Unique in its design, the three-turn, paved 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway will host the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend for the HighPoint.com 400 on Sunday, July 23 at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90), the 21st event of the 26-race regular season.
Originally named Pocono International Raceway, the facility opened as a three-quarter-mile track in 1968. Located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway, as what it is known as today, is operated by the family-owned Mattco Inc., started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.
Pocono Raceway held the first race on the 2.5-mile track in 1971 and the first NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway was on August 4, 1974. The first Cup Series Pocono event was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty driving the family-owned Dodge (115.593 mph).
There have been 89 NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono Raceway, one race from 1974 through 1981, and two races per year from 1982-2021. The 2012 season marked the first year the NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono were scheduled for 400 miles. Prior to 2012, all of the NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono were scheduled for 500 miles in length. The 2020-2021 seasons were the first time the NASCAR Cup Series held doubleheader weekends at Pocono Raceway with the races running at 325 miles and 350 miles in length.
This season will be the 90th-time the NASCAR Cup Series has visited Pocono Raceway. The prior 89 Cup races have produced 46 different pole winners and 40 different race winners.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott (1984, 1985 sweep, 1995 and 2002) and Ken Schrader (1989, 1992, 1993 sweep and 1995) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Pocono Raceway with five each. This weekend, 10 of the 46 Pocono Raceway Cup Series pole winners (21.7%) are active this weekend, led by Kyle Busch with four Pocono poles (Spring 2010, Fall 2015, 2017 sweep).
| Active Pocono Pole Winners (10) | Poles | Seasons |
| Kyle Busch | 4 | 2017 sweep, 2015, 2010 |
| Denny Hamlin | 3 | 2014, 2006 sweep |
| Joey Logano | 2 | 2012, 2011 |
| Kevin Harvick | 1 | 2019 |
| William Byron | 1 | 2019 |
| Daniel Suarez | 1 | 2018 |
| Ryan Blaney | 1 | 2018 |
| Brad Keselowski | 1 | 2016 |
| Martin Truex Jr | 1 | 2016 |
| Kyle Larson | 1 | 2014 |
NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon (1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2011 and 2012) and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin (2006 sweep, 2009, 2010, 2019, 2020) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Pocono Raceway with six victories each. A total of 10 of the 40 NASCAR Cup Series Pocono Raceway winners (25%) are entered this weekend.
| Active Pocono Winners (10) | Wins | Seasons |
| Denny Hamlin | 6 | 2020, 2019, 2010, 2009, 2006 sweep |
| Kyle Busch | 4 | 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017 |
| Martin Truex Jr | 2 | 2018, 2015 |
| Chase Elliott | 1 | 2022 |
| Alex Bowman | 1 | 2021 |
| Kevin Harvick | 1 | 2020 |
| Ryan Blaney | 1 | 2017 |
| Chris Buescher | 1 | 2016 |
| Joey Logano | 1 | 2012 |
| Brad Keselowski | 1 | 2011 |
Make sure to check out all of the NASCAR Cup Series on-track activity this weekend from Pocono Raceway, with practice on Saturday, July 22 from 2:35 p.m. ET – 3:20 p.m. ET directly followed by Busch Light Pole Qualifying at 3:20 p.m. ET. Both events will be televised on the USA Network starting at 3 p.m. ET.
Last season’s Pocono winner Chase Elliott returns looking for first win of 2023
Hendrick Motorsports’ driver and NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, Chase Elliott, returns to Pocono Raceway to defend his win from last year and get his first victory of the 2023 season. Elliott is currently outside the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff cutline, -60 points back from Michael McDowell in the 16th and final transfer position on points. With a win this weekend, Elliott, the 2020 series champion, can being his streak of making the postseason to an eighth consecutive season (2022, ’21 ’20, ’19, ’18, ’17, ’16).
Last season’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono had an interesting twist to its conclusion. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin (first) and Kyle Busch (second) were the two first drivers to cross the finish line followed by Chase Elliott (third), but both JGR cars failed post-race inspection and their finishes were disqualified handing the victory to Hendrick Motorsport’s Chase Elliott.
Chase Elliott has made 13 series career starts at Pocono Raceway posting one win, four top fives and eight top 10s. His average finish at Pocono is 14.231 (10th-best), Plus he ranks in the top in several key pre-race Loop Data categories: Average Running Position of 12.324, fifth-best; Driver Rating of 93.6, seventh-best; 67 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best; 1,456 Laps in the Top 15 (74.1%), 10th-most; 471 Quality Passes, 10th-most
Playoff Bubble Shuffle: Wallace, McDowell sit just above the postseason cutoff
Making the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is a prestigious accolade that only 46 drivers have accomplished since the postseason’s inception in 2004. This season, 11 drivers have secured their spot in the Playoffs by virtue of wins, leaving five spots still up for grabs at Pocono Raceway this weekend.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick is currently 12th in the Playoff outlook, up +137 points of the postseason cutline. Harvick has made 43 series starts at Pocono posting one win, 15 top fives and 22 top 10s. Harvick is looking to join Denny Hamlin in extending the series record of Playoff appearances they share to 17 appearances (Harvick: 2022 ’21, ’20, ’19, ’18, ’17, ’16, ’15, ’14, ’13, ’12, ’11, ’10, ’08, ’07, ’06).
