NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Great American Getaway 400

NASCAR Cup Series
Venue	Pocono Raceway
Location	Long Pond, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Corporate sponsor	VisitPA.com
First race	1974 (1974)
Distance	400 miles (643.738 km)
Laps	160 Stage 1: 30 Final 2 Stages: 65 each
Previous names	Purolator 500 (1974–1976) Coca-Cola 500 (1977–1980) Mountain Dew 500 (1981–1982) Like Cola 500 (1983–1984) Summer 500 (1985–1987) AC Spark Plug 500 (1988–1990) Miller Genuine Draft 500 (1991–1995) Miller 500 (1996) Pennsylvania 500 (1997–2007) Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 (2008–2010) Good Sam RV Insurance 500 (2011) Pennsylvania 400 (2012, 2016) GoBowling.com 400 (2013–2014) Windows 10 400 (2015) Overton's 400 (2017) Gander Outdoors 400 (2018) Gander RV 400 (2019) Pocono 350 (2020) Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 (2021) M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 (2022) HighPoint.com 400 (2023) Former second race: Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 (1982–1985) Miller High Life 500 (1986–1989) Miller Genuine Draft 500 (1990) Champion Spark Plug 500 (1991–1993) UAW-GM Teamwork 500 (1994–1996) Pocono 500 (1997–2009) Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 (2010) 5-hour Energy 500 (2011) Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR (2012) Party in the Poconos 400 Presented by Walmart (2013) Pocono 400 (2014, 2018–2019) Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 (2015–2016) Axalta presents the Pocono 400 (2017) Pocono Organics 325 (2020) Pocono Organics CBD 325 (2021)
Most wins (driver)	Denny Hamlin (7)
Most wins (team)	Hendrick Motorsports (19)
Most wins (manufacturer)	Chevrolet (34)
Circuit information
Surface	Asphalt
Length	2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Turns	3

Stock car races in the NASCAR Cup Series have been held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania since 1974. The 400-mile (643.737 km) event, now called The Great American Getaway 400 for its sponsor, usually takes place in mid-to-late July or early August. In 1974, it was held in September, and in 2020 and 2021, it was a special doubleheader event in June.

From 1982 to 2021, Pocono Raceway also hosted a second NASCAR Cup Series race each June. This second race was last a 325-mile (523.037 km) event. It was replaced in 2022 by a race at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Chase Briscoe is the most recent winner of this race. He won it in 2025.

History of the Race at Pocono

The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway happened in 1974. It was planned quickly after a deal with another track fell through. Bill France Sr., who founded NASCAR, called Joseph Mattioli, the owner of Pocono, to arrange the race. The very first winner was Richard Petty. He led most of the race, which ended early due to rain.

In 1982, NASCAR added a second race at Pocono in early June. This replaced a 400-mile (643.737 km) race at Texas World Speedway. For a while, these two Pocono races were only about five weeks apart. Before the special doubleheader years, they were held seven weeks apart.

Starting in 2007, the main July race moved to August. This was to swap dates with the Brickyard 400 so that ESPN could start its broadcasts at Indianapolis.

In 2008, Sunoco, the official fuel supplier for NASCAR, and the American Red Cross sponsored the race. This was the first time since 1996 that the event had a main sponsor. In 2011, Camping World's Good Sam Club took over the sponsorship.

The race was originally 500 miles (804.672 km) long, lasting 200 laps, from 1974 until 2011. In 2011, it was announced that both Pocono races would be shortened to 400 miles (643.737 km) starting in 2012. The second race was even shorter, at 325 miles (523.037 km), for its last two years.

Various companies sponsored the race over the years. These included Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (2013-2014), Microsoft (2015), Overton's (2017), and Gander Outdoors (2018).

In 2019, NASCAR and Pocono Raceway announced a special doubleheader weekend. This meant two Cup Series races were held on the same weekend in June. During this time, the race distance was shortened to 350 miles (563.270 km).

The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau sponsored the race in 2021. In 2022, the race returned to 400 miles (643.737 km). M&M's sponsored it that year as a "Fan Appreciation" event. In 2023, HighPoint, a sponsor of Stewart-Haas Racing, became the main sponsor.

