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.

Posted on by Dustin Albino

An eventful practice session at Pocono Raceway saw two of the pre-race favorites go for single-car spins. Many drivers anticipated the “Tunnel Turn” being tricky due to a set of bumps leading into the corner. It collected Kyle Larson during Group A of practice, and Tyler Reddick spun off Turn 1 in Group B. The No. 45 machine still held the fastest overall time, nearly a tenth of a second better than Martin Truex Jr. in second. Those two Toyotas paced the field on 10-lap averages. Aside from the speed of Hendrick Motorsports drivers Alex Bowman and William Byron, there aren’t many notable changes in my lineup compared to earlier this week.

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live lineups

Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:

Starter 1: Denny Hamlin

Starter 2: Martin Truex Jr.

Starter 3: Kyle Larson

Starter 4: Tyler Reddick

Starter 5: William Byron

Garage pick: Alex Bowman

NEXT IN LINE: Ty Gibbs, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell

RISING: I’ve used Gibbs plenty over the last couple of months and only have two starts remaining with the No. 54 team in the regular season. It feels like a matter of time before the 21-year-old finds Victory Lane. It’s believable to think it could come on Sunday. If you’ve got at least three starts remaining with Gibbs, it might be worth utilizing him in your lineup this weekend. Not only did Gibbs win his second career pole, but the No. 54 Toyota also was fourth in 10-lap averages.

As noted earlier in the week, 13 races have passed since Logano tallied his most recent top-five finish at Pocono (2016). Team Penske, in general, has struggled in Long Pond, though Blaney has had some shining moments. The No. 22 Ford was scored 13th in practice and made the final round of qualifying. Pocono is the exact opposite of short tracks — Team Penske’s wheelhouse this year — so I’m still not considering Logano for my lineup.

FALLING: Bubba Wallace came into the media center, declaring he was a new man starting this weekend. Gone are the days of being unhappy at the race track. That was put to the test immediately as the No. 23 wiggled during its qualifying lap and will start deep in the field in 29th. Wallace believes he will be able to drive through the field at ease on Sunday, but almost certainly, a new strategy will need to be formulated by his crew chief, Bootie Barker, in order to score stage points. This is why he’s dropped from my lineup.

Elliott has dropped from my lineup in place of Byron, his Hendrick teammate. The No. 24 car looks to have race-winning potential in it. All four HMS cars were competitive, but Elliott was on the lower end, based on practice and qualifying.

FEATURED MATCHUPS:

Alex Bowman vs. Bubba Wallace: Momentum can be a beautiful thing, and the No. 48 Chevrolet was fast on Saturday at Pocono. Coming off his win at the Chicago Street Course, Bowman will start from sixth position, giving him a 23-spot advantage on Wallace at the start of the race. With how fast the Toyotas are, Wallace, who was fourth quickest in practice, will likely be in the mix. Hendrick Motorsports showed up with comparable speed. I’m flipping to Bowman, who does have a recent victory at Pocono (2021).

Tyler Reddick vs. Ty Gibbs: For the second time in his young career, Gibbs will lead the field to the green flag for a Cup Series race. He had a car that could contend for the win based on practice, too. As does Reddick, who was quickest in practice despite the Turn 1 spin and ranked in the top three on five- and 10-lap averages. This might be one of those weeks where you choose blindly out of a hat, but I’m sticking with Reddick, who will start seventh.

Kyle Busch vs. Ryan Blaney: Another week, another race where Busch believes his No. 8 Chevrolet lacks grip compared to the field. The No. 8 car was 21st on single-lap speed in practice and was still struggling despite Randall Burnett making three adjustments. Blaney led the way for Team Penske in qualifying and was 14th in practice. Aside from picking up his first win at Pocono, Blaney’s numbers aren’t particularly flashy. But as he noted on Saturday, he dropped a cylinder while leading last year. Rolling with the No. 12 Ford on Sunday.

