CONCORD, N.C.— After competing in the longest race on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers are ready to take on the “Tricky Triangle” of Pocono Raceway this weekend.
“Pocono has been great over the years,” Kasey Kahne said. “We have been able to get a couple of wins there. It is an interesting track with three completely different corners. There have been some changes over the last couple of years -- they added patches in the final turns at one point. Now, it is pretty smooth, but it always seems to throw you a curveball. It is a good track and it is neat to go a couple times a year.”
Tune in Sunday to catch all the action and see who can defeat the perplexing three-turn, 2.5-mile track in Pennsylvania.
Here’s what you should watch for prior to this weekend’s series of events:
BROADCAST INFORMATION: Sunday’s race will air live on FOX Sports 1 at 1 p.m. ET. Can’t make it to the television? Listen to the race live on MRN and SiriusXM to catch the radio coverage. Here is the full broadcast schedule:
Friday, June 3:
11:00 a.m. ET: Sprint Cup Series Practice, FOX Sports 1
4:00 p.m. ET: Sprint Cup Series Qualifying, FOX Sports 1
Saturday, June 4:
11:30 a.m. ET: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, FOX Sports 1
Sunday, June 5:
1:00 p.m. ET: Sprint Cup Series Race, FOX Sports 1
THIS WEEKEND’S PAINT SCHEMES: Kahne will drive the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS for this weekend’s race at Pocono Raceway. NAPA AUTO PARTS will be the primary partner on board Rookie of the Year contender Chase Elliott’s No. 24 Chevrolet SS. Jimmie Johnson will pilot the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet’s traditional blue and silver scheme with yellow 48s, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT POCONO: Hendrick Motorsports has accumulated 17 wins at Pocono Raceway, with the four most recent coming as season sweeps in 2013 (Johnson and Kahne) and 2014 (Earnhardt). In addition, the organization has 12 pole positions, 65 top-five finishes and 113 top-10 finishes at the 2.5-mile triangle.
KAHNE AT POCONO: Kahne’s success at Pocono Raceway came early in his career. In his rookie year and first start at the 2.5-mile track, he earned the pole position. In 2008, Kahne captured his second pole position at the "Tricky Triangle” and went on to take the checkered flag after leading 69 laps in the 200-lap race. Kahne’s most recent win at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania, track was in the Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS in August of 2013, when he started from the 18th position and led 66 laps. In Kahne’s 24 starts at the three-turn track, he’s led laps in eight races for a total of 219 laps.
LOOKING FOR A WIN: Consistency continues for Elliott as he has earned four top-five finishes in the past seven races, accumulating nine top-10 finishes through the first 13 races. Only two drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have more top-10 finishes this year (Kevin Harvick with 10 and Kurt Busch with 11 -- both Sprint Cup champions). Additionally, only four Sprint Cup drivers own more top-five finishes than Elliott this year (Kyle Busch with nine, Harvick with six, teammate Johnson with six and Carl Edwards with five). As Elliott’s consistency increases so does his chance at closing in on his first Cup victory. According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Elliott ranks second in closers behind teammate and six-time Cup champion Johnson. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native secured his first top-10 finish of 2016 at his home track, Atlanta Motor Speedway. He earned his career-best finish, third, at Dover International Speedway earlier this month.
SECOND-HIGHEST DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Johnson has the second-best driver rating at Pocono with a score of 106.9 during the past 10 years at the track. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.
FRONT-RUNNER AT POCONO: Earnhardt swept both NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events in 2014 to earn his two career victories at Pocono Raceway. The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has also finished in the top five in almost a third (31.2 percent) of the races he’s competed in at the “Tricky Triangle,” including his most recent trip to the 2.5-mile facility last fall, when he finished fourth.
AXALTA “WE PAINT WINNERS” 400: Earnhardt’s primary sponsor at Pocono will also be the title sponsor of the 400-mile Cup event, the Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400, for the second consecutive year. Use #Axalta400 to join in the conversation on race weekend.