Jun 15, 2026, 10:58 AM ET

Denny Hamlin looked to win three NASCAR Cup Series races in a row for the first time in his career at Pocono Raceway for the Great American Getaway 400 after winning the past two weeks at Nashville and Michigan. Hamlin started the race in first, the pole position, but quickly lost the lead to Kyle Larson after Larson had a better restart to begin the race and pulled away from Hamlin. Hamlin spent the rest of the first stage chasing down Larson and passed him on lap 26, going on to win the first stage and 10 stage points. In the second stage, Hamlin cycled back to the middle of the pack as he went to pit road while others stayed out during the stage break. It took Hamlin until lap 88 to return to the lead, but a few laps later, he went to pit road before the end of the second stage, moving him back to ninth as the stage ended. In the final stage, Hamlin cycled back to the front and took the lead back again on lap 111 before his final pit stop on lap 122. After the final cycle of green flag pit stops, Hamlin made it back up to second and had to make up an 11-second gap on Christopher Bell, who was trying to stretch his fuel mileage to avoid another pit stop. Hamlin steadily made up the gap until lap 156, where he finally passed Bell. Despite William Byron and Tyler Reddick chasing him throughout the stage, Hamlin was too far ahead to be caught and won at Pocono for the eighth time in his Cup career while scoring three consecutive race wins in a season for the first time. Hamlin remains second in the Cup Series standings, but now has cut the gap to 19 points behind Reddick after 16 races.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

Jun 15, 2026, 10:57 AM ET

23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick finished second in the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway. Reddick started the race from 16th and became a factor for the race win later on in the event. In the first stage, Reddick quietly ran around the top 15 and approached the top 10, but he went to pit road before the end of the stage, sending him back to 33rd with no stage points. During stage two, Reddick cycled to the front and, after further pit stops, was able to compete for the lead and ran inside the top five. Reddick led a couple of laps before losing out on the lead to John Hunter Nemechek, and then he just continued to log laps until he pitted before the end of the second stage. At the end of stage two, Reddick missed out on scoring stage points as he placed 11th at the end of the stage. In the final stage, Reddick ran on the track longer than most as part of a contrarian pit strategy to have fresher tires in the second half of the stage, making his final pit stop on lap 135. This strategy worked out for Reddick as he spent the rest of the race picking off positions with his fresher tires, getting him up to second by the end of the stage, but he ran out of time to catch race winner Denny Hamlin. Reddick led 24 total laps and scored his third runner-up finish at Pocono. He also remains the season points leader, but with a gap of only 19 points ahead of Hamlin after 16 races.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

Jun 15, 2026, 10:56 AM ET

In the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway, William Byron was one of the better performers as he finished in third. Byron started the race from ninth and consistently ran inside the top 10 through most of the first stage. He would eventually end the stage in seventh and score four stage points. The second stage had Byron still running steadily inside the top 10 through most of the stage and staying out of trouble. Unlike the first stage, Byron did hit pit road a few laps before the end of the second stage. This move shuffled him to the back, and he ended the second stage in 12th, meaning he earned no further stage points for the day. In the final stage, Byron shuffled back to the top five after others went to pit during the stage break. From here, Byron was one of the top contenders for the win and chased Denny Hamlin and his teammate Chase Elliott throughout the stage. After his final pit stop, Byron followed Hamlin to eventually make it to second by the closing laps, but was passed by Tyler Reddick before the checkered flag, leaving Byron in third for his first top-5 finish since Martinsville back in March. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver is now 11th in points after 16 races this season.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

Jun 15, 2026, 10:52 AM ET

John Hunter Nemechek had his best performance yet of the 2026 Cup Series season at the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway. Nemechek began the race from the eighth position and ran around the top 10 through most of the first stage. Just before the stage ended, Nemechek made his first pit stop of the day, which sent him to the back and had him finish the stage in 31st. However, once the second stage began, Nemechek cycled back to the front, allowing him to compete for the lead with Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin throughout the stage. Nemechek led over 27 laps in the stage before pitting again, but was able to rally back to finish third at the end of the second stage and earn eight stage points. In the final stage, Nemechek continued to run inside the top five through the entire stage, but could not have the track position or speed on the level of Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, and William Byron, who all passed him by the end of the race. Although he failed to win the race, Nemechek led the most laps (42) and scored his first top-5 finish of the 2026 season.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

