NASCAR Cup Series

After starting 18th Carl Edwards ran in the top-15 for most of the race and finished 15th on the historic 2.5-mile track and clinched a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Pocono Raceway is unique in many ways, most prominently its lack of a fourth corner in the configuration of its race track. The Sprint Cup Series travels to the Pennsylvania track for the second and final time this season.

Heading into the 40th anniversary of the weekend "The King" Richard Petty scored a win in the inaugural NASCAR race at Pocono Raceway, Aric Almirola and the No. 43 GoBowling.com team look to make history once again.

DID YOU KNOW? … Ryan Blaney leads the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings by four points going into this weekend’s Pocono Mountains 150. The last time a Ford driver held that position was in 2008 when Rick Crawford topped the series on May 30 after a ninth-place finish at Dover. He eventually went on and finished seventh that season.

David Gilliland, driver of the No. 38 Long John Silver's Ford, comments on racing at Pocono Raceway:

You might not recognize National Root Beer Float Day as a patriotic holiday, but A&W All American Food and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver David Ragan are teaming up to make sure it is. A&W is giving out free Root Beer Floats on Aug. 6, National Root Beer Float Day, and encouraging customers to make a donation to help American veterans in return.

In 135 starts at Pocono Raceway, RCR team owner Richard Childress has two wins, both with Dale Earnhardt, who won on July 19, 1987 and July 18, 1993. Additionally, RCR has earned one pole award, 16 top-five and 53 top-10 finishes with 599 laps led at the uniquely-shaped, three-turn track. Childress, a former driver in NASCAR's top division, contributed two of those top-10 finishes under the RCR banner.

With the announcement by Roush Fenway Racing that Carl Edwards would not be returning in 2015 still reverberating throughout the garage, here is what else was surprising and not surprising in the 21st Annual Crown Royal presents The John Wayne Walding 400 at The Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Crown Royal attaches a hero's name to the Brickyard 400 as part of their sponsorship, and this year that honor went to 12 year military veteran John Wayne Walding. Yet, to be honest and if the length of the title could go on to infinity, this should have been called “Crown Royal Presents The John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard to be Dominated Once Again by Jeff Gordon.” That sounds about right.