Every time the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stops at Pocono Raceway, it seems that rain wrecks havoc on the schedule. It was that way during the spring race when rain and fog forced the race to be postponed to Monday afternoon, where Kurt Busch made a late pass to win the race
Weekend Schedule (All times eastern)
Friday, July 29
First Practice: 11:00 a.m. - 12:25 p.m.
Qualifying: 4:15 p.m.
Saturday, July 30
Final Practice: 11:00 a.m - 12:20 p.m.
Sunday, July 31
Race (160 laps, 400 miles): 1:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
Weekend Notebook
- Kyle Busch will look to get his first career win at Pocono, which is one of just two tracks that he hasn't won at, with the other being Charlotte. He seemingly has the momentum entering the race, as he took home the win on Sunday in Indianapolis. While he doesn't have a win, he does have four top-five finishes, along with an average finish of 19.0
- His brother, Kurt Busch, will look to sweep the season at Pocono, which would make him just the eighth driver to sweep a season at the track. The last driver to do so was Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will not race this weekend due to concussion-like symptoms.
- Jeff Gordon will be in the #88 for the second straight weekend while Earnhardt Jr. recovers from a possible third concussion. While it is unclear when Earnhardt Jr. will return to racing, he has to be applauded for being out front about his health and being willing to miss races if he isn't feeling well.
- Gordon looks to be one of the favorites, despite having only one race this season, which was last week at Indianapolis, where he finished 13th in his return to racing. He does have six career wins at Pocono, and will look to add a seventh to his collection on Sunday.
- One driver to keep an eye on is rookie Chase Elliott, who is still looking for his first career win. He led 52 laps at Pocono in the spring before settling for a fourth-place finish. While he is currently in the season-ending Chase for the Sprint Cup, he has struggled recently, as his last top-10 finish was at Michigan where he finished in second.
- A.J. Allmendinger will make some history this weekend, as when he takes the green flag, it will be his 200th career race. He has just one career win but has 25 top-10 finishes in his career.