2022 NASCAR Cup Series preview: Pocono
Brenden Martin previews the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway. Ty Gibbs will make his Cup Series debut for Kurt Busch, who suffered concussion-like symptoms after a crash in qualifying.
The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season continues to deliver wild and wacky scenarios that have led it to the 21st race of the season at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.
Last week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Christopher Bell won his second career Cup race to become the 14th different winner this season, pushing the playoff cutline down even further and putting non-winners at risk of missing the Round of 16.
Two drivers without wins remain above the playoff cutline heading into Pocono. Team Penske No. 12 Ryan Blaney sits in 15th in the playoff standings while having the third-most total points out of anyone. He currently sits 105 points above the cutline, a comfortable margin if it weren’t possible to see a new winner every week.
Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Martin Truex Jr. is the last driver above the cutline, 68 points ahead of Stewart Haas Racing No. 4 Kevin Harvick. Truex Jr. had another good shot at being the newest winner last week with a pole at New Hampshire and him sweeping the first two stages. However, a two-tire decision in the final stop hurt the balance of his car and took him out of contention for winning.
Teams heading to the series’ only race at Pocono this season will be on edge. The track was home to the only doubleheader in NASCAR last season with a race being held on a Saturday and Sunday.
In the first race of the doubleheader weekend, Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Alex Bowman took home his second of three wins in 2021 thanks to his teammate, No. 5 Kyle Larson, blowing a left-front tire on the final turn, sending him into the wall.
In the Sunday race, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Kyle Busch won his second race of the season despite dealing with mechanical issues.
JGR and Toyotas as a whole put together arguably its most complete performance of the season at New Hampshire, headlined by Bell’s win. All six Toyotas finished in the top 12. The team will look to continue its hot streak thanks to Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Denny Hamlin winning his third pole of the season and fourth career pole at Pocono.
The 2.5-mile triangular track is one of Hamlin’s best. The veteran driver has six career Cup Series wins at Pocono, including two in his first two starts there in 2006. He won back-to-back races at the “Tricky Triangle” in 2009 and 2010.
Most recently, Hamlin won the second Pocono race in 2019 and won the second Pocono doubleheader race in 2020, following up a second-place finish the day before.
Hamlin will start in the front row alongside his teammate, Busch, the most recent Pocono winner.
Busch has been the focus of a lot of drama surrounding his future with JGR and NASCAR as a whole. Mars, the company that has been his primary sponsor since 2008, announced last offseason that this year would be their last as a sponsor.
The search for a new primary sponsor for Busch has proven difficult for Joe Gibbs as he admitted it has taken longer than expected.
The M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 could be an opportunity for Busch to show Mars what it will be missing starting 2023.
However, Kyle Busch will be the only Busch brother to participate.
23XI Racing No. 45 Kurt Busch suffered a hard crash in the final round of qualifying, sending his McDonalds Toyota Camry into the wall and severely damaging it. The No. 45 team was going to need to switch to a backup car anyway, but news broke the morning of the race that Busch sustained concussion-like symptoms from the wreck.
Ty Gibbs, driver of the No. 54 Toyota Supra in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, will make his Cup Series debut in place of Busch.
Busch's wreck was par for the course during practice and qualifying on Saturday. Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 William Byron spun to end the first practice group’s session. The second group practice ended the same way as Trackhouse Racing No. 1 Ross Chastain spun off of Turn 3. Luckily for both of them, neither car hit a wall but will need to drop to the rear for adjustments.
Intermediate races have had a history of causing a lot of tire wear. While Pocono is no traditional intermediate track, its long nature could wreak havoc on Goodyear tires.
The M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway will be 160 laps with stage breaks at Laps 30 and 95 and is set to begin at 3:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 24 and can be watched on USA Network and the NBC Sports app. The race can also be listened to on Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Starting Lineup:
To the rear: No. 1 Ross Chastain, No. 24 William Byron, No. 31 Justin Haley, No. 43 Erik Jones, No. 51 Cody Ware - Unapproved adjustments
No. 45 Ty Gibbs - Backup Car/Driver Replacement
Pit Road Selection:
Goodyear Tire Notes:
NASCAR Cup Series – Race No. 21 – 160 laps / 400 miles
Pocono Raceway (2.5-mile triangle) – Long Pond, Pa.
Fast Facts for June 23-24, 2022
Tire: Goodyear Eagle 18-inch Speedway Radials
Set limits:
Cup – 1 set for practice, 1 set for qualifying and 7 sets for the race
(6 race sets plus 1 set transferred from qualifying)
Tire Codes:
Left-side — D-5170;
Right-side — D-5190
Tire Circumference:
Left-side — 2,254 mm (88.74 in.);
Right-side — 2,279 mm (89.72 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front — 20 psi; Left Rear — 22 psi
;
Right Front — 40 psi; Right Rear — 38 psi