Christopher Bell vs. Kyle Larson: It’s rare that Larson is ever the slowest of the Hendrick Motorsports bunch, but he will start the deepest in the field of the four teams in 12th. As noted earlier, he went for a spin in Turn 2 during practice but still ranked eighth. Bell, meanwhile, was the slowest of the JGR cars in qualifying and will start right behind the No. 5 car in 13th. These two will likely slice their way through the field, but my gut tells me to go with Larson because he’s typically in the mix to win at Pocono.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

LONG POND, Pa. — Bubba Wallace was fined $50,000 after the Chicago Street Race for contacting race winner Alex Bowman on the cool-down lap.

Nearly a week removed from the contact, Wallace entered Pocono Raceway on Saturday with a newfound perspective following the penalty issued by NASCAR on Tuesday.

MORE: Pocono schedule | At-track photos

“The penalty was probably the best thing to happen to me,” Wallace said. “I’ve been miserable for years walking around with a persona that I’m not proud of. I apologize. I need to apologize to a lot of people that are close to me. … Just frustrated and trying way too hard and not focused on the right things.”

NASCAR officials handed the fine to Wallace after his post-race door bump to Bowman, which stemmed from an incident in wet conditions at Lap 25. Heading to Turn 2, Bowman carried too much speed, locked the brakes on his No. 48 Chevrolet and slid into Wallace’s right-rear corner, sending Wallace spinning. Post-race, Wallace used his car to bump Bowman door-to-door. Bowman’s window net was down and also led him against the concrete barriers on the street circuit.

Wallace went on to finish 13th at Chicago, but road racing has never been his strong suit, he admits. That only added to last weekend’s frustration.

“I’ve been putting my heart and soul into getting better and spending time with the team in the sim and trying to be better showing up to Chicago,” Wallace said. “That was our best road-course race ever. And to have that wiped out in two corners when the conditions change over (Bowman) messing with switches … when that’s all ripped away, you feel some type of entitlement to show your frustration.

“Did I time it wrong? Sure, 100%. Window net was down, seat belts were off. Not an ideal situation. And you know, it’s the guy you’re racing with in the points and then he goes on to win the race. So it’s like icing on the cake, right? So it’s just three or four slaps in the face when you’re working your ass off to be better for the team and just ripped away. Not that I’m justifying it at all — but I’m a passionate guy and I let my frustration get the best of me.”

Bubba Wallace drives during NASCAR Cup Series practice at Pocono.
Alex Daus | NASCAR Digital Media

Wallace credited Kevin Harvick, 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion and current FOX Sports analyst, for guidance midweek when Wallace was competing in the Summer Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Harvick, in part, told Wallace “to show up with a smile on my face and accept it.”

“He also told me a lot of powerful things, to show up and and be the fun-loving guy that I am throughout the week,” Wallace said. “I think that has been one of the most important things told to me that people don’t see who I actually am on Sundays. And that broke me, right? Because I always preach about being the same person on and off the race track.”

The 30-year-old father-to-be has long been an advocate for mental health and says he has been kept in check, but that he’s largely been “miserable” the last four years “just trying to carry this persona.”

“So I came into this weekend with a smile on my face and wanting to have fun,” said Wallace, who qualified 26th for Sunday’s race at Pocono. “And so that’s what I’m focused on. I did not have fun in qualifying. I about crashed. But it is what it is. You know, I think last week if this was right now, I’d be pissed off and didn’t want to talk to you guys. But you know, you roll with the punches. You roll with the $50,000 fine. You roll with a P26 qualifying spot. And it is what it is. You got another day to figure it out, go have fun, pass a lot of cars and that’s where my mind’s at.”

Bowman said during the winner’s press conference Sunday at Chicago that he didn’t believe the contact warranted a penalty and stood by his thoughts at Pocono.

“I mean, I don’t think my opinion of the whole thing really mattered,” Bowman said. “I didn’t feel like it was anything terrible on my end from where I sat and I certainly understood why he was mad at me. But it’s obviously NASCAR’s decision on what they’re going to do. I feel like stuff like that happens more often than the TV camera probably catches but yeah, it was one of those deals.”

Bowman attempted to apologize to Wallace during a rain delay at Chicago last weekend and the two exchanged texts Monday, settling any residual frustration.

