Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota, leads the field to the green flag to start the NASCAR Cup Series M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway on July 24, 2022 in Long Pond, Pa.
It’s time for the Tricky Triangle – NASCAR’s only three-turn track.
For the fifth consecutive week since NBC took over NASCAR broadcasts for 2023, the series is heading to a wildly unique venue. This one is perhaps the most unique of all, with no other track comparable to Pocono Raceway.
Located in Long Pond, Pa. – under two hours from Philadelphia and New York City – Pocono has three corners and is shaped like a triangle. All three corners are modeled after famous tracks in the United States, with varying degrees of banking.
Here’s everything you need to know for the HighPoint.com 400 at Pocono this weekend:
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What is the HighPoint.com 400 entry list for Pocono?
Thirty-six drivers will battle it out this weekend at Pocono. The field includes all the usual competitors, plus one part-time driver for Rick Ware Racing: Cole Custer. The 2020 Cup Series Rookie of the Year, who now races full-time in the Xfinity Series, will make his third Cup start of 2023 in the No. 51 Ford.
Here’s the full entry list for Pocono:
- No. 1, Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing
- No. 2, Austin Cindric, Team Penske
- No. 3, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing
- No. 4, Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing
- No. 5, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports
- No. 6, Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing
- No. 7, Corey LaJoie, Spire Motorsports
- No. 8, Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing
- No. 9, Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports
- No. 10, Aric Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing
- No. 11, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing
- No. 12, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske
- No. 14, Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing
- No. 15, J.J. Yeley, Rick Ware Racing
- No. 16, A.J. Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing
- No. 17, Chris Buescher, RFK Racing
- No. 19, Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing
- No. 20, Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing
- No. 21, Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing
- No. 22, Joey Logano, Team Penske
- No. 23, Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing
- No. 24, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports
- No. 31, Justin Haley, Kaulig Racing
- No. 34, Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports
- No. 38, Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports
- No. 41, Ryan Preece, Stewart-Haas Racing
- No. 42, Noah Gragson, Legacy Motor Club
- No. 43, Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club
- No. 45, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing
- No. 47, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., JTG Daugherty Racing
- No. 48, Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports
- No. 51, Cole Custer, Rick Ware Racing
- No. 54, Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing
- No. 77, Ty Dillon, Spire Motorsports
- No. 78, B.J. McLeod, Live Fast Motorsports
- No. 99, Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing
When is the HighPoint.com 400 NASCAR race at Pocono?
Sports
In partnership with NBC Sports Philadelphia
The HighPoint.com 400 is set for Sunday, July 23, at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Before the race on Sunday, there will be practice and qualifying sessions on Saturday. The 36-car field will be split into two groups, with each group practicing for 15 minutes on Saturday beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Qualifying will start immediately after practice. Each car from the two practice groups will make a single lap in the first round, with the five fastest times in each group advancing to the final round. In the final round, the 10 remaining drivers each make a single lap to set the top 10 starting order, while positions 11 through 36 will be set based on lap times from the first round.
What is the TV schedule for NASCAR at Pocono?
Saturday, July 22 (USA Network and streaming)
- Practice: 2:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBCSports.com
- Qualifying: 3:20 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBCSports.com
Sunday, July 23 (USA Network and streaming)
- HighPoint.com 400: 2:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBCSports.com
- NASCAR Post Race Show, 6:05 p.m. ET, Peacock
NASCAR Pocono past winners, race history
Elliott is the defending winner at Pocono, even though he didn’t lead a single lap last year. He crossed the line in third behind Hamlin and Busch, but the Joe Gibbs Racing duo was disqualified after both of their cars failed post-race inspection – handing Elliott the win. It was the first time in 62 years that a win had been taken away in that manner.
Aside from Elliott, nine other drivers competing on Sunday have won at Pocono. Hamlin has six Pocono wins, which is tied with Jeff Gordon for the most all-time. Busch (four) and Truex (two) also have multiple Ponoco wins, while Keselowski (2011), Logano (2012), Buescher (2016), Blaney (2017), Harvick (2020), Bowman (2021) and Elliott (2022) each have one.
Pocono Raceway weather for NASCAR weekend
After three straight weeks of weather issues, NASCAR might finally be off the hook. NBC Philadelphia is expecting a dry weekend in Long Pond, Pa.
Saturday has a projected high of 75 degrees with partly cloudy skies and an 13% chance of rain. Race day on Sunday looks even better, with highs expected to reach 78 degrees with mostly sunny skies and just a 11% chance of rain. Keep up to date with the latest forecast right here.
