LONG POND, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — It’s not every day you get to see your hometown represented in one of the top-ranked motorsports organizations in the world.

But now, thanks to partnerships in the Poconos and even our news station, part of NEPA will be spotlighted on the racetrack for all to see.

At Pocono Raceway, the energy is electrifying as fans and drivers are getting ready for three series. The Craftsman Truck Series Friday, the Xfinity Series Saturday, and the big NASCAR Cup Series Sunday.

Many people have their favorite driver they cheer on, but one car in Saturday’s Xfinity Race is getting our region extra pumped. No. 99 decked out in Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau designs and even has our 28/22 news logo.

The roar of an engine in Long Pond can only mean one thing.

“NASCAR’s back in the Poconos, we’re kicking off summer!” said the president of the Pocono Raceway, Ben May.

It’s all part of the stock car experience, giving people the chance to get behind the wheel, but ahead of the Xfinity Series Race Saturday, this is just giving us a taste of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau sponsoring the no. 99 Chevrolet with Viking Motorsports driven by Matt Dibenedetto.

“One thing led to another and then to another, and we had an opportunity to develop one of our own cars and then also have one within the race,” said President/CEO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau Chris Barrett.

Also showcasing a 28/22 News logo, Barrett says it’s the partnerships that helped bring this vision to life.

“It’s just really humbling and gratifying to be able to see PTN kind of start from very humble beginnings to where it is right now,” said Barrett.

Camaraderie that Pocono Raceway President Ben May says continues to drive in visitors to NEPA.

“It goes to show that this community, we’re together, right? And I’m not saying we haven’t always been, but we are more so than ever, and it’s showing,” explained May.

With millions of people tuning into the sport, Pocono Raceway and PMVB take the wheel, putting our area on the map. Not just across the country, but globally.

Coming off a series in Mexico City, NASCAR is drawing in more international attention.

Here at the Tricky Triangle, around 60% of fans come from out of state, with guests from all 50 states set to attend.

“That’s tens of millions of dollars every year that’s coming into this market, that are providing for folks who work within this market, and it’s a critical economic benefit to our region,” said Barrett.

Sights and sounds at the track are an experience to remember, and never forget in the Pocono Mountains.

“I think post-pandemic people really figured it out. They came and visited, and they’re like, ‘oh wait this place is a little quiet, we didn’t know it existed, it’s awesome, we’re coming back,’ and you’ve seen that more and more and more,” said May.

Gates are opening at noon, and the paddock in the infield will soon be flooded with fans looking forward to another NASCAR weekend at the Tricky Triangle.

Shane van Gisbergen is playoff-bound after his dominant showing in this past Sunday’s race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. Van Gisbergen dusted the field, cruising to a 16.567 margin of victory over Christopher Bell. 

His win wasn’t a surprise. The New Zealand native is a road course ace. But it has shaken up the playoff picture, as entering the race, he sat 33rd in the points standings. Van Gisbergen had failed to qualify for the inaugural In-Season Tournament. His season is now saved, the same way Harrison Burton saved his with his surprise win at Daytona International Speedway last season. Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t have an issue with it then, and he doesn’t now, he said on the “Dale Jr. Download.”

“There is a bit of a conversation, I suppose, going on around the sport, similarly to last year when Harrison Burton won his race and sent the Wood Brothers into the playoffs sitting around 30th in points. It’s the way the rules are written. I don’t necessarily have a problem with it. I didn’t have a problem with it last year,” Earnhardt said. “If that’s how NASCAR wants to write the rules, I can embrace it. Everyone knows what they are when the season begins.

“Do I think SVG is going to go and spoil the Championship battle by winning the whole thing outright? I don’t. His performance on the ovals would argue he still has a ways to go. So, I’m not so worried about that and I don’t even feel like he’s stealing a spot from somebody maybe better deserving; somebody 15th, 14th in points.”

Steve Letarte reacts to Shane van Gisbergen clinching playoff spot

Despite his inexperience on ovals, it was always likely van Gisbergen could win on a road course and become playoff-bound. It’s why Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks has him in the No. 88 car. Winning is hard, and as Steve Letarte pointed out, this wasn’t a fluke; nobody had an answer to van Gisbergen in Mexico City.

“I think stealing a spot is a slap in the face to what he just did. He earned a spot. He beat you by 15-and-a-half seconds, if I might add,” Letarte said. “We’re not talking a photo finish. I’m not a believer that you should be in the top 30 or top 25 in points. I know this is not popular in the garage. There’s people who feel like you should have to be high enough. But man, he’s gone to every race. This isn’t a one-off entry. That would bother me. If Trackhouse ran different drivers and just cherry picked and tried to win their way in on the Owners Championship, I’d be like, alright, I think we’re getting out there a little bit. That’s not what they’re doing.

