For the second straight weekend, Denny Hamlin went from worst-to-first as he took the checkered flag at Michigan last Sunday.
Now, the 45-year-old in the No. 11 Toyota will aim for his third consecutive victory — and first place in the point standings — as NASCAR heads to Pocono’s tricky triangle for the Great American Getaway 400.
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The win for Hamlin last weekend put him in a tie for ninth all-time in Cup Series victories with Kyle Busch at 63. Hamlin grabbed a custom flag from pit road — showing a stylized No. 18 for Busch — and held it out the window during his victory lap. Hamlin was teammates with Busch, who shockingly died on May 21 at the age of 41 after complications from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, at Joe Gibbs Racing from 2008 through 2022.
Another victory for Hamlin would give him sole possession of ninth place on the all-time leaderboard for Cup Series wins, and could potentially vault him ahead of Tyler Reddick for first in this season’s point standings. Heading into Pocono, Hamlin trails Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota by just 51 points. Reddick — who drives for 23XI Racing, the team Hamlin co-owns with NBA legend Michael Jordan — had his first DNF of the season last week after he wrecked midway through Stage 2.
More: Christopher Bell to race at Pocono after breaking wrist in violent NASCAR crash
The Michigan race drew 2.07 million viewers on Prime Video, marking a 17% increase in viewership from last season’s comparable figures. Amazon’s streaming platform has two races left on its slate for the NASCAR Cup Series, Pocono and San Diego, before the broadcast moves to TNT.
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Pocono’s iconic triangle track has been on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule since 1971. Hamlin is the track’s all-time wins leader with seven victories, one more than Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon.
Should Hamlin win on Sunday, he would join an exclusive group of NASCAR drivers to win three consecutive races. Active drivers who have accomplished the feat include Reddick, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. Despite being the oldest full-time driver in the Cup Series this season, Hamlin shows no signs of slowing down.
This week’s race is the final one to set seeding for NASCAR’s inaugural in-season challenge. Ty Gibbs won the $1 million prize last year. The five-race tournament begins at Sonoma on June 28.
Bell will drive this weekend in the JGR No. 20 Toyota with a broken wrist after suffering the hardest hit in NASCAR’s next gen era.
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What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono start?
The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET Sunday at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.
What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono on?
The Great American Getaway 400 will be broadcast exclusively on Prime Video. That means there is no national TV broadcast for the race. Pre-race coverage will start at 2 p.m. ET.
MRN will carry live radio coverage.
Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono?
Yes, the Great American Getaway 400 will be streamed on Prime Video.
Individual driver cameras can be watched on HBO Max.
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How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono?
The Great American Getaway 400 is 160 laps around the 2.5-mile track for a total of 400 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 30 laps; Stage 2: 65 laps; Stage 3: 65 laps.
Who won the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono last year?
Following a weather delay, Chase Briscoe outdueled JGR teammate Denny Hamlin for the victory. Briscoe’s No. 19 Toyota led 72 laps on the day and it would be the first of three races that he would win in the 2025 season, later taking checkered flags at Darlington and Talladega. The track was a strong one for Ford last season, which placed six machines in the top 12, led by Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher finishing third and fourth.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Start time, lineups for 2026 NASCAR race at Pocono, Great American Getaway 400
