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In The Know – Pocono

NASCAR CUP SERIES OVERVIEW:

●  Event:  HighPoint.com 400 (Round 21 of 36)

●  Time/Date:  2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 23

●  Location:  Pocono (Pa.) Raceway

●  Layout:  2.5-mile triangle

●  Laps/Miles:  160 laps/400 miles

●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 30 laps / Stage 2: 65 laps / Final Stage: 65 laps

●  TV/Radio:  USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

SHR FAST FACTS:

Kevin Harvick:

On June 27, 2020, in his 39th NASCAR Cup Series start at Pocono, Harvick finally nabbed a coveted victory at the “Tricky Triangle.” After starting ninth and methodically working his way toward the front, Harvick led the final 17 laps to take the checkered flag by .761 of a second over runner-up Hamlin in the first race of a doubleheader weekend. Harvick then followed up his win with a strong second-place finish Sunday, as Hamlin came home the victor.

Aric Almirola:

 The No. 10 Ford Mustang will sport a new Ford Motor Company livery this weekend at Pocono. Almirola has been a Ford driver for the entirety of his 12-year fulltime Cup Series career. Ford is one of the most successful global racing programs and is the only car manufacturer to win the world’s most prestigious races, including the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Rolex 24 at Daytona, the NHRA’s U.S. Nationals, the Baja 1000, Rally Great Britain, the Bathurst 1,000, and even the Rallycross competition at the X Games. Ford has 722 all-time wins in the NASCAR Cup Series by 88 different drivers, including all three of Almirola’s career victories. Additionally, Ford has won 10 Cup series championships and 17 manufacturer titles.

Chase Briscoe:

Briscoe has visited Pocono’s victory lane twice – once in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and once in the ARCA Menards Series. In 2020, the native of Mitchell, Indiana, overcame a pit-road speeding penalty, a near-miss in a multicar accident and a late-race spin while leading to notch his fourth Xfinity Series win of the season and the first home-track win for HighPoint.com. He led 24 laps that day.

Ryan Preece:

Sunday’s HighPoint.com 400 will mark Preece’s seventh Cup Series start at Pocono. His previous six outings were with JTG-Daugherty Racing, beginning with the June 2019 race when he started 29th and finished 23rd. Preece started on the pole but finished 25th in the second race of the Pocono doubleheader weekend in 2020. In his most recent Pocono appearance, the second race of the June 2021 weekend doubleheader, Preece started 23rd and finished eighth, his best at the track. In two career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, Preece has a best finish of fourth, which came in 2019 with JR Motorsports after starting eighth. Preece has also made two NASCAR Truck Series starts at Pocono, both with David Gilliland Racing. The first was in 2021, when he started eighth and finished ninth, and the second last season, when he started 22nd and finished second after leading six laps.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS:

 

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WHAT OUR DRIVERS ARE SAYING:

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Peach Ford Mustang:

You mentioned the Tunnel Turn – what makes it so difficult?

“The Tunnel Turn is difficult just because you try to carry so much speed through there. It’s not an extremely hard corner, but it’s an extremely hard corner to carry speed through there without having the front end push or the back slide out. It’s not an extremely hard corner until you try to go through there as fast as you can lap after lap. It’s an easy corner to make a mistake. You can give up a lot of time there, but you can also make a lot of time.”

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10  Ford Mustang:

What is your best memory of Pocono over the years?

“My best memory of Pocono would be that doubleheader weekend we had in 2020 during the pandemic. I ran really well and led a lot of laps. We finished third in the first race, then we had to invert the field, which put me in the middle of the pack, and we ran really well that next race. It was my best weekend at Pocono. That weekend, I was like, ‘Yes I finally figured out Pocono.’”

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com  Ford Mustang:

How do you keep your head in the right place for a track that challenging?

“I think some guys go in with the mindset or mentality where they’re already kind of defeated before they get there because it’s such a tough track. That’s half the battle and I’ve always loved racing there. But it is probably one of the most terrifying places we race. The front straightaway is so long, and you can’t see the end of the corner. You’re almost going into this 90-degree corner and, you know, hopefully you come out OK on the other side. The racing is tough but the track has a great atmosphere with all the fans camping, so if you can go in knowing you have challenges that you just have to manage, the success will come and then you get to go out and celebrate with all of those people that have stuck it out all weekend.”

Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 Mohawk Northeast Ford Mustang:

You have a good amount of experience at Pocono and some really good results there in the Xfinity Series and Truck Series. What is it about Pocono that you like?

“It just really fits my style of racing. I really enjoy the racing that Pocono provides. Our team has been really emphasizing a handful of tracks and this is one of them, just like New Hampshire was. New Hampshire just didn’t go our way last weekend, which was a bummer because I really hoped for a better result. We’ve been working really hard on the simulator and making sure our car is just right when it comes off the truck. That’s important for our team, and then qualifying well is key. We’ve seen how important qualifying at the front is at these tracks because you don’t know if you’ll be able to maneuver the track and make those passes necessary to get up there and contend. We’re consistently moving in the right direction and this weekend will be no different.”