10-race playoff run.

Wallace’s top-10 finish was also important in his quest to become championship-eligible for the second consecutive year. He is now ranked 17th, only 27 points behind 16th-place Ross Chastain on the provisional playoff grid. The 16 title-eligible drivers will be determined after the Sept. 1 race at Darlington Raceway.

Chastain, one of four drivers inside the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff field without a win but based on points, finished 36th Sunday. His No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet slammed the Turn 1 wall on Lap 53, and the team had to retire the car.

Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch was involved in a multi-car accident with 39 laps remaining and finished 32nd on Sunday. He’s now finished 27th or worse in four of the last five races, including DNFs in five of his last seven. Busch is ranked 19th in the playoff standings, 102 points behind Chastain. The two-time series champion is not only trying to make the playoffs but extend a career winning streak to 19 seasons.

MORE: Chastain out early at Pocono | Busch, LaJoie tangle in final stage

The Cup Series’ next race is the Brickyard 400, scheduled next Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, IMS Radio, SiriusXM, NBC Sports App) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Notes: Cup Series post-race technical inspection was completed without issue, confirming Blaney as the race winner. Competition officials indicated that three cars — one from each manufacturer — would be brought back to the NASCAR Research & Development Center for further inspection: the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for driver Christopher Bell, the No. 22 Team Penske Ford for driver Joey Logano, and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for Alex Bowman. …Ty Gibbs started from the pole position and led twice for 21 laps, but his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota expired with engine failure 28 laps from the end. He finished 27th.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Staff Report

A jam-up on a restart with 40 laps remaining caused a major crash in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway, dealing Kyle Busch another jolt to his playoff quest.

Corey LaJoie’s No. 7 Chevrolet made contact with Busch’s No. 8 Chevy as the field fanned out and then tried to funnel into Turn 1 in the final stage of the Great American Getaway 400. The nudge sent Busch’s No. 8 sliding through the infield grass and back up into traffic, collecting the cars of AJ Allmendinger, Harrison Burton, Ryan Preece and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Pocono

Busch, mired in the longest winless skid of his Cup Series career, sank further in his quest for a berth in the Cup Series Playoffs with a 32nd-place finish. He dropped to the rear of the field for Sunday’s start after his Richard Childress Racing crew discovered an oil leak on the grid, and Busch ended up with his fifth DNF in the last seven races.

Busch took the high road by thanking sponsors when asked about the contact with LaJoie. When pressed, Busch offered: “That’s just racing these days. It’s what happens.”

LaJoie, who drove on to a 19th-place finish, said post-race that he would not have reacted differently if placed in the same situation again.

“No, you’ve got to take the run,” said LaJoie, who was hampered by a Lap 96 pit-road speeding penalty. “You know, I don’t want to … I’m not the guy that wants to wreck anybody, but I think if Kyle blocks only once, then we both go around the corner and live to fight another day. But that second block that he thought he had it covered and he didn’t was what did him in and did a couple other guys in. But man, it is really hard. It is so freakin’ hard to run 19th. I mean, it’s all I got, tongue hanging out, so you have to be perfect.”

Busch was 98 points behind the provisional playoff elimination line entering Sunday’s 400-miler. After Sunday, he sits unofficially 102 points back, with just five regular-season races remaining.

MORE: Updated Cup Series standings

LaJoie said there was nothing intentional about the contact between the two.

“I think Kyle and I have been racing around each other long enough, we’re not going to smash into each other on purpose,” LaJoie said. “We both are guys that feel like we belong, certainly him, but I mean, I’m not going to say sorry. I’m not sorry about it, because that was the thing. If the shoe was on the other foot, the exact same thing would’ve happened, and I think he would probably say that.”

Preece (30th), Burton (31st) and Stenhouse (33rd) were all sidelined.

“It’s always erratic. That’s what we do now,” Burton said after a check at the infield care center. “It’s just part of how we race. These cars are so close, and track position is so important, you just have to kind of race like an ass, which is hard. It’s hard to do and not overstep your bounds. That’s just the nature of this beast. The best guys at it are really smooth and consistent while being at that level.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Ross Chastain found early trouble in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race, exiting in a Stage 2 crash at Pocono Raceway.

Chastain started 19th in the 37-car field in Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400. His No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet was running 21st before it broke loose in Turn 3 in the 53rd of a scheduled 160 laps, making significant right-side contact with the outside retaining wall.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Pocono

Chastain scraped the Turn 1 wall as he nursed the No. 1 Chevy back to pit road. His Trackhouse crew determined that the damage was terminal due to broken control arms in the right front, ending Chastain’s day.