“I texted him Monday sitting in our debrief,” Wallace said, “because he texts me: ‘Hey man, sorry. Immediately locked up.’ He didn’t mention anything about switches until TV. And he’s like, ‘If there’s any consolation, my (expletive) is destroyed too.’ And I text them after the race: ‘Yeah, ha. Real destroyed. Nice job on the win.’ So we’re good.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

The Great American Getaway 400

(⏰ Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET | USA Network | NBC Sports App | MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | NASCAR 101

Location: Long Pond, Pa.
Track length: 2.5 miles
Race purse: $7,776,907
Race distance: 160 laps | 400 miles
Stages: 30 | 95 | 160
—
Starting lineup: Ty Gibbs drives to pole position
Pit stall assignments: See where drivers will pit
Defending winner: Denny Hamlin, July 2023

Key things to watch

Saturday sessions

Ty Gibbs rolled to his second career Cup Series pole, putting the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota through its paces at a speed of 170.039 mph. Both of his poles have come this season, with his first No. 1 starting spot arriving in May for the Coca-Cola 600. William Byron will start second in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet, and the second row will be two more JGR Toyotas, with Martin Truex Jr. third and Denny Hamlin fourth.

Practice was an eventful stretch for the field, which was split in half for a pair of 20-minute sessions. Tyler Reddick topped the speed chart at 168.231 mph, but his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota spun during practice, avoiding contact with the wall. Kyle Larson was another spinner, looping his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet off Turn 2 during the first 20-minute stint. Byron was second-fastest overall in practice, with Truex completing the top three. | Full Saturday recap

Big story line

Playoff pressure still percolates as teams make their case

Alex Bowman’s victory last week in the Chicago streets did another number on the Cup Series Playoffs picture, but it also completed a four-team sweep for Hendrick Motorsports in terms of postseason eligibility. The only other organization with all of its teams in the provisional playoff grid is Team Penske, which converted with victories by Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano in a lucrative five-week stretch.

Which other organizations have the oomph to put all of their drivers in the field? There are a handful of likely candidates, and their drivers are all along the bubble.

Six races remain before the 16-driver grid of championship hopefuls is set, and that half-dozen includes Sunday’s 400-miler at the famously triangular track in the Keystone State. Twelve drivers have secured clinching victories in the regular season thus far, and three drivers — Bowman, Blaney and Logano — have extricated themselves from bubble limbo with breakthroughs in the last four weeks.

Joe Gibbs Racing has two drivers in the win column this year, with Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin snagging three apiece. The rest of their four-car fleet is still looking for that first 2024 victory, led by veteran Martin Truex Jr., a two-time Pocono winner and the top points-earner currently winless. Ty Gibbs is right behind teammate Truex in the playoff picture, and a win — which seems on the verge, especially given his best final-round speed in Saturday’s Busch Light Pole qualifying session — would be a Cup Series career first.

Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain is among those searching, aiming to join teammate Daniel Suárez in the win column. He’s plus-53 above the provisional elimination line and was in the late-race mix two weeks ago at Nashville Superspeedway. Chastain is still seeking his first Pocono top-10 finish.

Chris Buescher sits as the last driver above the bubble line, plus-45, and also on the cusp in his bid to meet RFK Racing owner/driver Brad Keselowski in the playoff fold. His first Cup Series victory came at Pocono as a rookie in 2016, and he got hot just before the postseason last year, winning three of five to close out the regular-season campaign.

History tells us…

Toyota drivers have their triangle tendencies. Recent results suggest with good reason that Toyota drivers have found favor in the Pocono hills, with eight victories in the last 11 races there. Leading that charge has been Denny Hamlin — the defending race victor and a record seven-time Pocono winner overall. Hamlin is the track’s laps leader among active Cup Series drivers with 827 circuits out front, though he’s finished outside the top 20 in his last five Cup Series races, including a 30th-place run at Chicago last weekend.

The most recent winners outside of the Joe Gibbs Racing umbrella have been Chevrolets driven by Hendrick Motorsports pilots Chase Elliott (2022) and Alex Bowman (2020). The last Ford win at Pocono was courtesy of Kevin Harvick, who delivered in Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 4 on the front end of a weekend doubleheader in 2020.