“They have committed to SVG. Every race, he is there. His approach — he’s trying to be better on the ovals. I’m totally good with this. Harrison Burton last year — that was one of the moments of the entire year. I was up there in the booth watching Jeff [Burton] get to call his son to Victory Lane. … Then, somebody has the audacity to go, ‘Well, it shouldn’t count.’ You’re just mad because your driver didn’t win. It absolutely should count.”

How far can Shane van Gisbergen go in playoffs?

Van Gisbergen will be one of 16 drivers vying for the Championship. Letarte doesn’t see him making a deep run; however, he noted that if he makes it out of the Round of 16, the Charlotte ROVAL is on the Round of 12 schedule.

“I’m great with SVG winning. I’m also not all blue sky like he’s going to make a deep run. No, he isn’t. Like, he’s just not,” Letarte said. “I think he could get out of Round 1, maybe. If he gets out of Round 1, shame on the other drivers to not eliminate him. I’m a big competition guy. If you let him out of Round 1 to go win the ROVAL, shame on you for letting him out of Round 1.”

Monterey Car Week is hosting a truly insane drift build.

Anticipated across the globe by the world’s community of car enthusiasts and collectors, Monterey Car Week brings some of the world’s rarest, most prestigious, coveted, expensive, and exclusive vehicles to the stunningly idyllic destination of Monterey Bay, California for the event of a lifetime. However, this year’s Monterey Car Week is set to be even more special, as the Monterey Motorsports Festival is going to bring a spectacle to the week’s festivities that is a far cry from the prestigious concours and displays of pristine classics and ultra-rare exotics.

That spectacle will be a display from Mad Mike Whiddett, a professional drifter, car builder, and Red Bull athlete, and specifically the MADMAC, a ludicrous drift car created from a McLaren P1 GTR, one of the world’s most exclusive and legendary racing hypercars. With incredible power and dedicated drifting ability, the supercar is turned into one of the most intriguing veritable drifting machines.

The custom drift car features a 1,000-horsepower turbo rotary engine, which will be fired up as part of a showcase of the car’s incredible theatrics at the upcoming Monterey Motorsports Festival. With much of Monterey Car Week featuring displays of some of the world’s most carefully maintained and restored classics and prestigious exotic cars, the dynamic showcase of a roatary-powered, 1,000-horsepower drift car made from one of McLaren’s most exclusive hypercars brings a new facet to the event that is incredibly exciting.

Image Source: Monterey Motorsports Festival

Cadillac Whelen led the opening Free Practice session for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen with the two Acura Meyer Shank Racing cars in second and third.

Jack Aitken set the fastest time in the red No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R; coming off a disappointing final result at the Le Mans 24 Hours, Aitken set a 1m34.584s to go within four-tenths of the GTP lap record.

Nick Yelloly in the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 set a 1m34.966s to go second fastest, only a few milliseconds quicker than Tom Blomqvist in the blue No. 60 Acura.

GTP championship leader Nick Tandy set the fourth-best time in the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, ahead of Louis Deletraz in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac.

The fastest of the two BMW M Hybrid V8s was the No. 25 Team RLL car of Marco Wittmann, who was within a second of the top. Meanwhile, the No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie was 10th ahead of the returning No. 63 Lamborghini Squadra Corse SC63 in 11th.

As LMP2 cars returned to IMSA action, early championship co-leader Felipe Fraga set the quickest time in the No. 74 ORECA 07-Gibson, at 1m35.798s. But with 30 minutes left, the orange and blue No. 74 Riley machine stopped along the back stretch, bringing out a very brief red flag, the first of two stoppage in the 90-minute practice session.

The second was brought out after John Farano spun and stalled coming out of Turn 9 in the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA. Otherwise the session was littered with procedural penalties – several drive-throughs were handed out for track limits violations, pit lane infringements, and powertrain parameter compliance.

The No. 22 United Autosports USA ORECA went second fastest in LMP2, ahead of the No. 99 AO Racing Spike car with its new gold-plated tail, and the No. 8 Tower Motorsports car.

Andrea Caldarelli and Pfaff Motorsports recorded the fastest time in GTD PRO, as the plaid No. 9 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 set a 1m45.912s to top the session.

