NASCAR Preview: Pocono Race Weekend

DIVEBOMB Motorsport
Jun 20
8 min read

Written by Gabriel Tsui, Ashleigh McGregor & Krystal Diane

After our first visit abroad in over six decades, the Cup Series returns to the tried-and-true Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania – the track’s sole spot on the calendar.

Pocono has a unique layout. Turn 1 has banking of 14 degrees with a sharp curve, Turn 2 – a direct mimic of Indianapolis’ corners – has banking of eight degrees and the final corner, Turn 3, has banking of six degrees with similar characteristics to Turn 1.

Below are the start times for each race plus lap count:

Trucks: Friday, 20 June, 17:00 local (22:00 UK) – 80 laps
Xfinity: Saturday, 21 June, 15:30 local (20:30 UK) – 100 laps
Cup: Sunday, 22 June, 14:00 local (19:00 UK) – 160 laps

Below are the defending winners for each race:

Trucks: No. 11 - Corey Heim (TRICON Garage)
Xfinity: No. 00 - Cole Custer (Stewart-Haas Racing)
Cup: No. 12 - Ryan Blaney (Team Penske)

Cup Series: The Great American Getaway 400 Preview

Written by Gabriel Tsui

Following a dominating showing from Shane Van Gisbergen in Mexico City, the drivers head back up to the Poconos in Pennsylvania for the final seeding race before the first ever NASCAR in-season tournament. The weekend in Mexico City also brought forth the tenth playoff driver, leaving only six spots up for grabs. Could we see one of Chase Elliott or Tyler Reddick secure a playoff spot, or would we see someone else down the order find a moment as we count down the final ten races?

The drivers will roll around the two-and-a-half mile tricky triangle for 160 laps, with 30 laps in stage one, and 65 laps each in stages two and three, totalling a distance run of 400 miles (643.74 kilometres).

The weather report indicates it will be partly cloudy, but precipitation is unlikely, while temperatures will be ranging around 28 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit). The race will commence on the Sunday of June 22nd, at 14:00 Eastern (11:00 Pacific, 19:00 British).

Race Predictions

Apart from wins in 2022 and 2024, Toyota has been the dominating factor of Pocono since 2016. One of the contributing members to said domination is Denny Hamlin, who has five wins in Long Pond, three of those in the past six years. However, coming back to racing right after welcoming his third child, it’s probably tough for the 44-year-old to pull another win.

On the other hand, Christopher Bell has been a consistently strong performer in Pocono over the past three seasons, finishing within 12th place since 2022. After starting the season with three consecutive wins, Bell maintained his consistency, finishing within the top-ten with the exception of Homestead (28th), Michigan (16th) and Las Vegas (12th).

However, the pick is Chase Briscoe, who despite hasn’t found major success in the past, has been quite strong around the superspeedways this season with Joe Gibbs Racing. After three consecutive pole positions from Charlotte to Michigan, Briscoe found some semblance of success in Mexico City, and the belief is he can build on said performance.

Three things to look out for

Misfortune continues for Kyle Busch

Well, it feels like every week we speak of some Kyle Busch misfortune, bad-beat, or an accident that ruined his race. The rain at the beginning of Mexico City led to a lock up for Busch six laps into the race, sending the No.8 to the back of the grid and ultimately tagged with a DNF.

Busch has dropped below the playoff cut line but there is no reason to believe he won’t bounce back, especially with his record in Pocono. Riding on a 73-race-winless streak, he could take his fifth win at the track and make his return to the playoffs.

Legacy Motor Club playoff hopeful

It’s been a pretty good season for LMC, as both Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek have been outperforming the expectations put upon them at the beginning of the season. Jones is only a mere 20 points away from 16th place Michael McDowell, while Nemechek is only 30 points away. While they are still the underdog in the fight towards playoff qualification, they have a really good chance at it.

LMC has a great record around Pocono, and if both Jones and Nemechek can carry their form into the weekend, a double top-ten is on the horizon.

Ryan Preece continues to impress

After three seasons of struggling with an underwhelming JRG Daugherty team and two more with a Stewart-Haas Racing that was on the verge of closing, Ryan Preece finally found an opportunity to contend. Running with veteran crew chief Derrick Finley and armed with a top-ten pit crew, Preece has put all of that to good use.

With six top-ten finishes and a single top-five finish, he is right below the playoff cutline, 19 points behind Chris Buescher. Superspeedways hasn’t been RFK’s strength, but if Preece can pull in a strong performance in Pocono, it will do wonders for his bid for playoffs.

Xfinity Series: Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 Preview

Written by Ashleigh McGregor

Last race the Xfinity Series moved to Mexico City for a very special race. It hosted a track that hasn’t been raced on since 2008 which promised to challenge the grid.

The race proved to be worth the trip as fans were treated to a near perfect Saturday.

Daniel Suárez, from the Cup Series, won the race proving again that when Cup drivers enter the Xfinity series they’re dominating the race. It was extra special as it was a home country race for him and equally special for fans who got to see a Mexican driver take the top step.

