Pocono 101: Trends to watch, tire info, interactive ways to follow race
NASCAR heads to one of its largest tracks on the circuit as the Cup Series visits the luscious Pocono Mountains where Pocono Raceway lies within.
Not four turns. Not five turns. Just three turns make up the large speedway and none of the turns are alike as Turn 1, at 14 degrees of banking, will see drivers go three, four and sometimes even five wide into the corner. Turn 2, also known as the “Tunnel Turn” is a short, flat corner that is known to give drivers issues and Turn 3, which is also flat but a long, wide corner before flooring it down the long frontstretch.
Before Sunday’s HighPoint.com 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), check out some trends to watch for the race, Goodyear tire info and interactive ways to follow all the action.
RELATED: See paint schemes for Pocono | Betting favorites for Sunday’s Cup race
GEOMETRY GENIUSES 📐
Denny Hamlin (six) and Kyle Busch (four) lead all active drivers in wins at the “Tricky Triangle” and crossed the start/finish line 1-2 last season before being disqualified.
Dating back to the second Pocono race in 2016, Busch owns a ninth-place finish or better in 10 of the last 12 races on the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania circuit. While Hamlin has seen mixed results in recent visits to the track, he’s matched with Jeff Gordon for winningest driver in Pocono’s history and owned a five consecutive race streak of top-five finishes from 2019 to 2021.
It should go without saying that both Hamlin and Busch should be running up front Sunday afternoon.
MORE: Advance to VL: Busch set to rebound at Pocono
📉 TRENDS TO WATCH 📈
— The last five Pocono races were won by five different drivers.
— Joe Gibbs Racing has won six of the last 10 Pocono races.
— The driver who led the most laps won only once in the last six Pocono races.
— Eight races in 2023 had an overtime finish.
(Via Racing Insights)
NOTABLE MOMENTS 🎥
2006: Denny Hamlin sweeps Pocono for first two career wins | WATCH
2017: Ryan Blaney outduels Harvick, Kyle Busch for first Cup Series win | WATCH
2021: Final-lap shocker: Bowman wins Pocono after Larson misfortune | WATCH
2022: Hamlin doors Chastain, triggers Turn 1 wreck | WATCH
ON-TRACK SCHEDULE 🗓️
Saturday, July 22
— 2:35 p.m. ET: Practice (3 p.m. on USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
— 3:20 p.m. ET: Qualifying (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
Sunday, July 23
— 2:30 p.m. ET: HighPoint.com 400 (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
MORE: Full weekend schedule at Pocono
RULE CHANGES/GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES 🛞
The GEICO Restart Zone returned to its 2022 dimensions after being extended for this season’s first five races.
NASCAR implemented safety updates to the Next Gen car.
Alongside the right-side door bars and extending toward the rear clip, teams are mandated to run a steel plate in addition to the chassis adjustments made for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The right-side door bar gussets and the removal of the front clip V-brace are changes that remain, in addition to the removal of other front-clip components to create a softer and larger crush zone for frontal impacts.
Also included in the updates are front bumper strut softening (modifications to existing parts), the requirement of an empty front ballast box and a modified cross brace. NASCAR incurs the cost of all these updates.
In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.
If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty plus a two-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members‘ eligibility to participate in other series.
RELATED: See rules changes for 2023
FAN REWARDS 🫵
Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.
There‘s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.
Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.
FOLLOW THE RACE 📲
NASCAR Mobile has now added support for fans to “Follow the Race” and access live leaderboard and race information from Live Activities in the current app release (v13.2.0), available now. Android users, we didn‘t forget you — the same functionality has been custom-built for Android devices, as well.
How to access Live Activities on iPhones:
Make sure your iOS device has been updated to 16.1 or higher.
Available on the leaderboard of all NASCAR Series races.
Click on the three-dot menu near the top right of screen.
Select “Follow the Race.”
Swipe up to access the home screen and you will see the Live Activities at the top.
Lock the device and you will see Live Activities on the Lock Screen.
To turn off, simply visit the leaderboard, click the three-dot menu and “Unfollow the Race.”
FANTASY LIVE 🏆
Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.
How to play: Fantasy Live | Set up a team today!
ALSO ON NASCAR.COM 💻
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