Exciting Race Moments

The Pocono Raceway in 2006

• 1974: NASCAR shortened races in early 1974 due to an energy crisis. By July, races, including Pocono, returned to their full length. The Pocono race replaced a planned event at another track.
• 1975: David Pearson won, but there was a bit of a fuss. His car was leaking oil near the end. NASCAR waited until the last two laps to wave a black flag, which was too late to stop him from winning.
• 1979: This race had the most lead changes ever at Pocono, with 56! Rain delayed the race to Monday. Dale Earnhardt had a serious crash, hitting the wall in Turn Two.
• 1980: Neil Bonnett won on the very last lap in a close finish. Richard Petty crashed earlier in the race and broke his neck. He hid the injury for months. This led to NASCAR making a rule that drivers must be checked by doctors after any crash.
• 1982: Dale Earnhardt was injured again in a crash, this time in Turn One. The crash damaged the wall, causing a long delay for repairs. The lead changed 46 times in this exciting race. Bobby Allison won because Darrell Waltrip ran out of gas on the final lap.
• 1989: The track's steel wall was damaged three times in 1989. During one repair, a jack rabbit hopped onto the track! It was safely caught and released. The steel wall was replaced with concrete in 1990.
• 1992: Darrell Waltrip won, but the race is remembered for a scary crash involving Davey Allison. His car flipped many times. This accident caused Allison to lose his points lead for the first time that season.
• 1993: Dale Earnhardt won. After the race, he honored Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki, two drivers who had recently passed away in plane or helicopter accidents.
• 2000: Jeremy Mayfield was close to winning both Pocono races that year. But on the final lap, his tire blew, letting his teammate Rusty Wallace win.
• 2002: Bill Elliott became the first driver to win five times at Pocono. The race was shortened due to darkness after a big crash and a long rain delay.
• 2006: Rookie Denny Hamlin won both Pocono races this year. His teammate, Tony Stewart, caused a stir by intentionally crashing another driver, Clint Bowyer, and was penalized.
• 2010: Greg Biffle won after a long winless streak. This race also saw a very hard crash involving Elliott Sadler, where his engine was ripped from his car.
• 2011: Brad Keselowski won despite having a broken foot from a testing crash earlier in the week. The race was almost stopped due to rain but restarted.
• 2012: This race was shortened by rain. Sadly, a lightning strike in the parking lot after the race caused one death and several injuries. Jeff Gordon won his sixth Pocono race.
• 2014: A 13-car crash happened on lap 117. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won, completing a "sweep" of both Pocono races that year, just like Denny Hamlin did in 2006.
• 2015: Many drivers ran out of fuel near the end. Joey Logano ran out first, then Kyle Busch. Matt Kenseth sped past them to win, even though he was far behind.
• 2016: This race was postponed to Monday due to rain and then ended early because of fog. Chris Buescher got his first win.
• 2020: This was part of a doubleheader weekend. Despite rain delays, crashes, and darkness, Denny Hamlin won his sixth Pocono race, tying Jeff Gordon for the most wins. It was the latest a Cup race had ever finished at the track.
• 2021: Kyle Busch won, even though his car had transmission problems and he had to drive most of the race in fourth gear! Other leaders ran out of fuel, allowing him to win.
• 2022: This was the only Cup race at Pocono that year. After the race, the first and second place finishers, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, were disqualified for illegal car parts. This meant Chase Elliott, who finished third, was declared the winner, even though he didn't lead any laps. This was the first time a Cup Series winner was disqualified since 1960.

Former Second Race Highlights

• 1982: Dale Earnhardt flipped his car and suffered a neck injury. He hid it for a while, which later led NASCAR to require medical clearance for drivers after crashes.
• 1987: Tim Richmond won this race despite having a broken gearbox. This was one of his last wins before he passed away in 1989.
• 1988: Bobby Allison had a career-ending crash when his tire blew, and another car hit him.
• 1998: Jeremy Mayfield won his first Cup race. He passed his hero, Darrell Waltrip, to take the lead.
• 2009: Tony Stewart became the first owner-driver to win a race since 1998. This race also introduced the new "double-file restart" rule in NASCAR.
• 2010: Denny Hamlin won a race that was delayed for hours by rain. On the last lap, several cars crashed in a big pile-up.
• 2012: Twenty-two-year-old Joey Logano won his second career race, passing his mentor, Mark Martin. This was on a newly repaved track.
• 2014: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won after passing Brad Keselowski with only four laps left.
• 2017: Ryan Blaney won his first Cup Series race, holding off Kevin Harvick at the end.
• 2021: Kyle Larson was close to winning his fourth race in a row, but his tire cut on the final lap, causing him to hit the wall. His teammate Alex Bowman then sped past to win. This was the last race for Pocono's second annual Cup Series event.

Top Drivers and Teams

This section shows which drivers, teams, and car manufacturers have won the most races at Pocono.

Multiple Winners (Drivers)

Multiple Winners (Teams)

Manufacturer Wins

Sponsor Wins

External Links

• Pocono Raceway race results at Racing-Reference