The NASCAR Cup Series visits Pocono (Pa.) Raceway this weekend as drivers battle for playoff spots and seeding with just six races remaining in the regular season.
Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez occupy playoff spots, but a win would guarantee Chastain a third consecutive berth while Suárez aims to improve his seeding after his Atlanta victory in March.
The 2.5-mile Pennsylvania track has hosted 93 Cup Series races dating back to the first race held in 1974. The Pennsylvania track is one of the most unique with an interesting history.
The track was designed by 1959 and 1962 Indianapolis 500 winner Rodger Ward. Pocono Raceway has a unique design, as each turn is modeled after a turn at a different track.
- Turn one (14° banking) – modeled after Trenton Speedway
- Turn two (8° banking) also known as the “Tunnel Turn” – modeled after Indianapolis Motor Speedway
- Turn three (6° banking) – modeled after the Milwaukee Mile
- Busch Light Peach: At this weekend’s race taking place at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Ross Chastain will show off the Busch Light Peach paint scheme on the No. 1 car to celebrate the return of the brand’s limited-edition, flavored lager, Busch Light Peach. This vibrant paint scheme is an ode to the brand’s commitment to flavor innovations and marks the nationwide release of Busch Light Peach, which is also available on draft in 21 states including Pennsylvania! With a classic taste of cold, smooth Busch Light and a refreshing hint of peach flavor, Busch Light Peach is the perfect summer sip to be enjoyed out at the lake, camping in the great outdoors or at a NASCAR race!
- Busch Light Sweeps: Busch Light will be giving fans another chance to win this week with their #BreakForBusch #Sweepstakes. Follow @BuschBeer on X and tweet using the hashtag’s #BreakForBusch #Sweepstakes for the chance to win $2,000.
- Double Duty for Chastain at Pocono: In addition to piloting the Busch Light Peach Chevy this weekend in the Cup Series, Chastain will also return to the Craftsman Truck Series to pilot the No. 45 Mar-Del Watermelon Association Silverado for Niece Motorsports. It marks his fourth start in the series this season, with his fifth and final start next weekend at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Earlier this year at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Chastain went to victory lane for his fifth career Truck Series win while driving for Niece Motorsports.
- Pocono Raceway Stats: Chastain will make his ninth Cup Series start at the triangle shaped track. He earned his best finish of 13th last year and has led 26 laps.
- Season Stats: Chastain has earned seven top-10s in 20 races so far this season along with 163 laps led. He’s currently 12th in driver points.
- NASCAR: Full Speed: Catch Chastain in the five-episode docuseries NASCAR: Full Speed on Netflix. The series documented portions of Chastain’s 2023 season on and off the track. All five episodes are currently available on Netflix.
- Last Weekend at Chicago Street Race: Chastain qualified 14th for his second start at the street course. The event endured precipitation on and off which led to various strategies with wet versus slick tires. Chastain was in the top-10 when he came to pit road to switch tires. Unfortunately, he was caught on a closed pit road along with several other drivers and received a penalty sending him to the tail of the field. Battling darkness, NASCAR determined the race would end at 8:20 p.m. CT which left little time for Chastain to work his way back through the field. In the closing laps he went from 35th to end the day 22nd.
- 2023 Season Recap: Chastain won at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in June and at the Phoenix Raceway season finale in November. He posted 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in his third full time Cup season. The Alva, Florida native finished ninth in points.
Chastain Quotes:
What is difficult about racing at Pocono?
“Pocono is a challenging track because all three turns are different and you have to figure out which turn you’re going to sacrifice some handling in to make up for it at another turn. We’ve had some good runs there the last couple of races and I’m confident we’ll have good Busch Light Peach Chevy this weekend and get a solid result.”
Ross Chastain on promoting peaches:
“They know my desires to promote anything ag, anything produce, I’m all for. So getting an excuse to talk about peaches with Busch Light Peach it’s obviously a really good connection and it’s one of the reasons we like working together, is the ag side. It’s a sweet looking car, that’s for sure.”
Suárez Notes
- Pocono Raceway: Suárez owns two top-five and four top-10 finishes in 14 starts at the 2.5-mile track.
- Last week in Chicago: Suárez started ninth and raced in the top-10 before a lap 25 accident that blocked the track dropped him to the rear of the field. He switched to dry tires before the final stage and rallied to 11th in the closing laps.
- Suárez is Now a Dual Citizen of Mexico and the United States: Suárez took the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony on June 18 in front of media, friends, the NASCAR industry and NASCAR President Steve Phelps who gave the keynote address to the 48 new citizens from 28 countries who joined Suárez at the ceremony. The 32-year-old, Monterrey, Mexico native came to America about 13 years ago without speaking English. He passed the United States Citizenship test on April 29 in Charlotte before taking the final step on June 18. He is now a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States.
- Atlanta Victory: At Atlanta, he and runner-up Ryan Blaney were separated by 0.003 seconds at the finish line. It was the fourth-closest finish in series history, and with third-place Kyle Busch just 0.007 seconds behind the winner, it also stands as the closest finish among three cars in the history of auto racing.
- Trackhouse Victories: Atlanta marked Trackhouse Racing’s seventh win in the NASCAR Cup Series, and first at Atlanta. Chastain owns four victories, Suárez two and one for Shane van Gisbergen.
- Mexico Series Victory: Suárez won the 150-lap Mexico Series race at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Feb. 3. It was his 11th victory.
- First Mexican to Win in Cup: Suárez became the first driver from Mexico (Monterrey) to win in the NASCAR Cup Series on June 12, 2022, at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.
- International Driver: He is one of six drivers not from the United States to win a NASCAR Cup Series race: Shane van Gisbergen (New Zealand), Marcos Ambrose (Australia), Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia), Earl Ross (Canada) and Mario Andretti (Italy). Ambrose, Montoya, and Suárez own two victories each.
- Cup Career Highlights: Suárez owns two victories (Sonoma 2022 and Atlanta 2024) and three Busch Light Pole Awards – Pocono (Pa.) Raceway July 2018, Kentucky Speedway July 2019, and on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway August 2023.
Suárez Quotes:
What are your thoughts with six races left in the regular season?
“We are improving each week. We were very fast at Chicago. We got blocked there when Bubba (Wallace) and (Alex) Bowman got together and took us out of the top 10. My team rebounded really well. We made a great call to switch to dry tires and passed a lot of cars. We are learning a lot each week. We will be ready for the playoffs.”
What do you think of Pocono Raceway?
“It was cool to get the pole there in 2018 and then we finished second in the race that weekend. At Pocono, it always helps to have a good starting spot. Pocono is a track where you can’t make mistakes on the track, and you can’t have mistakes on pit road. Everyone has to do their part to execute perfectly.”
What do you feel is most important to be successful at Pocono?
“Track position is extremely important every weekend, but it’s especially important at Pocono. If you make a mistake, it takes so much longer and is so much harder to recover from. It’s a tough place for sure.”
Trackhouse Racing PR