Jun 15, 2026, 10:52 AM ET

Christopher Bell finished in the 26th position for Sunday's Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway. Bell sustained a fractured wrist after a crash in last week's race at Michigan and was riding with a cast in this week's race at Pocono. The No. 20 Toyota driver started the race from 22nd, but did not really have the speed to compete for the win through most of the race. By the end of the first stage, Bell placed 17th, and by the end of the second stage, he moved back to 26th. This means that Bell failed to earn stage points for the race. In the final stage, Bell finally became a factor for the win after first pitting during the final stage on lap 107. After this stop, Bell decided to save fuel and attempt to make the finish without hitting pit road again. Bell held the lead in the late parts of the stage as a result, when others made pit stops later on, and maintained a large gap against Denny Hamlin. However, Bell's pace slowed down to the point where Hamlin erased the gap and then passed him with four laps to go. Bell tried to hold on to the finish, but ran out of fuel with one lap to go, sending him all the way back to his eventual finishing position of 26th. This finish ended up being Bell's lowest finish at Pocono since 2021, and he is now 10th in the regular-season standings after 16 races.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

Jun 14, 2026, 11:59 AM ET

Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports scored a starting position of 23rd after qualifying for this week's Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway. This is Elliott's first start at Pocono outside of the top 20 since 2023. In 16 Cup starts at Pocono, Elliott has one win, 11 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.9. In practice for Sunday's race at Pocono, Elliott ranked 28th in five consecutive lap averages in practice. Although his practice speeds were unremarkable, Elliott does have great track history at Pocono and some of the best equipment in the field from Hendrick Motorsports. Elliott's upside and overall history at Pocono make him a great DFS option for all formats this week.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

Jun 14, 2026, 11:35 AM ET

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs is starting in the fourth position for the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway. This is the second time in his Cup career that Gibbs will start inside the top five in a Pocono race. In four prior races at the site, Gibbs has one top-5 finish, but he did lead in two of the last three Cup events at the Pennsylvania track. With 15 races completed so far this year, Gibbs has one win, nine top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 14.0. In practice for this week's race, Gibbs ranked fourth in five consecutive lap averages. Considering how Gibbs has been one of the strongest performers of the season with top-notch equipment and an overall solid history at Pocono, he is an underrated pick to compete for the win. --Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

Jun 14, 2026, 11:28 AM ET

Chris Buescher of RFK Racing is starting sixth for the Great American Getaway at Pocono Raceway. After starting second in last year's Pocono Cup race, this marks the second time in Buescher's career that he has had back-to-back top-10 starts at the site since 2021 and 2022. In 16 Cup starts, Buescher has one win and three top-10 finishes with an average finish of 19.0. Through the first 15 races of the season, Buescher has seven top-10 finishes with an average finish of 13.6. In practice for this week's Cup race, Buescher ranked first in five consecutive lap averages. Despite having a high starting position that leaves him little upside, Buescher was one of the fastest drivers in pre-race events and has been one of the more consistent drivers of the year. Although he is preferred for tournament lineups due to his low upside, Buescher is a solid DFS option capable of placing in the top 10.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

Jun 14, 2026, 11:13 AM ET

Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain will start in the 24th position for this week's race at Pocono Raceway, the Great American Getaway 400. This is the lowest starting position for Chastain in his Cup career at Pocono since joining Trackhouse back in 2022. In 10 Cup starts at Pocono, Chastain's best finish is 13th, which he scored in 2023. After 15 races so far this year, Chastain has eight top-20 finishes with an average finish of 21.9. In practice for Sunday's race, Chastain ranked 10th in five consecutive lap averages and seventh in 10 consecutive lap averages. The No. 1 Chevrolet driver has some solid upside based on his starting position after showing top-10 speeds in practice. Overall, fantasy players should be able to roster Chastain with confidence to perform in all DFS formats despite not having the best track record at Pocono.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

Jun 14, 2026, 11:05 AM ET

Daniel Suarez will start in the third position for the Great American Getaway 400, taking place at Pocono Raceway this week. This is the best starting position that Suarez has earned for a Cup race at Pocono in his career since earning the pole in July 2018. In 14 Cup starts at Pocono, Suarez has four top-10 finishes and an average finish of 16.6. In 15 races completed so far this season, Suarez has one win, five top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 13.7. In practice for this week's race, Suarez ranked third in five consecutive lap averages and fourth in 10 consecutive lap averages. With Suarez starting towards the front, he has very little upside for Place Differential, but he did showcase fast practice speeds. The No. 7 Chevrolet driver is best-suited for tournament lineups, especially as his risk to lose positions for PD, despite showing a car capable of a top 10 finish, is not cash-friendly for DFS.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

