Though yet another NASCAR race felt the impacts of Mother Nature as the Grant Park 165 saw rain fall on the Chicago Street Course, the on-track action delivered once again. Now NASCAR heads to Pocono Raceway for the 2024 Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VISITPA.com. From one of NASCAR’s slower circuits to a massive 2.5-mile track that features high speeds on the straightaways, the Tricky Triangle will test drivers and teams on Sunday.
Alex Bowman punched his playoff ticket at Chicago and now several drivers will hope to do the same in Long Pond, PA. Meanwhile, title contenders like Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin hope to gather some momentum in this summer stretch. Let’s dive into Sunday’s field.
2024 Great American Getaway 400 Entry List
Unlike last week in Chicago, we don’t have a handful of road course experts appearing in the field. However, AJ Allmendinger will make another start for Kaulig Racing – this time in the #16 instead of the #13. JJ Yeley climbing behind the wheel of the #44 and Cody Ware piloting the #15 represent the only other lineup changes for the weekend.
Pocono remains one of the more unique tracks that NASCAR visits with three very different corners. Down the long front stretch, drivers will dive off into turn one – a 14-degree banked curve modeled after Trenton Speedway. After exiting turn one, the drivers make their way to the Tunnel Turn (turn two) – an 8-degree banked turn modeled after Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Finally, after exiting the Tunnel Turn drivers head down the North Straight – the shortest of the three at the Tricky Triangle. From there, drivers take on a turn that features just six degrees of banking and is modeled after the Milwaukee Mile. The sweeping corner takes drivers back to the front stretch.
Anything can happen at @PoconoRaceway, even on the last lap. pic.twitter.com/Sg6k1GuJfH
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 12, 2024
While a massive track – the relatively low banking of the corners means drivers need to manage their speed much more than the typical 2.5-mile NASCAR circuits like Daytona or Talladega. Drafting plays a role but not nearly at the same level as the superspeedway. Instead, drivers use the draft to set up passes into the lower-speed corners. The field will spread out around the track on green flag runs, passing will be difficult, and restarts will get increasingly chaotic as the race approaches its conclusion.
2024 Great American Getaway 400 Race Odds and Predictions
Pocono has produced many exciting moments over the years but side-by-side finishes to the checkered flag don’t usually end up on the docket. Instead, this race tends to be one where mechanical failures and strategy differences deliver excitement instead of classic on-track racing. As mentioned above, late race restarts are a spectacle with cars fanning out as they dive off into the first turn but don’t expect side-by-side racing to permeate throughout the event.
Denny Hamlin swept the Pocono races as a rookie and has gone on to add five more wins – bringing his total to seven (plus one DQ’d win) at the Tricky Triangle and making him the all-time wins leader at the track. It comes as no surprise to see the #11 has the best odds at +450 for Sunday’s race.
Top: Denny Hamlin vs. Ross Chastain, 2022
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 10, 2024
Bottom: Denny Hamlin vs. Kyle Larson, 2023
It's wild seeing how similar these two incidents look. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/PFLgDSH1rs
Of course, right on his tail is Kyle Larson at +550. Larson continues to compete for wins every week and in spite of trouble at Chicago, sits perched atop the NASCAR points standings. After Hamlin and Larson, Martin Truex Jr. holds the next-best odds at +750, followed by Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell both at +850.
Reddick has finished in second place the last two weeks suffering heartbreak at both Nashville and Chicago. The #45 also finished in second last year at Pocono. It feels like a perfect moment for Tyer Reddick to secure another win and for that reason, I’m taking the #45 as my official pick on Sunday.
Dealing with Beryl-related issues means I didn’t get this preview out ahead of the Truck race yesterday where Corey Heim claimed his fifth victory of the season but check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any of the action from Pocono for the rest of the weekend.
Saturday 07/13
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – 11:45 a.m. CT on USA
Explore The Pocono Mountains 225 (NASCAR Xfinity Series) – 2:00 p.m. CT on USA
Sunday 07/14
The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VISITPA.com (NASCAR Cup Series) – 1:30 p.m. CT on USA
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