When regular crew chief Mardy Lindley was suspended one week for the (rather common) issue of loose lug nuts, JR Motorsports team co-owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. stepped up to the plate to lead the No. 88 team this weekend. Well, with Dale Jr. calling the shots and rising star Connor Zilisch behind the wheel, they captured the checkered flag at Pocono Raceway.

It was actually Lindley’s idea, texting Dale Jr. to ask if he was up for the challenge. The Lindleys and Earnhardts have quite the history as well. Dale Sr. and Butch Lindley (Mardy’s father) raced against each other back in the 1970s and sadly, both Mardy and Dale Jr. lost their fathers to the sport of auto racing. Earnhardt said on Saturday that the shared tragedy of losing their fathers connected them.

Getting back into the competitive spirit

Connor Zilisch and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

And at Pocono, it was big shoes to fill for Earnhardt, as Lindley had won nine Xfinity races since 2023 with three different JRM drivers. As for Dale, it was great for him to get back into such a high-pressure environment after spending most of his time watching from afar as a owner/broadcaster.

Advertisement

“I love owning race cars, and I love racking up statistics and championships, but it does not have the competitive sort of skin in the game, if you will, that (today) does,” said Earnhardt in the winner’s press conference.

“If you’re in the car, it’s on you to make sure you’re doing everything right. And when you’re the crew chief, you’re under a ton of pressure. I understand that I did not come in here and handle all of the layers that Mardy usually handles or any given crew chief manages. They certainly were putting me in a position to do some light lifting, but as the race went on, we got more comfortable and more aggressive.

“It was fun. I felt like I really had some involvement, some input in the energy that the crew and team had. Keeping them pumped up, everybody executing, and keeping Connor aware of what are goals were and what our expectations were on the restarts. He wanted to deliver.”

How much of a crew chief was he…really?

Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

As for how much say Earnhardt actually had, he admits that anything significant involving the set-up and adjustments was already being handled by the engineering team. Dale Jr.’s influence was more with in-race strategy and advising Zilisch as a driver coach.

Advertisement

“I’m not a fool to think — I didn’t have control of all the buttons and levers and stuff,” said Earnhardt. “But mid-way through the race, I was feeling it. Me and the engineers on the box we’re in a great conversations around what we should do, how far we could make it, whether we were going to have enough for the green-white-checkered…all those things.”

After his experience, would he be up to do it all again? “I would not ever walk in the shop and say I’d be up for doing but if we find ourselves unfortunately where somebody gets suspended, if they want me to do it, I would happily do it,” added Earnhardt.

Earnhardt added that the thing he was most nervous about wasn’t actually being the crew chief, but when he came off the box to prepare and set the right-front tire on the wall before handing it off to the pit crew during the stop. He was worried about messing up the flow of things or slowing down the stop unnecessarily, even visiting with the Trackhouse earlier in the week to practice.

He also praised Zilisch as a “young man going on 35,” but he was happy to advise the 18-year-old and keep him focused on the task at hand as he went on to earn his first oval win. “It was fun to help him understand what I thought would be the best scenario on some of those restarts.”

Advertisement

Read Also:

Connor Zilisch and crew chief Dale Earnhardt Jr. win Pocono NASCAR Xfinity race

Chase Elliott “really bummed” by Pocono Xfinity loss after restart run-in

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

The NASCAR Cup Series drivers go from “South of the Border” in Mexico City to one of the northernmost stops on the circuit at Pocono Raceway today. The green flag drops just after 2:00 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime. 

Denny Hamlin is among the most popular choices this week following his week off due to the birth of his son, but is the pole sitter on top in our free betting picks for The Great American Getaway 400 on Sunday, June 22? 

Odds to win 2025 The Great American Getaway 400

Odds as of 6-22.

The Great American Getaway 400 expert picks and predictions

Odds listed below courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook as of 6-21.

The Great American Getaway 400 pre-qualifying favorites

Denny Hamlin (+450)
Pocono has been his playground. Denny Hamlin has seven wins there, including three of the last eight overall. It would be eight wins and four of the last eight if not for a 2022 DQ.

He was also runner-up twice, including last year, making eight Top-6 finishes in his last 10 Pocono tries. 

