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2021 Explore the Pocono Mountains 350

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2021 Explore the Pocono Mountains 350
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Race 19 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series
Date June 27, 2021 (2021-06-27)
Location Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4 km)
Distance 140 laps, 350 mi (563 km)
Average speed 143.036 miles per hour (230.194 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Roush Fenway Racing
Grid positions set by partial inversion
of previous race's finishing order
Most laps led
Driver Brad Keselowski Team Penske
Laps 31
Winner
No. 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network NBCSN
Announcers Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Nielsen Ratings 1.49/2.446 million
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle
Turn Announcers Dave Moody (1), Mike Bagley (2) and Kyle Rickey (3)

The 2021 Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on June 27, 2021, at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Contested over 140 laps on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) triangular racecourse, it was the 19th race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Entry list

[edit]
  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
No. Driver Team Manufacturer
00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet
1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford
7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
15 James Davison Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford
41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Cody Ware (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet
52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford
53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota
77 Justin Allgaier (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford
99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet
Official entry list

Qualifying

[edit]

Chris Buescher was awarded the pole for the race as determined by the top 20 from Saturday's finishing order inverted.[4]

Starting Lineup

[edit]
Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford
2 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
3 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
4 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
5 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
6 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
7 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
8 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet
9 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
11 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford
12 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
13 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
14 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
15 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
16 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
17 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
18 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
19 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
21 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
22 43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
23 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
24 14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
25 51 Cody Ware (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet
26 38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford
27 77 Justin Allgaier (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
28 15 James Davison Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
29 53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
30 78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford
31 00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet
32 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford
33 42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
34 52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford
35 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota
36 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
37 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford
38 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Official starting lineup

Race

[edit]

Stage Results

[edit]

Stage One Laps: 30

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 10
2 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 9
3 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 8
4 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 7
5 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 6
6 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 5
7 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 4
8 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 3
9 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 2
10 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 1
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 55

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 10
2 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 9
3 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 8
4 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 7
5 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6
6 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 5
7 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 4
8 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3
9 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 2
10 42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Recap And Results

[edit]

Before the final stage break at lap 74's pit stop it was discovered that Kyle Busch got stuck in 4th gear. During the stage break pit stop his team discovered he had lost his clutch so he was forced to leave it in 4th gear for the remainder of the race. With one lap before the restart he topped off on fuel, gambling that there would be no further caution flags to the end, however there was one final caution on lap 94 for debris with the final restart on lap 96. This led to a 44 lap green flag run. Kyle Busch was able to get enough good fuel milage to win the race, passing the leader, teammate Denny Hamlin who was coming to pit lane for fuel as they were about to take the white flag.[7][8]

Stage Three Laps: 55

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 19 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 140 44
2 12 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 140 38
3 11 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 140 50
4 13 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 140 33
5 7 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 140 38
6 16 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 140 38
7 20 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 140 30
8 23 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 140 29
9 10 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 140 31
10 14 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 140 28
11 3 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 140 41
12 18 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 140 35
13 21 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 140 24
14 17 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 140 32
15 8 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 140 24
16 5 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 140 32
17 2 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 140 25
18 32 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 140 19
19 1 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 140 18
20 15 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 140 17
21 24 14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 140 16
22 37 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 140 15
23 36 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 139 14
24 38 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 139 13
25 27 77 Justin Allgaier (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 139 0
26 33 42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 139 12
27 9 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 139 16
28 25 51 Cody Ware (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 139 0
29 30 78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 138 0
30 28 15 James Davison Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 137 7
31 22 43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 136 6
32 4 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 135 12
33 31 00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet 135 4
34 26 38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 134 3
35 34 52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford 132 2
36 29 53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 122 0
37 35 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 113 0
38 6 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 111 5
Official race results

Race statistics

[edit]
  • Lead changes: 12 among 10 different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 4 for 15
  • Red flags: 0
  • Time of race: 2 hours, 26 minutes and 49 seconds
  • Average speed: 143.036 miles per hour (230.194 km/h)

Media

[edit]

Television

[edit]

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast handled the pit road duties from pit lane. Jac Collinsworth handled the features from the track.

NBCSN
Booth announcers Pit reporters Features reporter
Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen
Color-commentator: Jeff Burton
Color-commentator: Steve Letarte
Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dave Burns
Marty Snider
Kelli Stavast
Jac Collinsworth

Radio

[edit]

MRN had the radio call for the race which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle called the race in the booth when the field raced through the tri-oval. Dave Moody called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 2 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley called the race from a platform inside the backstretch when the field raced down the backstretch. Kyle Rickey called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 4 when the field raced through turns 3 and 4. Steve Post and Kim Coon worked pit road for the radio side.

MRN Radio
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody
Backstretch: Mike Bagley
Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey
Steve Post
Kim Coon

Standings after the race

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2021 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "Pocono Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 29, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  3. ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. June 21, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Starting Lineup". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 26, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  5. ^ "Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. June 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  6. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. June 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  7. ^ Busch, Kyle (27 June 2021). "Kyle Busch Pocono 2 Race Recap". kylebusch.com. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  8. ^ Al-Khateeb, Zac (27 June 2021). "NASCAR at Pocono race results: Kyle Busch overcomes transmission issues, low fuel to win". sportingnews.com. Retrieved 27 December 2021.


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