He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…

ALEX BOWMAN. Last weekend’s Chicago victory might have exposed some of the under-the-radar nature of the No. 48 Chevrolet driver, but Bowman can still be had for 30-1 opening odds on the DraftKings board. He’s further down the list compared to other former Pocono winners, but three wins in the last five races on the 2.5-mile track indicate a level of consistency that’s worth a look. Bowman starts sixth Sunday.

Even further back on the board, Stewart-Haas Racing drivers Josh Berry and Chase Briscoe may not be auditioning for 2025 rides anymore, but they’re intent on finishing up strong as the organization bids farewell. They’re both overachievers setting off at an enticing 100-1, with Berry the higher qualifier in fifth to Briscoe’s 28th. | Pocono odds

Speed reads

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• On the move: Noah Gragson to join Front Row Motorsports in 2025 | Read article
• Crew chief transfer: Rodney Childers to head to Spire next season | Read article
• Electric company: NASCAR explores EVs: ‘We want to be in the driver’s seat’ | Read article
• Prototype preview: Closer look at NASCAR’s electric vehicle | Photo gallery
• Gala appearance: Ryan Blaney hits Hollywood for ESPY Awards | Read article
• Penalty phase: Bubba Wallace fined for Chicago post-race bump | Read article
• Spots getting scarce: Tension mounts along playoff bubble | Read article
• Power Rankings: Kyle Busch could find summer stride; see full Top 20 | Photo gallery
• Turning Point: Sizing up the latest bubble dweller to reach playoff potential | Read article
• Racing Insights: Full finishing order projections for Sunday’s 400-miler | Read article
• Field of 16: How the playoff picture shakes out for Pocono | Read article
• 36 for 36: Check out this week’s survivor pool picks | Read article
• Fantasy Fastlane: Strong signs for Hamlin, Larson, Reddick this weekend | Read article
• Fantasy Update: Toyota, Hendrick Motorsports lead charge| Read article
• NASCAR Classics: Head into the video vault with vintage Pocono replays | Read article
• Paint Scheme Preview: Fresh designs primed for Pennsylvania | Pick your favorite

Fast facts ⏩

Race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• Team Penske has nine Pocono Raceway wins, but none since Brad Keselowski prevailed back in 2011
• Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick are tied for the most points earned (211) in the last six Cup Series races
• The Stage 2 winner has failed to win the overall race in the last 12 Pocono events

Posted on by Holly Cain

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs earned his second career NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Pole Award, claiming the top starting spot for Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VisitPA.com at Pocono Raceway (2:30 p.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

The 21-year-old Gibbs will line up first in the No. 54 JGR Toyota, equaling his best previous series qualifying effort at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. His lap of 170.039 mph around the 2.5-mile Pocono oval was 0.118 seconds faster than William Byron in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

“Definitely satisfying for sure,’’ Gibbs said, adding, “We were really fast and I just appreciate all the effort from my Monster Energy team, wouldn’t be here without them and all my sponsors. It was really really fun and the car is really good. So we’ll see what we can do and hopefully, we can get a win tomorrow.’’

RELATED: Sunday’s starting lineup | At-track photos

Three of the four JGR drivers advanced to the final round of qualifying. And it was an all-JGR second row, including Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 JGR Toyota and the track’s all-time winningest active driver, seven-time Pocono race winner Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 JGR Toyota.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s rookie Josh Berry and last week’s Chicago race winner, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman, will take the green flag from the third row. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, Spire Motorsports rookie Zane Smith and Team Penske’s Joey Logano rounded out the top 10 drivers who advanced to the final round of qualifying.

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, who are first and second in the Cup Series standings, will start 12th and 11th, respectively.

Reddick, who was fastest in practice, was second fastest to Truex in 10-lap consecutive speed.

Hamlin, Truex, Bowman, Blaney and Logano are all past Pocono winners. Both Hamlin (2006) and Blaney (2017) earned their first career Cup Series wins at the “Tricky Triangle.”

Reddick fastest in Cup Series practice

Tyler Reddick topped the leaderboard in practice at 168.231 mph.