Kyle Larson (+550)
Late-race contact battling Hamlin for the win in 2023 relegated Kyle Larson to 20th at the end. Prior to that, he had seven Top-10 finishes in 10 tries, including fifth in 2022 and runner-up in 2021. Larson was 13th last year.

William Byron (+800)
William Byron started second and finished fourth last year after being fourth in both stages. The year prior he led 60 laps from the pole but finished 14th.

Byron has led 95 laps in his last five Pocono starts and has second stage finishes of fourth, first, fifth, third and fourth, respectively, the last five tries.

The Great American Getaway 400 sleepers

Tyler Reddick (+1000)
Tyler Reddick was 11th, ninth, second, second, and sixth, respectively, in his last five Pocono starts. 

Ty Gibbs (+2000)
He finished fifth in his second Pocono start in 2023 after leading four laps. Ty Gibbs finished 27th last year but won the pole and led 21 laps before his engine expired.

Bubba Wallace (+2500)
Bubba Wallace finished 10th last year, 11th the year prior, eighth in 2022, and fifth in 2021, and is back again in a Toyota.

Alex Bowman (+3500)
Alex Bowman won the first doubleheader in 2021 and ran seventh a day later after leading 18 laps. He finished third last year to earn five Top-11 finishes in his last six Pocono starts. 

The Great American Getaway 400 fades

Ryan Blaney (+750)
Prior to last year’s win, four of Ryan Blaney’s last six Pocono finishes were 12th or worse, including 33rd in 2022 and 30th in 2023. 

Chase Elliott (+1200)
Prior to the 2022 win that Chase Elliott led only the last lap in, he had no finishes better than fourth, and four of his last six had seen him finish 12th or worse.

He finished 10th in 2023 and ninth last year. Elliott has led 16 combined laps in his last 14 Pocono starts. 

Joey Logano (+1700)
Joey Logano finished fifth last year but was 20th and 35th the last two years prior and has just five Top-5 finishes in 29 tries here. His next-most recent Top 5 here came back in 2016. 

The Great American Getaway 400 prop pick: Christopher Bell Top 5 Finish 

Christopher Bell (+850 outright) is 0-for-7 at Pocono but he also has three Top-6 finishes, including two of the last three. 

Pick: Christopher Bell Top 5 Finish (+130 at DraftKings)

The Great American Getaway 400 field

Brennan Poole will join the 36 chartered drivers in the No. 44 Ford to make it 37 cars lining up for The Great American Getaway 400 this Sunday.

After taking Father’s Day weekend in Mexico off to be with his newly-born son, Denny Hamlin has opened as the pre-qualifying favorite for this race at +450. He is a seven-time winner at Pocono Raceway.

Kyle Larson is just behind Hamlin at +550, followed by Ryan Blaney at +750 as he seeks back-to-back victories at this track. William Byron (+800) and Christopher Bell (+850) round out the single-digit options.

The Great American Getaway 400 betting splits

Live Movement (opening to current)

• Denny Hamlin +475 to +300
• Carson Hocevar +2500 to +1600
• Chase Elliott +1500 to +2200

Highest Ticket%

• Denny Hamlin 10.5%
• William Byron 7.3%
• Chase Elliott 6.7%

Highest Handle%

• Denny Hamlin 19.2%
• Chase Elliott 9.5%
• Ryan Blaney 9.2%

Biggest Liabilities

• Chase Elliott
• Denny Hamlin
• Joey Logano

All data courtesy of BetMGM.

Pocono Raceway track analysis

On a triangle-shaped track, the best opportunities for passing are at the end of the three long straightaways. Pocono is annually a pretty straightforward race, with this being a very hard track to actually pass on. 

Short pitting sometimes gains you track position later, but depending on cautions, it could bite you too when factoring in tire life. Some drivers will elect to pit before the end of stages and give up stage points to restart up front at the next stage. 

Toyota has won around 70% of the last 12 Pocono races. They went 1-2 in 2022 before being disqualified. Did the egregious mistake make a difference? It’s hard to tell because they’ve been so dominant around the “Tricky Triangle” for the last decade and led 66 of the 160 laps last year.

Ford won last year but had just three cars finish in the Top-10.

The Great American Getaway 400 trends

• The eventual race winner failed to lead the most laps in eight of the last 12 races at Pocono, including five of the last six.