Ben Barnicoat spent no time getting back up to speed in his first competitive session since returning from a mountain biking accident in March: He was second fastest in GTD PRO, back aboard the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3. Then it was Laurin Heinrich in third driving the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, and his former teammate Sebastian Priaulx in the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3, in fourth.

However, the best time across both GT classes was set in GTD, by Scott Andrews in the No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. The Australian turned in a 1m45.867s to go quicker than Caldarelli’s best GTD PRO time.

The No. 36 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R was second quickest in GTD, then, it was the returning No. 44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3, third quickest with its humorous new “Virtual Energy” sponsorship. In fourth was the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus.

One car that didn’t set a representative time was the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports car. It only posted three installation laps, then underwent a gearbox change as a precaution after the team diagnosed a faulty sensor and saw unpleasant fluid temperature and pressure readings.

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship cars return to the track tomorrow for Practice 2 starting at 9:00am ET, followed by qualifying, which starts at 2:20pm ET.

RESULTS

Brad Pitt may play a Formula 1 driver in his upcoming summer blockbuster, but he’s never gotten behind the wheel of a real F1 car – until now. McLaren held a private test at the Circuit of the Americas earlier this week, allowing the A-lister to take one of its previous cars for a drive, the team confirmed to Motorsport.com.

The reigning constructors’ champions hinted at the test on social media, sharing an image of driver overalls carrying Pitt’s initials, with the caption, “It’s a Sonny day in Austin.”

The Hollywood heavyweight, who stars as fictional ex-racer Sonny Hayes in the F1 movie, travelled to Texas after the film’s glitzy New York City premiere on Monday night.

McLaren racer Lando Norris also flew to the United States Grand Prix venue after the star-studded event in the Big Apple, while Oscar Piastri skipped the movie premiere altogether and headed straight to the Lone Star State for the TPC test. Pitt is believed to have taken to the track in the McLaren MCL60, the team’s 2023 car, after Norris showed him the ropes.

It’s curious that his first F1 outing took place with McLaren rather than Mercedes, as the Silver Arrows was the F1 team most heavily involved in the film’s production. In the film, Pitt and his co-star, Damson Idris, drive F2 cars that were modified by the German team.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Mercedes was heavily involved in all aspects of the movie – by way of co-producer Lewis Hamilton – with multiple staff members earning off-screen credits, and Toto Wolff making an on-screen appearance. 
The fictional APX GP car even carries a swath of Mercedes’ real-life sponsors, including IWC and Tommy Hilfiger (though the clothing brand has since been replaced by Adidas as a Mercedes sponsor).

Of course, Hamilton headed to Ferrari in the midst of the movie’s production, but it’s clear Pitt has still maintained a strong relationship with the likes of Wolff and George Russell.

Back in 2023, before cameras had even started rolling at the British Grand Prix, the Mercedes team principal revealed he had been involved “early on” and even sent Pitt to driving school in France to work his way up from Formula 4 machinery.

“We also tried to be helpful with the garages and the pit wall, all of it, and give them the designs so they could be as realistic as possible,” he said of the team’s involvement in helping get APX GP get race-ready.

“I spoke to the director [Joe Kosinski] a few weeks ago and said, ‘Where are you?’ expecting him to tell me he’s in Hollywood – but he said ‘I’m in my apartment in Brackley,’ so it’s not all great being a movie director,” Wolff joked.  

‘F1’ will arrive in cinemas in the United States on June 27. 

What’s Happening?

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports’ legal team has requested that a federal appeals panel revisit a Jun. 5 ruling that will strip the two teams’ six NASCAR Cup Series cars of charter status.

• On Jun. 5, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled on a May 9 appeal hearing to overturn a Dec. 18 judgment that awarded 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, the two teams suing NASCAR, charter status for the duration of their ongoing lawsuit.
• This ruling meant that the teams would lose the three charters (six between the two teams) that they each own; as a result, the two would lose out on automatic qualification for NASCAR Cup Series points races and valuable revenue sharing for each chartered entry, among other grim implications. Following this ruling, the teams had 14 days to petition for a rehearing, something that they have now done.
• In a statement, the two teams’ lawyer, Jeffery Kessler, said, “If upheld, the ruling would set a dangerous precedent, allowing monopolists to shield themselves from legal challenges simply by requiring release language as a condition of doing business with the monopoly.”
• There is now a stay of mandate on the Jun. 5 ruling, meaning that the teams will maintain charter status for now and should the court decide not to rehear the appeal, seven days after that decision. If the court goes forward with the rehearing, the hearing will be in front of a full panel rather than the three-judge panel from May 9.
• We have covered all angles of this lawsuit extensively via the timeline linked below.

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.