With the Playoffs looming and a $1 million prize on the line, Pocono Raceway is set to host one of the most pivotal weekends of the NASCAR Cup Series season.

Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA.com will not only mark the 92nd Cup race held at the 2.5-mile tri-oval, but it will also serve as the final seeding event for the sport’s inaugural In-Season Challenge.

Defending race winner Ryan Blaney and seven-time Pocono champion Denny Hamlin return as favorites, while rising stars like Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell aim to shake up the standings. With strategy, restarts, and history all in play, “The Tricky Triangle” promises another dramatic chapter in a season that has already seen 10 different winners.

Cup Series Race Info

Race: The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA.com

When: Sunday, 2 p.m. ET

Where: Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pa. (2.5-mile tri-oval)

TV/Radio: Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR

Stages: Lap 30, Lap 95, Lap 160

Distance: 400 miles, 160 laps

Purse: $11,055,250

Last Year at Pocono

Ryan Blaney secured his second career Pocono win in 2024, outlasting Alex Bowman and Denny Hamlin over the final 44 laps. The Team Penske driver used strategy to trade stage points for track position and powered to the lead after a pivotal Lap 117 pit stop. The win was Blaney’s second of the season and first at Pocono since his 2017 breakthrough.

Track Leaders

• Denny Hamlin leads all drivers with seven Pocono wins, 23 top-10s, and 858 laps led.

• Kyle Busch (4), Ryan Blaney (2), and Chase Elliott (1) are the other active Pocono winners.

• William Byron holds the best average finish (9.4) at Pocono among drivers with two or more starts.

• Ford has just four wins at Pocono since 2011 — two from Blaney.

Playoff Picture

Ten drivers have secured Playoff spots via wins, with six still open. Chris Buescher holds the final points position with a 19-point cushion over Ryan Preece. The next 10 races will finalize the 16-driver Playoff field.

• William Byron leads the regular season standings by 67 points over Kyle Larson.

• Larson leads all drivers in top-fives (9), laps led (851), and playoff points (23).

• Chase Elliott has finished in the top 20 in all 16 races and won Pocono in 2022 after post-race DQs.

In-Season Challenge

Final Seeding Race

Pocono is the final qualifying event in the three-race seeding portion of NASCAR’s new In-Season Challenge, which offers a $1 million prize. Drivers will be seeded based on best finishes at Michigan, Mexico City, and Pocono. The knockout tournament begins next week at Atlanta.

Driver Trends

• Ty Gibbs has started in the top 10 in seven of his last eight races.

• Christopher Bell and Larson are tied for the most top-10 finishes (11).

• Bubba Wallace leads all drivers in restart positions gained at Pocono in the Next Gen era.

• Chase Elliott has 10 top-10s in 15 Pocono starts and has completed nearly every lap this season.

• Hamlin has finished fourth or better in six of his last eight Pocono starts.

Xfinity Series

Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

Race: Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 (100 laps | 250 miles)

TV/Radio: CW Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR

Notable Entries: Chase Elliott (No. 17 for Hendrick Motorsports) with Dale Earnhardt Jr. as crew chief.

Storylines

• 10th Xfinity race at Pocono; only Cole Custer has multiple wins.

• Justin Allgaier leads the series in top-fives (10), laps led (638), and is one win from tying Matt Kenseth for ninth all-time (28).

• Austin Hill, the 2022 winner, has top-10s in six straight races.

• Taylor Gray has never finished worse than fifth at Pocono in Trucks, ARCA, or Xfinity.

CRAFTSMAN Truck Series

Friday, 5 p.m.

Race: MillerTech Battery 200 (80 laps | 200 miles)

TV/Radio: FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR

Pocono Note: This is the longest scheduled Truck race at Pocono in series history.

Storylines

• Past winners entered: Brandon Jones, Chandler Smith, Corey Heim.

• Tyler Ankrum makes his 150th career Truck start.

• Rajah Caruth and Stewart Friesen have pulled back into Playoff contention with recent wins.

• Six different winners in the last six Pocono Truck races.

• 11 of 15 races were won from the front two rows.