NASCAR heads North to Pocono Raceway in the Pocono Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania, after an unpredictable and exciting weekend on the streets of Chicago.
CRC Brakleen 175
Friday, July 12 @ 5:30PM EST
Long Pond, Pennsylvania
70 Laps/175 Miles
The Craftsman Truck Series is back in action this week at Pocono Raceway. Last month in Nashville, Christian Eckes led wire to wire. Eckes started 3rd, took the lead on Lap 1 and quite literally never looked back.
Most Recent Winner at Pocono Raceway
Kyle Busch won at Pocono Raceway last July in what was his final start of the year.
Names To Watch
Daniel Dye: Daniel Dye is coming off of a career best finish of 2nd at Nashville. He also has 4 Top-10s in the last 7 races. Dye has been having a very solid season in his second go round in the Truck Series. The 20-Year Old driver for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing faces a considerable challenge in the “Tricky Triangle” but finished a respectable 17th in his first visit to Pocono last year.
Ross Chastain: The Watermelon Man will be making his 4th start of the year in the Craftsman Truck Series. Chastain survived the chaos to win at Darlington earlier this year. He won at Pocono in 2019, his 3rd win of that season, in the very same truck he’ll be piloting this weekend, the #45 for Niece Motorsports.
My Pick To Win: Corey Heim
Explore The Pocono Mountains 225
Saturday, July 13 @ 3:00PM EST
Long Pond, Pennsylvania
90 Laps/225 Miles
Shane van Gisbergen won his 3rd straight Road/Street Course in a row, beating out Kyle Larson and Ty Gibbs in a thrilling race. A race that saw 9 official lead changes but many more unofficial lead changes (meaning the start/finish line was not crossed before the lead changed hands again).
Most Recent Winner at Pocono Raceway
Austin Hill was handed a win late a Pocono last year after Josh Berry dominated, but blew a tire after contact with teammate Sam Mayer on the last lap.
Names To Watch
Josh Berry: The aforementioned Berry returns to the Xfinity Series with AM Racing and unfinished business after last year’s race at Pocono. As mentioned above, Berry made contact with Mayer and blew a tire, subsequently hitting the wall. Berry led 51 Laps in the race. He is the second Cup driver the team has tapped to replace the struggling Hailie Deegan.
William Byron: The 2017 Xfinity Series Champion is back in the #17 for Hendrick Motorsports. The #17 has one twice this season, once with Kyle Larson and once with Chase Elliott. Byron has made 2 starts in the car at Phoenix and Darlington but is still seeking the win.
My Pick To Win: Sam Mayer
The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VisitPA.com
Sunday, July 14 @ 2:30PM EST
Long Pond, Pennsylvania
160 Laps/400 Miles
Alex Bowman has quietly had a very good season, but found a much needed visit to Victory Lane last weekend in Chicago. The favorites, Shane van Gisbergen and Kyle Larson, both crashed out. van Gisbergen got sent into the barrier after contact from Chase Briscoe in wet conditions. The conditions also caught out Larson. He locked up under braking and plowed head on into the tires in Turn 6. In a surprising turn of events, IMSA driver Joey Hand won Stage 2 after holding off Bowman. Bowman would take the lead on the restart. In the drying conditions, Tyler Reddick who was on Slick Tires (Bowman was on wet tires), began tracking down Bowman but made a critical mistake on the last lap. Reddick just clipped the inside wall in Turn 5, relieving Bowman of any pressure coming to the Checkers.
Most Recent Winner at Pocono Raceway
Denny Hamlin won at Pocono after late race contact with Kyle Larson.
Names To Watch
Denny Hamlin: Denny Hamlin’s win last year was his 7th at the track. By far his most wins at a single track, with the next closest being his two home tracks of Richmond and Martinsville, with 5 wins each. It’s also worth noting that had Hamlin not been disqualified after the 2022 race, he would have 8 wins at the track.
Alex Bowman: After ending an 80 race winless streak, Alex Bowman finally found Victory Lane. He will undoubtedly be entering Pocono with a newfound confidence; he has won there before, in 2021. The Tucson native has quietly had a very good season. He has already topped his Top-10 total from a year ago and has improved his Average Finish by 3.4 spots, from 17.2 to 13.8.
My Pick To Win: Ryan Blaney
Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images
