LONG POND, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — With six races left in the NASCAR regular season many drivers are still looking to claim one of the last four spots in the NASCAR playoffs.
Here are four things you need to know heading into Pocono Raceway this weekend.
- It's a tripleheader weekend at the race:
- After a two-week break, the truck race gets the party started with the CRC Brakeleen 175. Then Saturday the Xfinity race hits the track for exploring the Pocono Mountains 225 and on Sunday it's the big boys, the cup series for the Great American Get Away 400, 160 laps a 400-mile marathon.
- The Track:
- The Tricky Triangle at Pocono Raceway is the rarest track on the NASCAR circuit with two and a half miles and only three turns, each unique in its own way. Turn one is 14 degrees modeled after the Trenton speedway. Turn 2 is eight degrees known as the tunnel turn, modeled after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Turn three is only six degrees, modeled after the Milwaukee mile, its shape makes it one of the most difficult tracks to race at.
- Denny Hamlin:
- Hamlin is tied for the most wins in 2024 with three and the 43-year-old dominates Pocono. In 2006 he won his first career race at the Tricky Triangle and is the defending champion at the racetrack; winning in 2023 and taking the checkered flag first in 2022 but was later disqualified.
- Crashes:
- Pocono provides some of the most exciting racing in motorsports but also some of the vicious crashes in NASCAR.
This will also be the last race at the tricky triangle for 2017 Cup Series Champion Martin Truex Jr. as he announced he would retire at the end of the season.