Noah Gragson | Todd Gilliland | Zane Smith
Pocono Raceway NASCAR Cup Series Race Advance
Pocono Raceway 400
Date: Sunday, June 14, 2026
Event: Race 18 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Pocono Raceway (2.5-miles)
#of Laps: 160
Time/TV/Radio: 3:00PM ET on Prime/MRN/SiriusXM channel 90

FRM Points Standings:

Zane Smith (22nd)
Todd Gilliland (25th)
Noah Gragson (29th)

Noah Gragson Notes

Next on the schedule for the NASCAR Cup Series is Pocono Raceway, nestled in the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania. Last week, at Michigan, Noah Gragson and the No. 4 team put themselves in position for a solid finish until a late-race incident relegated them to a 27th place result. Gragson will look to improve upon previous NASCAR Cup Series performances at the track known as “The Tricky Triangle”, with a best finish of 22nd that occurred in 2023. Gragson has found some success at the track known for its three unique turns, winning in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2022 while competing for JR Motorsports. Gragson started ninth in that event and led 43 laps, on his path to victory.

Repowered for the summer stretch of races, Gragson and his Front Row Motorsports team will have MillerTech Performance Lithium Batteries back on as primary sponsor of the No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. MillerTech will share space on the car with Kampgrounds of America (KOA), through a business-to-business partnership built around keeping campers “powered up” wherever the road takes them. The relationship between the two companies also includes co-branding of the entitlement of the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race on Saturday, the MillerTech Performance Lithium Batteries 250 Presented by KOA. Throughout the race weekend, fans are encouraged to visit the MillerTech booth in the Pocono Raceway Fan Fair area of the facility, located behind the main grandstands. At the booth, MillerTech will be giving away branded items and will also welcome Gragson for an appearance at 11:55 a.m. (ET) on Sunday morning.

For the 2026 season, MillerTech is doubling down on its mission of “Powering Your Adventure” with durable, high-performance battery technology built for any environment. To bring that story to life, MillerTech and Front Row Motorsports have started rolling out a six-part social media series showcasing the many ways its products fuel the adventures of fans, customers and partners alike. From the track to the real world, MillerTech remains committed to providing reliable power wherever the journey leads.

“I’m excited about the direction we’ve been heading in these past few races,” said Gragson. “I feel like we’re more competitive and starting to hit our stride a bit. Outside of the disappointing finish last week, which we had no control over, we were right there, battling around the top-10 all race. Pocono is a track that’s a lot of fun to race at. It takes precise balancing of the setup to be fast. You might be good in one or two turns but not so good in the others, so you need to focus on what gives you the most momentum to get down the long straightaways quickest. Plus, there’s a lot going on, in the cars, from constantly shifting to setting yourself up for the next corner, and then you also have to be playing defense, to not allow someone to get a run on you down those straightaways. Hopefully, we can keep the energy we’ve had the last few weeks and come out with a strong run.”
Road Crew

Driver: Noah Gragson

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Crew Chief: Grant Hutchens

Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska

Car Chief: Joey Forgette

Hometown: Iron Mountain, Michigan

Engineer: Dillon Silverman

Hometown: Chico, California

Engineer: Scott Bingham

Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Mechanic: Chris Trickett

Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Tony Infinger

Hometown: Fort Valley, Georgia

Tire Specialist: Chris Aunspaw

Hometown: Zelienople, Pennsylvania

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller

Hometown: Monroe, New York

Spotter: Adam Fournier

Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Transporter Co-Driver: Ron Miske

Hometown: Fairfield, Connecticut

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy

Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Tafton Hensley

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Sheridan Jones

Hometown: Norfolk, Virginia

Tire Carrier: Drew Baum

Hometown: Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania

Jackman: Tommy Bebie

Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio

Fueler: Blake Baker

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Todd Gilliland Notes

This will be Todd Gilliland’s fifth Pocono Raceway start in the NASCAR Cup Series. Gilliland’s best finish at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania track was in the 2023 event, where he started 36th and finished 15th. In his four NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at the track, Gilliland has finished seventh three times (2018, 2019, 2021) and fourth in 2020.

