LONG POND, PA. – Historically speaking the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway is anybody’s to win. In seven races at the 2.5-mile oval, there have been seven different winners. The only previous winner in Saturday’s field is Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer, who hoisted a trophy there in 2019.
A victory in Saturday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 (5:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) represents a championship Playoff ticket for someone since only seven of the 12 Playoff positions have already been filled.
With his victory last week at New Hampshire, John Hunter Nemechek has extended his career best single season win total to four and he leads three-race winner Austin Hill by 33 points and one-race winner Justin Allgaier by 60 points in the standings. Nemechek has one top-10 – a seventh place in 2018 – in two series starts at Pocono. Hill also has a pair of starts at the track with a best effort of eighth place last year.
It may be Custer – who sits fourth in the championship standings – that everyone needs to keep an eye on. He has never finished worse than 10th in four starts at Pocono. Another driver with not only an impressive history at Pocono, but some extra motivation to score his first win in more than a year is Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric. The 2021 series champion has not won a race since his title-clinching win at Phoenix in that season finale. He has four top-10 finishes in five Pocono starts.
Another driver still racing for his first win of the season – and the automatic Playoff berth – is JR Motorsports’ Josh Berry. He has a pair of top-10 finishes in two Pocono starts, including a third place run last year.
Custer’s SHR teammate Riley Herbst currently holds that all-important 12th place in the driver standings, only 18 points ahead of Parker Kligerman who will be making his Pocono debut this weekend.
NASCAR Cup Series regular and 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, Daniel Suarez will drive the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet this weekend. He’s earned top-10 finishes in both his previous Xfinity Series starts at the track.
Custer will similarly be competing in two Pocono races. He’s driving the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday in addition to his Xfinity Series duties.
Cars roll off for practice on Friday at 3:35 p.m. ET followed by Pole Qualifying at 4:05 p.m. ET – both sessions televised on USA Network and streamed on the NBC Sports App.
Source: Holly Cain/NASCAR Wire Service