William Byron (167.942 mph), Martin Truex Jr. (167.942 mph), Bubba Wallace (167.863 mph) and Michael McDowell (167.773 mph) rounded out the top five.

MORE: Practice results

Ty Gibbs (167.218 mph), Austin Cindric (167.205 mph), Kyle Larson (167.137 mph), Daniel Suárez (167.016 mph) and Carson Hocevar (166.994 mph) completed the top 10.

At the end of practice in Group A, Larson spun at the exit of Turn 2 but did not hit anything. Reddick had a similar spin in Group B’s early minutes and escaped without suffering any damage.

Contributing: Staff reports.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

LONG POND, Pa. — Grant Enfinger and Christian Eckes tried to throw everything they had at Corey Heim Friday at Pocono Raceway.

In the end, both came up just short.

Heim stormed away to the checkered flag in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the 2.5-mile triangular track, leaving Enfinger and Eckes wishing they had gotten better restarts.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Rain slowed the event with eight laps remaining, creating a 34-minute delay between the caution period and the final re-fire with three laps to go. Heim and Eckes were side-by-side on the front row with Enfinger behind Heim on the outside lane and Ross Chastain behind Eckes on the inside.

Heim got the better launch when the green flag waved while the inside lane struggled to stay connected. When Chastain caught Eckes to push him ahead, the momentum proved too strong, sending Eckes sideways and necessitating a save while Heim drove away for his fifth win of the season — and fourth in the last seven races. Enfinger took the checkered flag second with Eckes third and Chastain fourth.

“Just wrong push, wrong time, I guess,” Eckes said. “He (Chastain) really couldn’t get to me as well as I’d hoped that Ross could and I had to guard him a little bit. I thought he was going to split me three-wide bottom, but I think it’s just wrong push, wrong time. I was coming up a little bit to side draft the nine (Enfinger) or 11 (Heim), whoever was beside me at that time, and as I was pulling up, he hit me hard and jacked us sideways pretty good. But overall, just just proud of everybody. We just got to be a little better.”

Though he restarted behind Heim, Enfinger felt taking the second row was best for his No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet.

“My play was to try to push him (Heim) and clear the inside line,” Enfinger said. “I was hoping that the bottom lane would kind of fan out where we could get clear halfway down the front straightaway and make a move there. Just didn’t pan out.

“All in all, I still feel like that was probably our our best play as far as the odds go to making something happen, but really just happy with our performance.”

Before the final caution, Heim and Enfinger had checked out from the rest of the field by some 10 seconds while the majority of the field was nursing fuel to ensure they’d have enough in the tank. The leaders, meanwhile, were pedal down.

“Everybody was close on fuel,” Enfinger said. “We kind of made the decision to just go and … we’d already had a caution previous. If no caution were to come out, we were gonna kind of take our chances. But no, we weren’t really saving any fuel other than in caution.”

Chastain, a Cup Series regular who won the Truck Series race at Pocono in 2019, had his foot on the floor trying to push Eckes forward. But a disjointed inside lane between Eckes, Chastain and Chase Purdy behind Chastain never got connected until it was too late.

RELATED: Pocono schedule

“I didn’t get the launch. Like I didn’t get attached to him like I wanted to,” Chastain told NASCAR.com. “And Chase, the 77, didn’t get attached to me. So the three of us were just kind of staggered off of each other a foot. And Chase finally got pushed up to me — I’m assuming got pushed up to me — and then I got pushed up to the 19, but it was all the way down in (Turn) 1.

“But yeah, I wasn’t gonna pull out of line. I just wanted to push him and had a lot of momentum when I got there. But trying to just push him into the push him and get him position on the 11 to go take the lead and win the race for Chevy.”

Chastain piloted the No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Friday and will climb behind the wheel of the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Saturday and Sunday for Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono (2:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). Though there are significant differences between the trucks and the Cup Series’ Next Gen cars, Chastain still felt Friday’s 70-lap affair provided plenty to gain.