Love’s Travel Stops returns with Gilliland and the No. 34 team for Sunday’s race. Love’s Travel Stops rolls out a major update to the Love’s App, introducing a unified Love’s Rewards program that now benefits every customer who stops at Love’s. Whether fueling up, grabbing a snack, or stocking up on Love’s-branded products, customers can now save and earn points at every turn simply by scanning the Love’s App in-store or at the pump. The new Love’s Rewards program focuses on delivering meaningful value at every stop and aims to make Love’s the first stop drivers think of on the road. Love’s Rewards App users can also save 10¢ per gallon on gas and up to 25¢ per gallon on auto diesel. Fans can download the app from Google Play and the Apple App Store. To explore all the new benefits of the Love’s Rewards program, visit www.loves.com/loves-rewards.

“The last couple of weeks we’ve managed to pull out some top-20 and top-25 finishes to keep us in the fight, but we need to execute better in qualifying to start scoring some stage points and not starting behind the eightball when the green flag waves,” said Gilliland. “It’s easy to lose focus this time of year, but Chris (Lawson) and the guys have been hard at work. If we unload and need to throw the kitchen sink at it to get better, they won’t hesitate. As far as Pocono, it’s a one of those ‘Achilles Heel’ tracks. The tunnel turn gets me every time. Hopefully, we can hit the nail on the head early and keep up the top-20 finishes.”
Road Crew

Driver: Todd Gilliland

Hometown: Sherrills Ford, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Chris Lawson

Hometown: Medway, Ohio

Car Chief: Joe Marra

Hometown: Somers, New York

Engineer: Marc Rullo

Hometown: Ringwood, New Jersey

Engineer: Kevyn Rebolledo

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Spotter: Brit Andersen

Hometown: Branford, Connecticut

Mechanic: Michael Brookes

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

Interior Specialist: Ethan Deguevara

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Tire Specialist: Billy John

Hometown: Pitman, New Jersey

Mechanic / Engine Tuner: Kyle Moon

Hometown: Troy, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Randy Bernier

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Rick Grissom

Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Danny Olszowy

Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky

Rear Tire Changer: Austin Chrismon

Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Paul Steele

Hometown: Wichita, Kansas

Jackman: Ryan Selig

Hometown: Lindenhurst, Illinois

Fueler: Zeke Nance

Hometown: Calhoun, Georgia

Zane Smith Notes

Zane Smith will make his third Pocono Raceway start in the NASCAR Cup Series this Sunday. While his experience at the track in the NASCAR Cup Series is limited, Smith has five starts at the track in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, earning one pole (2022) and a career best finish of eighth in 2021.

Long John Silver’s will join the No. 38 car this weekend, partnering with Smith for the 160-lap event. Long John Silver’s will bring its signature, fan-favorite blue and yellow “Fish Yeah” scheme to Smith’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

“We had really good speed last week that I can feel like can translate to Pocono,” said Smith. “Even though we didn’t have the finish we deserved at Michigan, the car was really good and we’re still feeling a lot of momentum with how good the cars we’re bringing to the track are.”
Road Crew

