NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers face the longest straightaway on the circuit and a challenging turn made more difficult by bumps in the groove. Pocono Raceway always has had its unique issues for drivers, but today’s Axalta 400 could be among the more tougher races drivers have faced there.
Here are the particulars for today’s race (all times are Eastern):
START: Charlie Shaver, Chairman and CEO of Axalta Coating Systems, will give the command for drivers to start their engines at 1:07 p.m. The green flag is scheduled for 1:18 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is scheduled for 160 laps (400 miles) around the 2.5-mile track.
PRE-RACE SCHEDULE: The Sprint Cup garage opens at 7 a.m., and the drivers meeting is at 11 a.m. Driver introductions begin at 12:30 p.m.
NATIONAL ANTHEM: It will be performed by the West Point Army Band and it will be joined by Aaliyah Sanders, signer from Scranton School of the Deaf, at 1:01 p.m.
TV/RADIO: Fox Sports 1 will broadcast the race at 1 p.m. Motor Racing Network will broadcast the race on radio and at mrn.com, with its pre-race show beginning at noon. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have coverage beginning at noon.
FORECAST: The wunderground.com site predicts 67 degrees at race time with a 0% chance of rain.
LAST TIME(S): Dale Earnhardt Jr. swept both races at Pocono last year. The last driver to win three in a row at Pocono was Tim Richmond in 1986-87.
POCONO POTPOURRI: Ford is winless in its last eight races at Pocono. ... The winner at Pocono has started in the top 10 in eight of the past 12 races. ... The final lead change has come in the last 10 laps in four of the past six Pocono races. ... The final green flag stretch was 12 laps or less in all six Pocono races since the repave.
STARTING LINEUP:
Row 1: Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards
Row 2: Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon
Row 3: Kevin Harvick, Austin Dillon
Row 4: Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin
Row 5: Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch
Row 6: Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne
Row 7: Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray
Row 8: Kyle Larson, Paul Menard
Row 9: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Casey Mears
Row 10: Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Row 11: David Ragan, Danica Patrick
Row 12: Clint Bowyer, Sam Hornish Jr.
Row 13: Aric Almirola, AJ Allmendinger
Row 14: Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart
Row 15: Ty Dillon, Justin Allgaier
Row 16: Michael Annett, Landon Cassill
Row 17: Trevor Bayne, Alex Bowman
Row 18: David Gilliland, Brett Moffitt
Row 19: JJ Yeley, Josh Wise
Row 20: Cole Whitt, Jeb Burton
Row 21: Matt DiBenedetto, Travis Kvapil
Row 22: Brendan Gaughan