The Great American Getaway 400 info

Previous The Great American Getaway 400 winners

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch have combined to win six of the last eight renewals of this race.

How to make The Great American Getaway 400 picks

NASCAR betting is a nuanced process that can take any number of factors into account, and spans several different types of bets. Fortunately, our How to Bet NASCAR guide walks you through the basics, including how to read odds, different markets that are available, and what to consider when making your bets.

Pages related to this topic

Sunday

At Virginia Motorsports Park

Dinwiddie, Va.

Final Finish Order

Top Fuel

1. Shawn Langdon; 2. Justin Ashley; 3. Doug Kalitta; 4. Tony Stewart; 5. Clay Millican; 6. Steve Torrence; 7. Dan Mercier; 8. Antron Brown; 9. Shawn Reed; 10. Brittany Force; 11. Doug Foley; 12. Josh Hart; 13. Cameron Ferre; 14. Smax Smith.

Funny Car

1. Austin Prock; 2. Jack Beckman; 3. J.R. Todd; 4. Daniel Wilkerson; 5. Hunter Green; 6. Paul Lee; 7. Ron Capps; 8. Bob Tasca III; 9. Chad Green; 10. Spencer Hyde; 11. Matt Hagan; 12. Cruz Pedregon; 13. Dave Richards; 14. Buddy Hull; 15. Alexis DeJoria; 16. Jim Campbell.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Gaige Herrera; 2. Angie Smith; 3. Richard Gadson; 4. Brayden Davis; 5. Matt Smith; 6. Steve Johnson; 7. Ryan Oehler; 8. Chris Bostick; 9. Hector Arana Jr; 10. Chase Van Sant; 11. Ron Tornow; 12. Marc Ingwersen; 13. Jianna Evaristo; 14. Dystany Spurlock; 15. Kelly Clontz; 16. John Hall.

Round-by-Round Results

Top Fuel

First Round

Justin Ashley, 3.934, 315.93 def. Doug Foley, 3.999, 259.71; Shawn Langdon, 3.905, 322.11 def. Cameron Ferre, 4.070, 293.09; Dan Mercier, 3.951, 304.12 def. Shawn Reed, 3.934, 321.19; Tony Stewart, 3.872, 318.99 def. Brittany Force, 3.938, 319.14; Clay Millican, 4.155, 224.92 def. Smax Smith, Foul – Red Light; Steve Torrence, 3.920, 321.12 def. Josh Hart, 4.041, 304.94; Doug Kalitta, 3.877, 326.87 def. Antron Brown, 3.933, 302.41.

Quarterfinals

Ashley, 3.925, 317.64 def. Torrence, 4.568, 175.96; Langdon, 3.952, 319.52 def. Mercier, 12.443, 55.03; Kalitta, 3.882, 326.00 def. Millican, 4.014, 276.46; Stewart, 11.465, 68.75 was unopposed.

Semifinals

Langdon, 6.350, 108.73 def. Stewart, Foul – Red Light; Ashley, 4.422, 266.69 def. Kalitta, 5.856, 143.76.

Final

Langdon, 3.940, 319.67 def. Ashley, 4.167, 227.92.

Funny Car

First Round

Daniel Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 4.062, 319.67 def. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.157, 305.36; J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.115, 307.86 def. Buddy Hull, Dodge Charger, 4.171, 294.56; Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 4.009, 319.82 def. Jim Campbell, Mustang, 5.317, 144.94; Austin Prock, Camaro, 3.996, 323.66 def. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.127, 298.27; Ron Capps, GR Supra, 4.032, 321.81 def. Chad Green, Mustang, 4.047, 317.57; Hunter Green, Charger, 4.064, 295.08 def. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.088, 321.12; Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.055, 319.14 def. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 4.073, 309.06; Paul Lee, Charger, 4.050, 304.74 def. Alexis DeJoria, Charger, 4.660, 179.80.

Quarterfinals

Todd, 4.075, 313.66 def. H. Green, 4.151, 296.18; Prock, No Time Recorded def. Tasca III, DQ’ed CL; Beckman, 4.334, 236.26 def. Lee, 10.268, 69.38; Wilkerson, 4.063, 316.45 def. Capps, 10.668, 63.91.

Semifinals

Prock, 4.115, 310.77 def. Todd, 5.342, 211.76; Beckman, 4.113, 315.64 def. Wilkerson, 6.677, 145.64.