Driver: Zane Smith

Hometown: Huntington Beach, California

Crew Chief: Ryan Bergenty

Hometown: Plainville, Connecticut

Car Chief: Will Norris

Hometown: Bells, Tennessee

Engineer: Jacob Clamme

Hometown: Hartford City, Indiana

Engineer: Chris Yerges

Hometown: Green Bay, Wisconsin

Mechanic / Engine Tuner: Steve Godfrey

Hometown: West Haven, Connecticut

Interior Specialist: Matt Fowler

Hometown: Spartanburg, South Carolina

Mechanic: Austin Bloom

Hometown: Lowell, Oregon

Spotter: Ryan Blanchard

Hometown: Bethlehem, Connecticut

Transport Co-Driver: Bryan Whitman

Hometown: Newton, North Carolina

Transport Co-Driver: Shawn Sellew

Hometown: Stafford Springs, Connecticut

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Michael Louria

Hometown: Gibraltar, Michigan

Rear Tire Changer: Adam Riley

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Tire Carrier: Jarren Davis

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

Jackman: Nate McBride

Hometown: Vidalia, Georgia

Fueler: Ray Hernandez

Hometown: Orlando, Florida

ABOUT MILLER TECH

MillerTech Energy Solutions is a faith-based, family-run American manufacturer of UL Certified lithium batteries built to power your adventure. Whether you’ve got an RV parked at the track, a boat at the lake, a golf cart on the course, or you’re living off-grid, MillerTech is built for you. Backed by a 10-year warranty and US-based customer support, MillerTech is the proud sponsor of Noah Gragson and the No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse at Front Row Motorsports. Learn more at millertechenergy.com.

ABOUT KAMPGROUNDS OF AMERICA, INC.

Kampgrounds of America, Inc. has been the definitive leader in outdoor hospitality for more than 60 years. United under the mission of “connecting people to the outdoors and each other,” the company consists of two unique brands: KOA and Terramor Outdoor Resorts. KOA, the world’s largest system of privately-owned, open-to-the-public campgrounds, consists of more than 500 franchised and owned campgrounds. With unrivaled brand visibility, KOA also offers campground owners and operators unparalleled support in campground education, design, recruitment, marketing and technology. Terramor Outdoor Resorts, a glamping venture, opened its first flagship property in Bar Harbor, Maine in 2020. Literally meaning ‘Love of Land,” the brand focuses on delivering a refined and upscale outdoor experience. For more information, visit KOA.com and TerramorOutdoorResort.com.

ABOUT LOVE’S TRAVEL STOPS

Love’s has been fueling customers’ journeys since 1964. Innovation and perseverance continue to lead the way for the family-owned and -operated business headquartered in Oklahoma City with more than 40,000 team members in North America and Europe. The company’s core business is travel stops and convenience stores with 640 locations in 42 states. Love’s continues its commitment to offer products and services that provide value for professional drivers, fleets, four-wheel customers, RVers, alternative fuel and wholesale fuel customers. Giving back to communities Love’s serves and maintaining an inclusive and diverse workplace are hallmarks of the company’s award-winning culture.

ABOUT LONG JOHN SILVER’S

Long John Silver’s was founded in 1969 and is on a mission to create treasured moments through high-quality food and bell-ringing service. With restaurants from sea to mouth-watering sea, Long John Silver’s continues building on a belief that the unique seafood experience from the coasts should be accessible to all. Learn more at ljsilvers.com or join the conversation via social media on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization competing in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Founded in 2004 by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, FRM has earned top honors including a 2021 Daytona 500 victory and the 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series championship. Based in Mooresville, N.C., FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and No. 38 entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, along with the No. 34 and No. 38 teams in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. For more information, visit FrontRowMotorsports.com and follow Front Row Motorsports on social media — X: @Team_FRM, Instagram: @teamfrm, Tik Tok: @Team_FRM, YouTube: @FrontRowNASCAR, and Facebook: facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