Xfinity drivers have plenty of room to keep improving. With the Cup drivers racing in a few races during the Xfinity season it should serve as an encouragement to the Xfinity drivers. That they have areas to work harder in and optimize their race weekend.

Race Weekend Guide

This weekend it’s back in the States and in Pennsylvania at the Pocono Raceway. It will be a warm 80°F but there will be overcast which should help racing conditions.

The championship battle continues with Justin Allgaier vs. Austin Hill. Allgaier had an abysmal weekend in Mexico City, while Hill picked up some points on him by finishing third. Heading into this weekend Hill also has the edge as he has previously secured a win at this track in 2023.

Allgaier still leads the championship by a good margin so Hill will have to be putting it all together perfectly each weekend. Last year, Allgaier came close to getting that win in the Poconos but walked away with a second place finish.

Cup driver Chase Elliott returns for his second race in the Xfinity series this year. Previously in the season he raced at Darlington Raceway. Elliott could very well be the driver to walk away with the win this weekend. Meaning Hill and Allgaier will need to put together a perfect weekend.

A Special Return

Connor Zilisch is making headlines again this week but not quite for something he did. His crew chief has a one race ban that needs to be served so he is not partaking in this weekend's race.

Stepping up as crew chief for this weekend is NASCAR champion, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Having never worked in this role before it should be interesting. If anyone could pull off a stellar performance it will be Earnhardt Jr. The probable rookie of the year, Zilisch, will make his first start at this track but should still make a good pairing with Earnhardt Jr.

Track Insights

Practice will run on race day at 10:00am EST. Qualifying will take place directly after at 11:05 am EST.

Drivers are racing 100 laps that will cover a distance of 250 miles. Stage 1 and Stage 2 are 25 laps each. The final stage will be the remaining 50 laps.

Truck Series: MillerTech Battery 200 Preview

Written by Krystal Diane

Pocono’s not like anything else on the schedule. It sneaks up on you. Long straights lull you in, then three very different corners ask you three very different questions. Brake too late, lift too early, misjudge one line, and you’re done. This place doesn’t need mayhem to shake things up. It just needs 60 laps and a little pressure.

Last year, Corey Heim had the answer key. Fast from the drop, clean through traffic, and surgical in the closing laps. He took the win and the trophy, and showed everyone what control looks like. Now the field comes back with fresh lessons, and Pocono’s ready to quiz them all over again.

Race Predictions

Last time out, Stewart Friesen reminded the field that experience and timing still matter. He didn’t dominate Michigan. He didn’t need to. In a race that stretched 24 laps past its scheduled finish, Friesen made his move when it counted, held off the hard-chargers, and broke a 72-race winless streak in style. It wasn’t clean, but it was clutch. And with the playoffs creeping closer, the veterans are starting to punch back.

Grant Enfinger nearly stole the show in Michigan. He controlled the late-race chaos, made the right moves through two overtimes, and only lost it when Stewart Friesen nailed a picture-perfect restart. It wasn’t just a solid run. It was calculated, measured, and gritty. Enfinger’s not chasing noise; he’s chasing execution. And Pocono, with its long straights and brutal corners, rewards drivers who know when to press and when to wait. He fits that script.

Then there’s Corey Heim, who didn’t leave Michigan with a trophy, but left with something almost more telling: both stage wins, the fastest truck for most of the race, and another reminder that this season runs through the No. 11. His points lead is safe for now, but safe doesn’t mean soft. Heim won at Pocono last year, and if things stay green, he knows how to manage the rhythm better than most. No one’s steadier, and sometimes, that’s all it takes.

But if you’re looking for someone to punch above expectations, keep an eye on Luke Fenhaus. He came into Michigan with barely a whisper behind his name and walked away with a career-best third. Nothing about it felt lucky. He avoided the wrecks, made smart decisions, and didn’t blink when the field bunched up. Just 13 starts into his Truck career and already racing with poise. Pocono’s tricky, no doubt, but if this race tilts toward the bold and opportunistic, Fenhaus has shown he’s ready to pounce.

Two storylines to watch

Luke Fenhaus finds his footing

Third at Michigan wasn’t a fluke. It was a statement. Luke Fenhaus kept it clean through the chaos, didn’t overdrive the restarts, and proved he can hang when the lights flash brightest. He’s not loud, he’s not flashy, but the No. 66 is starting to show up when it counts. This isn’t just momentum, it’s a pattern. If he strings another one together at Pocono, people are going to stop calling it luck and start calling it pace.

Heim, Chastain, and a storm waiting to happen

No fireworks, no drama. Just a quiet clash of styles. At Michigan, Corey Heim swept the stages. Ross Chastain led the most laps. They didn’t take each other out, but they didn’t exactly play nice either. When Heim got shuffled in the late carnage, it was Chastain out front...until he wasn’t. The overtime wreck that knocked him out didn’t have fingerprints, but it added heat to a rivalry that’s been simmering all year. These two don’t need to trade bumpers to make things interesting. Sometimes all it takes is one late restart and too little space.