Final

Prock, 4.061, 318.02 def. Beckman, 4.071, 305.42.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

First Round

Ryan Oehler, 6.911, 196.07 def. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.945, 192.41; Angie Smith, Buell, 6.853, 196.30 def. Dystany Spurlock, Buell, 6.990, 192.17; Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.857, 197.77 def. Hector Arana Jr, 6.897, 194.86; Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.880, 194.38 def. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.993, 193.90; Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.790, 199.14 def. Ron Tornow, 6.925, 196.50; Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 9.639, 84.38 def. John Hall, Broke; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.791, 199.20 def. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light; Brayden Davis, Suzuki, 6.835, 197.91 def. Marc Ingwersen, 6.929, 193.88.

Quarterfinals

Gadson, 6.887, 197.42 def. Bostick, 7.115, 191.08; Davis, 6.898, 195.73 def. Oehler, 6.962, 193.07; A. Smith, 6.818, 197.94 def. M. Smith, 6.850, 198.20; Herrera, 6.813, 199.73 def. Johnson, 6.936, 195.76.

Semifinals

A. Smith, 6.854, 197.19 def. Gadson, 6.879, 197.25; Herrera, 6.818, 199.11 def. Davis, 9.567, 90.82.

Final

Herrera, 6.826, 198.79 def. A. Smith, 6.853, 196.76.

Point Standings

Top Fuel

1. Tony Stewart, 771; 2. Shawn Langdon, 740; 3. Justin Ashley, 630; 4. Doug Kalitta, 608; 5. Antron Brown, 591; 6. Brittany Force, 531; 7. Steve Torrence, 513; 8. Clay Millican, 445; 9. Josh Hart, 399; 10. Shawn Reed, 366.

Funny Car

1. Austin Prock, 716; 2. Jack Beckman, 656; 3. Paul Lee, 617; 4. Ron Capps, 550; 5. Matt Hagan, 521; 6. J.R. Todd, 498; 7. Daniel Wilkerson, 474; 8. Chad Green, 414; 9. Alexis DeJoria, 396; 10. Bob Tasca III, 392.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Gaige Herrera, 546; 2. Matt Smith, 446; 3. Richard Gadson, 420; 4. Angie Smith, 299; 5. Chase Van Sant, 264; 6. Steve Johnson, 245; 7. Jianna Evaristo, 219; 8. Chris Bostick, 218; 9. John Hall, 206; 10. Brayden Davis, 203.

_____

Copyright
© 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the United States for an exciting race at Pocono Raceway, as drivers look to take the checkered flag in The Great American Getaway 400 on Sunday afternoon.

• Watch NASCAR on Prime Video (30-day free trial)

NASCAR held a historic event last weekend, holding the first-ever international Cup Series race in Mexico City. Though rain tried to dampen the event, fans south of the border were treated to an entertaining race. At the end, despite tensions flaring up all around the track, it was road course specialist Shane Van Gisbergen who managed to pick up the victory, punching his ticket to the playoffs.

It was an important win for Van Gisbergen, who really has never run well on the oval tracks. So, a win in a more comfortable environment is key to helping him boost his confidence.

Heading into Pocono, William Byron still leads the series, with teammate Kyle Larson right behind him. AJ Allmendinger, Michael McDowell and Chris Buescher are a few drivers on the playoff bubble.

Denny Hamlin is a favorite to win at the Tricky Triangle this weekend, a track he has won at seven times before, more than any other driver in NCS history.

NASCAR CUP SERIES

The Great American Getaway 400

When: Sunday, June 22

Time: 2 p.m. ET

Where: Pocono Raceway (Long Pond, Penn.)

Stream: Prime Video (30-day free trial)

Check out the NASCAR schedule and results here

JR Motorsports driver Connor Zilisch may be a teenage rookie in the Xfinity Series, but it is always comforting to have a NASCAR Hall of Famer in your ear.

The rising 18-year-old star, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. serving as his interim crew chief, earned the first oval victory of his career in Saturday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono Raceway.

Zilisch overtook Jesse Love of Richard Childress Racing for the lead on Lap 96 of 100 en route to the victory by .437 of a second for his second win on the season. His first career NXS victory came at the Circuit of The Americas permanent road course in early March. Click HERE for the full results.