“Yeah, sensation of speed man,” Chastain said. “Just getting back in there, 180 mph around Pocono and being brave. I had a whole day of working up my courage off Turn 1 to get ready for Turn 2, and yeah, I get to sleep on that now. Any time I can drive — especially on the same track — but just driving cars, it gets the senses going. It’s just good. Plus I just love doing it. So I don’t have any negatives.

“As long as I can get enough to eat, get enough sleep and be prepped for the Cup car — obviously that’s top priority — but the way the schedule lays out, plenty of time.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

Corey Heim earned his series’ best fifth victory of the season in Friday evening’s rain-interrupted CRC Brakleen 175 at Pocono Raceway. The 21-year-old driver swept both stages and led 55 of the 70 laps to add to his trophy total.

But he had to battle competitors and climate for this win.

The Georgian’s No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota led Grant Enfinger’s Chevrolet across the finish line by 0.867 seconds to take his 10th career victory — quickly re-establishing himself as the race leader — again — on the final restart with three laps remaining.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

“It started from the very beginning, we’ve had such a close bond,’’ Heim said of his strong working relationship with crew chief Scott Zipadelli and the career-best single season win mark.

“Week in and week out, so proud of these guys, can’t say enough about them,’’ Heim said.

Rain drops covered the windshields of the trucks — particularly in Turn 2 of the 2.5-mile Pocono track — and eventually brought out a caution flag for weather with only nine laps remaining in the race. But after parking on pit road for just over 10 minutes of red-flag stoppage, the field returned to the track for a lap only to come back down pit road again as the rain got heavier with seven laps remaining.

Not surprisingly, Heim immediately told his crew the rain was substantial. Enfinger, who was 2.2 seconds behind Heim at the time of the initial red flag, was optimistic it was going to be a brief shower. NASCAR had already determined before the green flag that the race would be official no matter the circumstance at 8:20 p.m. ET — approximately one hour and 10 minutes after the first red flag waved Friday evening.

But the sun shone on the restart allowing enough laps to complete the race — a light rain beginning again during drivers’ post-race interviews.

Enfinger’s second-place finish equals his best mark of the year — also at North Wilkesboro — and certainly helped solidify the CR7 Motorsports driver’s position in the playoff standings. He is in seventh place with only two races remaining before the 2024 playoffs begin Aug. 25 at the Milwaukee Mile Speedway.

McAnally-Hilgemann’s Christian Eckes finished third, followed by Tricon Garage’s Taylor Gray and NASCAR Cup Series regular Ross Chastain, driving for Niece Motorsports.

The closing laps featured close racing up front with many among the lead pack having to be conscious about saving fuel — a variable then made moot with the rain stoppage. Heim was trying to hold off the hard-charging, highly motivated veteran Enfinger, who was racing for his first win of the season while Eckes had to hold off Chastain for third place.

The pole-winner Eckes led the race’s opening 11 laps in the No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Chevy and finished second to race-winner Heim in both stages. But a slow pit stop during the second stage break forced Eckes to play catch-up. He restarted 10th but was up to fourth place within five laps and continued to move forward.

He rallied to that ultimate third-place showing giving him a series best 12-race streak of top-10 finishes and he still holds a 32-point edge on Heim for the regular season championship.

The first caution flag for a race incident came out with 26 laps remaining when Rajah Caruth spun on track. At the time Heim led Chastain by almost three seconds. As the trucks drove under caution, drivers were alerted that rain was imminent, so the front-runners did not pit.

Chase Purdy, Stewart Friesen, Matt Crafton, Dean Thompson and Caruth rounded out the top 10.

With only two races remaining to set the 10-driver playoff field, Daniel Dye holds a single-point edge on Tanner Gray in that 10th position and a slight four-point advantage over Friesen.

Only four full-time series drivers have won this season to claim automatic playoff berths including Heim, Eckes, Friday’s 13th place finisher Nick Sanchez and Caruth.

The Craftsman Truck Series moves to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for Friday’s TSport 200 (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Ty Majeski won last year’s race by more than three seconds over Eckes. Championship leader Heim was eighth.

NOTE: Post-race inspection was completed in the Truck Series garage, confirming Heim as the winner. The No. 45 truck of Chastain had one lug nut not secured.