Jun 14, 2026, 10:17 AM ET

It should come as no surprise to anyone, but Denny Hamlin is the guy to beat at Pocono Raceway this weekend. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is coming off of his third win of the season, as he put a whooping on the field at Michigan last weekend, and has won three of the last four Cup Series races (one of which was the All Star Race at Dover). At Pocono, Hamlin is simply the best. He has a series-best seven wins at "The Tricky Triangle" and has finished first or second in each of the last three races here. He's on the pole for this weekend's Great American Getaway 400 and definitely the driver to beat. And with Hamlin being on such a hot streak, can you really bet against him? In addition to being the fastest car in qualifying, the No. 11 Toyota was also the second-fastest in practice earlier that day. --Jordan McAbee
Source: ESPN

Jun 14, 2026, 10:13 AM ET

Kyle Larson has a lot to be happy about so far this weekend at Pocono Raceway. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was the fastest in practice on Saturday afternoon and backed up that speed in qualifying as well, posting the second-fastest lap. Larson will now start on the outside pole for Sunday's Great American Getaway 400, and he noted during an interview that this feels like it is the best speed he has ever had at Pocono. Will that turn into race-winning speed, though? Larson will have to get past Denny Hamlin to do so, but the No. 5 Chevrolet is one of the few race cars in the realm of being able to pull that off. Larson has never won at Pocono Raceway but he does have two runner-up finishes to his credit at "The Tricky Triangle" (one in 2021 and one in 2018). "Yung Money" should be a legitimate top-five contender on race day.--Jordan McAbee
Source: Motorsport

Jun 14, 2026, 10:08 AM ET

Carson Hocevar was one of several drivers that had issues during qualifying on Saturday at Pocono Raceway, as the Spire Motorsports driver was on a heater of a lap but ended up getting loose and brushing the wall. Hocevar was able to complete his lap and post the 26th-fastest time, but he would've likely qualified inside the top five without the issue. The team will likely have to fix the damage before the race, which will require Hocevar to drop to the rear before the Great American Getaway 400 goes green. The No. 77 Chevrolet should still have good speed during the race, though, as Hocevar was fourth-fastest in practice during the weekend. Last year at Pocono, Hocevar had a solid top 10 race car but faded late and ended up with a disappointing 18th-place finish. This weekend, DFS players should definitely consider Hocevar ($8.7K on DraftKings) for their lineups, as he offers high Place Differential upside with good finishing potential as well.--Jordan McAbee
Source: NASCAR.com

Jun 14, 2026, 10:00 AM ET

Qualifying at Pocono on Saturday afternoon wasn't boring by any means, as several drivers had issues during the session. One of those was Bubba Wallace, who wrecked during his lap and wasn't able to post a time. Officially, Bubba will be credited with a 38th-place starting spot, to the joy of DFS players. Because of his massive Place Differential upside and affordable driver salary ($8.0K on DraftKings), Bubba Wallace is now an easy pick for daily fantasy players at Pocono, especially considering the No. 23 Toyota showed decent speed during practice (15th-fastest). As far as track record goes, Bubba finished 36th at Pocono last season after brake rotor issues, but before that he has five straight finishes between fifth and 14th. He should be able to move through the field on Sunday from his last-place starting spot.--Jordan McAbee
Source: NASCAR.com

Jun 14, 2026, 9:57 AM ET

Brad Keselowski posted the slowest qualifying lap at Pocono on Saturday afternoon, but the reason wasn't the driver himself--it was the car. Keselowski reported potential engine issues with the No. 6 Ford, which led to the slow lap. Officially, he will be credited with a 37th-place starting spot when the Great American Getaway 400 goes green. Further details released by Bob Pockrass on Sunday morning also noted that it wasn't an engine issue. Instead, the RFK Ford had an airbox issue. Still, Keselowski will have plenty of work to do to get through the field during the race. Given his track record, though, that shouldn't be extremely difficult. Keselowski currently has back-to-back top-10 finishes at Pocono and has finished 11th or better in eight of the last 10 races there. In DFS, Brad makes for an excellent Place Differential pick, especially at his affordable driver salary ($7.9K on DraftKings).--Jordan McAbee
Source: Bob Pockrass