NASCAR Cup Series

GMS Racing announced today that AfterShokz, the bone conduction headphone brand known for prioritizing situational awareness and comfort through its unique open-ear design, will be an associate sponsor on the No. 23 ISM Connect/AfterShokz Chevrolet Camaro at Watkins Glen International in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Zippo 200. In addition to the team welcoming AfterShokz on board, they also announced that NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series (NMECS) driver, A.J. Allmendinger will fulfill the No. 23 entry along side with Justin Haley that will be in the No. 24 for the Statesville-based team.

Post-qualifying tech dealt a Saturday shake-up to the starting lineup for Sunday’s Gander Outdoors 400 after the cars driven by the five of the top six qualifiers — including the initial front row of Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch — failed inspection at Pocono Raceway.

KYLE BUSCH, No 18 M&M’s Caramel Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - Starting Position: 2nd - Did you get really loose there in the second round? “Yeah, it was a handful. I just can’t get a feel for what we got going on here this weekend. I’m not sure what exactly I’m missing, but I’m hoping that going to bed tonight and waking up at a different day is going to help things out, so, you know, we got – I think we overachieved there in qualifying and got a good starting spot – certainly more than what we had anticipated going into the day, but then I mean we’ve got to race what we got right now for tomorrow, so we’ll see what we’ve got tomorrow.”

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion - Qualified 1st - HOW CONFIDENT WERE YOU THAT YOU WOULD SIT ON THE POLE TODAY? “I have screwed it up here a lot to tell you the truth. It is really hard to have a fast car and put it together all three rounds. I have not put three corners together several times here. The car is always faster than I am here. I can tell you that for sure. To be able to finally put together one lap is definitely exciting. To be able to finally get a pole here is a good start to the weekend and having the first pit stall is definitely a good thing.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 DC SOLAR/CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1- Qualified 4th - ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN “Yeah, it’s been a hot minute since we’ve qualified good, so it’s nice to get a good finish in there for Qualifying. We didn’t start off very good and I had to make a second run in the second round, but was able to learn some things there to help us get some speed. So, I was happy about that. And, I’m also happy that they were able to repair the car good (from spin incident in final practice session earlier today) to go run a fast lap.”

DARRELL ‘BUBBA’ WALLACE, JR. NO. 43 MILE 22 CAMARO ZL1, AND RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS (RPM) TEAM OWNER, RICHARD PETTY met with media and discussed their contract extension beyond the 2018 season.

Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) is pleased to officially announce that it has picked up the option to extend Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. as the driver of the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in a multi-year agreement. The confirmation was made today by NASCAR Hall of Famer and team co-owner, "The King" Richard Petty at the Pocono Raceway. Wallace, 24, is currently in his first full season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and is contending for the Sunoco Rookie of The Year award.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S FOR PROS CAMARO ZL1, met with members of the media at Pocono Raceway and discussed making his 600th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start, what his thoughts are on the team turning the corner and potentially getting a victory and many other topics. Full Transcript:

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing, comes to Pocono after a strong effort last week at New Hampshire still searching for that elusive first win of the season. Almirola met with media members Saturday morning ahead of the first MENCS practice session at the Tricky Triangle.

Pocono Raceway is the track where Chris Buescher secured his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win in 2016. The race was shortened because of rain placing him at the top spot and giving him the opportunity to win the race.