RFK Racing teammates Brad Keselowski (13th) and Chris Buescher (14th) are just behind Harvick in the Playoff outlook. Keselowski is up +108 points on the Playoff cutline and Buescher is up +97 points. Keselowski has made 25 starts at Pocono posting one win, 11 top fives and 15 top 10s. Buescher has made 13 starts at the ‘Tricky Triangle’ collecting his first career Cup win (2016), one top five and two top 10s. After not making the Playoffs last season, Keselowski is looking to rebound this year and make his 12th career appearance in the postseason (2021 ’20, ’19, ’18, ’17, ’16, ’15, ’14, ’12, ’11) and Buescher is looking to return to the Playoffs for the second time in his career (2016).
23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace is currently 15th in the Playoff outlook standings, up by a scant two points over the postseason cutline. Wallace is looking to make the Driver Playoffs for the first-time in his career. Wallace has made 10 starts at Pocono putting up one top-five and two top-10 finishes.
Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell holds on to the 16th and final Playoff transfer spot on points by only one-point over Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez heading into this weekend. McDowell has made 30 starts at Pocono Raceway posting two top 10s; he finished sixth in this race last season. McDowell is looking to make the Playoffs for the second-time in his career (2021).
| 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Playoff Outlook Following Race No. 20 – Drivers Without Wins | |||||||
| Rank | Drivers | Points | Starts | Wins | Stages | Playoff Pts | Points From Cutoff |
| 12 | Kevin Harvick | 568 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 137 |
| 13 | Brad Keselowski | 539 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 108 |
| 14 | Chris Buescher | 528 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 97 |
| 15 | Bubba Wallace | 433 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 16 | Michael McDowell | 432 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | Daniel Suarez | 431 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| 18 | AJ Allmendinger | 412 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -20 |
| 19 | Ty Gibbs # | 391 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -41 |
| 20 | Alex Bowman | 390 | 17 | 0 | 0 | -5 | -42 |
| 21 | Justin Haley | 386 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -46 |
| 22 | Austin Cindric | 381 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -51 |
| 23 | Chase Elliott | 372 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -60 |
| 24 | Corey LaJoie | 341 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -91 |
| 25 | Todd Gilliland | 336 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -96 |
| 26 | Ryan Preece | 335 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -97 |
| 27 | Aric Almirola | 327 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -105 |
| 28 | Erik Jones | 293 | 20 | 0 | 0 | -5 | -139 |
| 29 | Austin Dillon | 292 | 20 | 0 | 0 | -5 | -140 |
| 30 | Harrison Burton | 268 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -164 |
| 31 | Chase Briscoe | 249 | 20 | 0 | 0 | -25 | -183 |
| 32 | Ty Dillon | 182 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -250 |
| 33 | Noah Gragson # | 175 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -257 |
Of the drivers below the Playoff cutline heading into this weekend, nine have formerly made the Playoffs in their careers – Daniel Suarez, AJ Allmendinger, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, Chase Elliott, Aric Almirola, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon and Chase Briscoe. Of that list of nine drivers, only two have previously won at Pocono Raceway – Alex Bowman (2021) and Chase Elliott (2022).
The first driver below the Playoff cutline is Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez, who got his first taste of the postseason last year and wants nothing more than to make it back. Suarez is currently one point behind Michael McDowell is 16th. Suarez has made 11 starts at Pocono posting two top fives and four top 10s.
The hunt for the Regular Season Championship
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. grabbed his third win of the season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend and opened-up his NASCAR Cup Series driver point standings lead to 17 points over Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron in second. With only six races left in the regular season, both drivers are shooting for the title and the additional 15 Playoff bonus points that come with it.
“The Regular Season Championship is a big deal; 15 points for that,” said Truex following his New Hampshire win. “If we can keep knocking off bonus points, that’s going to be very, very important come Playoff time.”
Truex is one of seven different drivers to occupy the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings lead this season. He and Byron have swapped the points lead in recent weeks, and with Byron only 17 points back and third place Christopher Bell dropping behind by -62 points, it will be interesting to see who can catch Truex in this final stretch.
Regular Season Championship Clinch Scenarios:
Martin Truex Jr. (or whoever’s first in points) needs to be up by the corresponding number after the race to clinch:
Pocono – 300 or 301 points, depending on tie-break
Richmond – 240 or 241 points, depending on tie-break
Michigan – 180 or 181 points, depending on tie-break
Indianapolis – 120 or 121 points, depending on tie-break
Watkins Glen – 60 or 61 points, depending on tie-break
Daytona – 0 or 1 point, depending on tie-break
NASCAR PR
