BEARD MOTORSPORTS
The Great American Getaway 400
Date: June 14, 2026
Event: The Great American Getaway 400 (Round 16 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania (2.5-mile triangle)
Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (30 laps/65 laps/65 laps)
Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage No. 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage No. 2 Winner: Todd Gilliland of Front Row Motorsports (Ford)
Beard Motorsports Finish:
● Casey Mears (Started 36th, Finished 36th / Accident, completed 105 of 160 laps)
Beard Motorsports Notes:
● Mears took the green flag from the 36th position in the No. 62 Gracie Foundation Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports and reported a loose condition on corner entry, center and exit. He persevered through the opening 30-lap stage that went green from start to finish. He pitted during the break from 38th place, one lap down, took for tires and fuel, and the team made air pressure and wedge adjustments. Mears was the recipient of the free pass back to the lead lap and started the second stage 36th.
● The caution flag flew just four laps later for a single-car incident with Mears running 38th. He came down pit road to top off the fuel tank before restarting 35th on lap 44. He reported that the loose condition improved during the previous four green-flag laps and that rear grip was improved on corner exit.
● On lap 46, Mears avoided a seven-car incident and pitted for four tires and fuel during the caution. He restarted 28th on lap 51.
● Mears made a green-flag pit stop from 28th on lap 85 for right-side tires and fuel after reporting the loose condition was worsening, yet he was turning his fastest laps of the day to that point.
● Stage 2 concluded on lap 95 with Mears running 31st, one lap down but once again the recipient of the free pass back to the lead lap. He pitted during the break for four tires, fuel and further chassis adjustments, and took the green for Stage 3 in 30th place.
● Mears’ day came to an abrupt end on lap 105 when he lost his right-front wheel and made contact with the outside SAFER Barrier. He drove the Gracie Foundation Chevrolet back to the garage and had to settle for a 36th-place finish.
Race Notes:
● Denny Hamlin won The Great American Getaway 400 to score his 64th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third in a row, fourth of the season and his eighth at Pocono. His margin over second-place Tyler Reddick was 1.678 seconds.
● There were five caution periods for a total of 23 laps.
● Only 27 of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Tyler Reddick remains the championship leader after Pocono with a 19-point advantage over second-place Hamlin.
Casey Mears, driver of the No. 62 Gracie Foundation Chevrolet:
“We just ended up having a loose wheel right there, which is a bummer because, me not having a whole lot of experience with these cars and being at this track, now that I look back on it, we started out way too loose. The car was numb and I didn’t have a good feel for it. Then, once we got the car tighter, a little tighter and tighter every run that we ran, we got way more competitive. And there at the end, that last change we made helped me even more, yet. So we had just gotten the car where I feel like I could cruise up there and get inside and break into the 20s and maybe have a solid day, bring some points to Indy. But, when the wheel comes off, your day’s over. It was a hard hit but I’m OK, so, good deal.”
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the inaugural Anduril 250 on Sunday, June 21 at Qualcomm Circuit on Naval Base Coronado in San Diego. The race begins at 4 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by Prime Video and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