Chastain was credited with a 36th-place finish, one spot ahead of Noah Gragson, who was the race’s first retiree in an opening-stage wreck.

“I just flat spun out,” Chastain said upon getting evaluated and released from the infield care center. “We’re all sliding around, but I just spun out.”

Chastain entered the 400-miler in 12th place in the Cup Series standings, with a 53-point cushion relative to the playoff elimination line. After Sunday’s event, he slipped below Chris Buescher to become the last driver on the provisional playoff grid, now unofficially holding just a 27-point edge over Bubba Wallace with just five races left in the regular season before the 16-driver postseason field is set.

Chastain emphasized his disappointment after simply sliding wide, his right-rear quarter panel catching the SAFER barrier before a right-front crunch.

“I’m just worried about why I spun out,” Chastain said. “I’m a race car driver in the Cup Series. I shouldn’t be doing that. You don’t see us do that too often. So when I do it myself, I’m as surprised as everybody else.”

Crew chief Phil Surgen told NASCAR.com that Chastain had warned the car was sliding and in need of an adjustment on the next stop.

“We started that run on those tires a little bit tight, and it built looser,” Surgen said. “So I think a couple of laps prior, he had said that the car’s freed up now and needs some right-rear grip, so it was on the loose side there. Just unfortunate.”

Chastain was not much concerned with the playoff picture while trying to come to terms with his second DNF in the past three weeks. Surgen, on the other hand, had his mind on what lies ahead.

“We’ll just have to evaluate after today what happened to the other guys,” Surgen said. “They might end up in a similar situation and it won’t be much different — or things could look altogether different if we get a flyer that is back in points to win or something. We’ll see what happens. Like you said, the mindset doesn’t change. You’re gonna show up every week, try to be as fast as you can, sit on pole, win the race.

“As we close in at the end of the regular season, depending on where we are relative to those cars we’re racing, that’ll probably change the amount of risk we take for a win. But it’ll be really situational. You know, we’re not gonna go out and just throw Hail Marys next week just because.”

The hunt for the playoffs continues on July 21 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the return of the Brickyard 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Contributing: Zach Sturniolo

Posted on by Staff Report

The No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet for driver Kyle Busch was whisked from the starting grid as the team scrambled to address an oil leak before the start of Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway.

Busch’s No. 8 Chevy dropped to the rear of the 37-car field for the start of the Great American Getaway 400 because of the unapproved adjustments. Busch’s car, which arrived on the grid just in time during pre-race ceremonies, was scheduled to take the green flag from 24th place.

RELATED: Pocono results | At-track photos

Busch finished 32nd in Sunday’s race after crashing with the only other car to drop to the rear for the start — the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet for driver Corey LaJoie. Their contact caused a multi-car calamity during a restart with 40 laps remaining.

Busch’s fifth DNF in the last seven races dropped him to 102 points behind the provisional elimination line in the Cup Series Playoffs picture. Five regular-season events remain.

Posted on by Alex Cadavid

Editor’s note: Race projection has been updated after Saturday’s practice and qualifying session. Notable changes include William Byron moving up from fourth to second, Ty Gibbs moving into the top 10 and Kyle Busch dropping out of the top 10.

The Cup Series returns to Pocono Raceway on Sunday after a wet and wild contest on the streets of Chicago that saw Alex Bowman beat the clock to end an 80-race winless streak.

The name to watch out for this week is Denny Hamlin. The No. 11 driver has won seven races at Pocono, and Racing Insights predicts he will extend his all-time record to eight wins this weekend in the Great American Getaway 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). Hamlin has shown to be a master around the “Tricky Triangle,” leading laps in each of the last nine races at the circuit. He’s also the betting favorite to win outright.

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live roster | Pocono schedule

Plus, Joe Gibbs Racing has had tremendous success at the Long Pond tri-oval, earning the most poles (4), race wins (7), runner-ups (4), top fives (22), and leading the most laps (789) at Pocono Raceway since 2017.

The cards are in Hamlin and JGR’s favor, but Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team are right behind at a projected third-place finish. The two drivers shared an aggressive battle late in the final stage at Pocono last year and continue to have run-ins throughout this season. With how well both teams have run at Pocono in the Next Gen era and the fact both are looking to be the first driver with four wins in 2024, it feels as though another Hamlin-Larson battle is coming.

MORE: Larson says on-track racing with Hamlin all about trust | History of run-ins

It’s also worth pointing out that Larson has finished second to Hamlin six times, and on each occasion, the pair has finished 1-2. Could he really stomach the feeling of being on the wrong side of a 1-2 finish with Hamlin again?

With six races left in the regular season, it’s also crunch time for the rest of the field to try to earn a spot in the playoffs. It leaves the door open for a new winner to be in Victory Lane on Sunday.