“Pretty cool to have him (Earnhardt Jr.) up there,” said Zilisch, who drives the No. 88 Registix Chevrolet. “It’s pretty funny, he was giving me a kick in the ass on some of the restarts. Advice from him was advice well-taken. It was cool to have him and to get him a one-for-one win as a crew chief is pretty awesome.

“I have been dying for this one for a while. This one’s pretty special. I’ve been so close on the ovals lately. I finished second in Charlotte, second at Nashville.”

An ecstatic Earnhardt Jr. not only was celebrating the win as a team owner, but also for securing his first as a crew chief. He was filling in for Zilisch’s regular crew chief Mardy Lindley, who was absent due to a one-race suspension for a lug nut penalty.

“I understand that I did not come in here and handle all of the layers Mardy usually handles,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “They put me in a position to do some light lifting. As the race went on, we got more comfortable and aggressive. It was fun. I felt like I had some involvement and some input with the energy. I have a ton of respect and admiration for all the crew chiefs and all the stress they put up with. I really have a new appreciation and level of respect and understanding of all the decisions they have to make.

“I didn’t walk in and say ‘Hey, can I do this?’ Mardy texted me and said, ‘Do you want to do this? I think you could.’”

It was a day of varying strategies and several pivotal restarts as a result of 10 cautions for 41 laps in the 100-lap race. The first key restart came with 13 laps remaining with race leader and 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports lining up next to defending Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports. On the restart, the two were side by side with Allgaier getting loose and both forced to fall back in the field and out of contention for the win. Elliott, who led a race-high 38 laps, would rally to finish fourth while Allgaier settled for 10^th.

Meanwhile, Love, with Christian Eckes of Kaulig Racing and Zilisch in tow, darted underneath Elliott and Allgaier and into the lead. The 10^th and final caution soon came out on Lap 91 for a spin by Kyle Sieg in Turn 2 to set the stage for a duel between best friends, Love and Zilisch.

Love, the 2024 Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year, took the initial lead on the restart before a side-by-side battle ensued and Zilisch was able to clear him and officially claim the lead on Lap 96. He led the final five laps and 34 overall to secure the win. Eckes, who considers Pocono Raceway his hometown track having grown up in Middletown, N.Y., took third for a season-best finish.

The weekend culminates with the sold-out Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA.COM NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

For ticket information and news on the NASCAR race weekend, please visit www.poconoraceway.com.

Pocono Raceway PR

Today’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway was delayed about two hours due to rain. So, there is a possibility that the sun ends this race. NASCAR has set the time that the race will end tonight, if we haven’t run all of the laps by sunset.

NASCAR has started to make these decisions more public. It felt like this was an emphasis starting last year. Tonight, the time that NASCAR has listed for Pocono is 8:25 PM ET.

Dustin Long of NBC Sports shared the decision from NASCAR on X/Twitter. If the race hasn’t concluded by the listed time, the leader will cross the line, and from there, it will be a two-lap race to the finish.

Now, before you get too upset, this race has time to finish all 400 miles. Starting at 4:30 PM ET, the race is expected to take just over three hours. So, we’re looking at around 8:00 PM ET or sooner for the conclusion of this race? That’s barring any weather or extensive caution-related delays.

Pocono has had its fair share of rain in the past for both NASCAR and IndyCar races. It is known for being foggy at times, and today’s delay was nothing new. Good news, blue skies, and warm temperatures right now as the race is underway.

Denny Hamlin searching for eighth NASCAR win at Pocono

This weekend has been the Denny Hamlin show early. He comes back after taking last weekend off following the birth of his son, Jameson. While he probably got less sleep than the drivers who went to Mexico City, Hamlin seems refreshed.

For the fifth time in his career, Hamlin won the pole at Pocono. He is now tied for most poles in Cup Series history at Pocono. Of course, he has seven wins, the most all-time in Cup history. Hamlin wants to add another NASCAR win at Pocono, especially coming off his win at Michigan two weeks ago.

There has been a lot of talk about Denny Hamlin and entering the twilight years of his career. But lately, Hamlin has seemed to be at the top of his game. At this rate, how many more years does he have left? It feels like more than one or two, that’s for sure.

Pocono is where he is at his best. So, someone else is going to have to beat Hamlin today if they want to win this race.