OTHER DRIVERS TO WATCH:

TY GIBBS: It’s almost a bit surprising Gibbs hasn’t won yet. He started the year finishing in the top 10 in five of the first seven races but has only added four in the 13 races since. He has an 84-point cushion but could find his way into trouble as the season winds down. As mentioned earlier, JGR comes to perform at Pocono, and four drivers have earned the first Cup win at the track. Could Gibbs become the fifth?

CHRIS BUESCHER: Five of the last eight races have been won by drivers who got their first win of the season. Three of those five entered the race as the last driver above the elimination line. Chris Buescher now moves to 16th place in the playoff standings after Bowman’s win in Chicago. He did score his first Cup win at Pocono, so it will be interesting to see if he can lock himself in and continue the trend.

BUBBA WALLACE: It sure is getting interesting below the elimination line. Wallace needs a turnaround at Pocono, a track where most Toyotas tend to perform better than the other manufacturers. Wallace should have a chip on his shoulder to score points to help his chances of making the playoffs for the second straight year.

TODD GILLILAND: Gilliland has put together consistent races in the thick of the season. He hasn’t finished outside the top 20 since Dover and is gaining more and more traction as a possible dark horse to surprise the field and score a win. He finished 15th at Pocono last year, and with the step forward he’s taken this year, that result should improve.

ERIK JONES: Pocono is one of Jones’ best tracks. He has five top fives — tied for his most at a track. Jones has also scored top-10 finishes in eight of the last 12 Pocono races, with his last two races there resulting in a pair of ninth-place finishes.

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE GREAT AMERICAN GETAWAY 400 PRESENTED BY VISTPA.COM

Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results.

FinishCar NumberDriver
111Denny Hamlin
224William Byron
35Kyle Larson
49Chase Elliott
519Martin Truex Jr.
66Brad Keselowski
745Tyler Reddick
848Alex Bowman
954Ty Gibbs
1012Ryan Blaney
1120Christopher Bell
128Kyle Busch
1322Joey Logano
1423Bubba Wallace
1599Daniel Suárez
1643Erik Jones
1717Chris Buescher
1834Michael McDowell
191Ross Chastain
203Austin Dillon
2138Todd Gilliland
2216AJ Allmendinger
232Austin Cindric
2447Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2510Noah Gragson
2614Chase Briscoe
274Josh Berry
2821Harrison Burton
297Corey LaJoie
3041Ryan Preece
3151Justin Haley
3242John H. Nemechek
3331Daniel Hemric
3477Carson Hocevar
3571Zane Smith
3615Cody Ware
3744J.J. Yeley
Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

LONG POND, Pa. — Chandler Smith and Sam Mayer had a difference of opinion after Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway.

Mayer hustled to a 10th-place finish and Smith 15th, but close-quarters action in the Pocono Mountains 225 left Smith frustrated with Mayer. After the race, Smith exited his No. 81 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and went directly to Mayer’s car, expressing said frustration with a raised voice while Mayer sat in his car unbuckling.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

The root of Smith’s anger stemmed from how he felt Mayer raced him.

“I mean he sat on my door in the ‘Tunnel Turn’ three times — about wrecked all three times,” Smith told NASCAR.com. “And then he wrecked the 97 (Shane van Gisbergen). He ain’t gonna mess with me anymore; I can promise you that. And if he does, I guarantee he won’t do it again. Hopefully, he got the message.”

Mayer was left surprised by how angered Smith was after the 90-lap matinee at Pocono — particularly before he could even get out of his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. He, instead, had van Gisbergen on his mind after a bump from Mayer entering Turn 2 sent SVG spinning from 10th with seven laps remaining.

“He can’t handle being raced hard, I guess; I don’t know,” Mayer told NASCAR.com. “I mean, that was the last person I expected to be upset with me today. Huge apologies out to the 97 guys. I just messed up. I drove in a little too hard. Brake pedal started fading a little bit and I didn’t account for that, so that’s on me there.

“But Chandler, I don’t know, man. Not my problem.”

Sam Mayer drives at Pocono Raceway.
Alex Daus | NASCAR Digital Media

Mayer saw nothing egregious from his side-by-side battles with Smith around the 2.5-mile triangular circuit, adding to his post-race surprise.

“He was saying that I put it on his door multiple times, which if you’ve watched racing, you know that that happens every lap,” Mayer said. “So not really too sure why he’s mad about that. Definitely frustrated to see him come in my window like that and not even give me a chance to talk back. Frustrating to hear that, but I’m also frustrated with myself for what happened with the 97.”

Smith said he and Mayer had raced against each other just fine over the years, but Saturday’s aggression was enough to be a tipping point for the 22-year-old Smith.

“I’ve never had anything go on with Mayer at all,” Smith said. “We’ve always raced each other clean, respectful, and I’ve had respect for him. I know a lot of other people in the garage never have really been on that same page with him. I’ve always had good run-ins with him, so I was like, ‘Oh it’s whatever, I guess. Just sucks to be you, right?’ But today, I got a glimpse of what they were talking about and I’m not gonna put up with that.”

While Mayer and Smith both walked away with top-15 finishes, van Gisbergen — a three-time winner this season in Xfinity competition — finished 31st after separate contact on the race’s final restart.

The Xfinity Series next races on July 20 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 3:30 p.m. ET (USA Network, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Posted on by Holly Cain

Reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer claimed his first win of the 2024 season Saturday, beating his closest championship challenger Justin Allgaier to the Explore The Pocono Mountains 225 checkered flag and giving Ford its first series win of the year.

Custer’s No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford took the lead from Allgaier on a restart with nine laps remaining and then held off the JR Motorsports Chevrolet by 0.670 seconds to secure his 14th career victory in a thrilling finish at Pocono Raceway. He becomes the first driver to win multiple Xfinity Series races at the historic 2.5-mile track — answering his 2019 win.

“You just try to manage it the best you can, but it’s kind of the luck of the draw who gets the best push,’’ a smiling Custer said of having to hold off perennial championship contender Allgaier and third-place finisher Cup Series regular William Byron in the closing laps.

“That was some Doug Yates horsepower right there. We definitely had it on the straightaways and man, I just can’t say enough about these guys. They’ve worked so hard this whole year and just haven’t had that final result. To finally get it, is so awesome.’’

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Allgaier led a race-best 30 of 90 laps with the 25-year-old Californian Custer out front for 25 laps — the two drivers each winning a stage. For Allgaier, his Stage 1 victory was a series-best 11th, but a pit-road penalty during the ensuing pit stop forced him to work his way back up through the field.

And even with all the impressive race statistics and compelling comeback story lines Saturday, it was missing out on the trophy after such a strong showing that stuck with Allgaier when he climbed out of his Chevrolet.

“Really proud of everyone at JR Motorsports, just really stinks to come out of here second,’’ Allgaier said. “Led so many laps here and feel like the same result every time, just not able to go to Victory Lane … just came up a little short and it’s going to sting for a little while.’’

This year’s Daytona 500 winner and the 2017 Xfinity Series champion Byron was making his third Xfinity Series start of the season and kept the field honest, leading 17 laps.  

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Sheldon Creed and Taylor Gray rounded out the top five. Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill, Big Machine Racing’s Parker Kligerman and JR Motorsports teammates Sammy Smith and Sam Mayer rounded out the top 10.

Custer extended his lead atop the Xfinity Series championship and now holds a 51-point advantage on Allgaier. With seven races remaining to set the 12-driver playoff field, Smith holds a 23-point edge over Ryan Sieg for that 12th position. 

The Xfinity Series returns to action next Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Pennzoil 250 (3:30 p.m. ET, USA, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).  Ty Gibbs won the race last year on the Indianapolis road course. However, Kyle Busch won the last Xfinity Series race on the famed 2.5-mile oval in 2019.

Note: Post-race technical inspection was completed without any issues, confirming Custer as the race winner. The Nos. 17 and 18 will be taken back to the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina, for teardown.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

LONG POND, Pa. — Daniel Suárez received a gift he will never forget this week.

On July 12, Suárez revealed he was sent an American flag that was certified to have flown over the United States Capitol to commemorate Suárez’s recent U.S. citizenship.

The flag was sent via Jim Cassidy, a former executive at NASCAR who worked with the sport for over two decades, most recently as the sport’s chief international officer before departing in 2019.

“Not a lot of people know this, but I have a great relationship with Jim Cassidy, an ex-executive of NASCAR,” Suárez said Saturday at Pocono Raceway. “And he sent me this gift, which I had no idea exactly what it was. And then when I opened it and I read the paper on the flag where it was flown, it was very emotional, especially because I opened that gift and I opened a few packages I got and received at the house — and the very next package was my American passport.

“So I opened the flag and my American passport within a minute of each other. I got goosebumps right now because it was a special (moment). I was alone in the house, so nobody knew. Nobody knew what was happening but myself, so it was a special moment for myself.”

Suárez, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, was sworn in as a United States citizen on June 18, 12 years after coming to the USA to pursue his racing dreams. That the driver of the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet was gifted such a unique and meaningful present — dated on his first Independence Day as an American citizen — only added to the meaning behind receiving the flag.