• In 18 previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Spire Motorsports has five top-20 finishes, with a best result of 17th earned by Carson Hocevar in 2024. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet ZL1s in the Cup Series for Daniel Suárez, Michael McDowell and Hocevar, respectively.
• The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA will be televised live on Prime Sunday, June 14 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 16th of 36 points-paying races on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Daniel Suárez – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Daniel Suárez will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Freeway Insurance/Roamly Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA at Pocono Raceway.
• Freeway Insurance was established in 1987 and is one of the largest and fastest-growing personal lines insurance brokers in the United States, offering coverage through a “click, call, or come in” approach that connects customers nationwide. The company continually researches, grows, and diversifies its product offerings to stay responsive to the evolving insurance market. Freeway provides a wide range of options – from basic to premium coverage – in auto, truck, commercial vehicle, homeowners, renters, small business, motorcycle, recreational vehicle, fire, and flood insurance. In 2008, Freeway Insurance became part of Confie, the nation’s leading personal lines insurance distribution company. Customers can access Freeway Insurance through neighborhood offices, online at www.freeway.com, or by calling (800) 300-0227.
• Roamly is a leading provider of innovative, specialty insurance solutions purpose-built for the modern mobility and marketplace travel economy. As a Lloyd’s Coverholder and AI-first insurance innovator, Roamly delivers a robust platform, deep carrier partnerships, and an expanding ecosystem that empowers consumers, professional fleet owners, and marketplaces to unlock new revenue streams while reducing risk. Roamly’s technology harnesses AI, advanced automation, and embedded distribution to power tailored coverages for recreational vehicles, carsharing, and other emerging mobility models – covering everything from underwriting and claims to compliance, data analytics, and real-time risk management. Learn more at www.roamly.com.
• Suárez, a three-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner, has made 14 Cup Series starts at Pocono, earning one pole, two top-five and four top-10 finishes while leading 39 laps at the 2.5-mile triangular-shaped racecourse. He holds an average starting position of 14.0 and an average finish of 16.6, with his best result coming in 2018 when he won the pole and finished second. Last season at the “Tricky Triangle,” Suárez started 10th, spent much of the day running inside the top 10 and ultimately finished 15th.
• After 15 races, the 34-year-old driver currently ranks ninth in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings with 418 points and sits just 10 points behind his Spire Motorsports teammate Carson Hocevar in seventh.
• Last week at Michigan International Speedway, Suárez led 10 laps, raced with the leaders throughout the event and ultimately brought home a spirited sixth-place finish. He collected eight stage points, helping to propel him from 10th to ninth in points. The solid effort marked Suárez’s fifth top-10 finish of the season.
• Suárez is a veteran of 338 Cup Series starts and has notched three wins, 26 top fives and 80 top-10s in NASCAR’s premier division. He has led 945 laps and earned three poles since making his series’ debut in 2017.
• Over the last 15 races, the Monterrey, Mexico native has completed 3,985 of 4,045 laps (98.5%), posted an average starting position of 12.2 and a 13.7 average finish. That consistency marks a significant step forward from the same 15-race stretch a year ago. He has improved his average starting position by 13 spots and bettered his average finish by seven positions.
• Daniel Suárez Quote
• Pocono Raceway has been a good track for you in the past. You won the pole in 2018 and have several solid finishes. What are you looking forward to heading into this weekend?
• “Pocono is a really unique and challenging track. The speeds are very high, and with three completely different corners, it’s hard to put together a perfect lap. You’re always trying to find a balance, because what works in one turn might hurt you in the next. That’s what makes it such a tough place, but also a fun one to race. I feel like we’ve been bringing competitive cars lately and improving each week, and that’s given us good momentum. The team has been working hard, and I’m looking forward to getting to Pocono, continuing that progress and seeing what we can do.”

Ryan Sparks – Crew Chief, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Ryan Sparks is the Crew Chief of Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• Coming off a top-10 finish at Michigan, Sparks has called 217 NASCAR Cup Series races since making his crew chief debut in 2020. Since then, he’s led his drivers to one victory, six top-five and 15 top-10 finishes. He earned his first career Cup Series win in this year’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Sparks has called eight races at Pocono Raceway, with his best finish coming last season when former driver Justin Haley finished 19th.
• Sparks joined Spire Motorsports prior to the 2021 season, where he served as both Crew Chief and Competition Director, leading the organization’s competitive and technical efforts. In 2026, Sparks serves in a singular role as crew chief for Daniel Suárez. He brings more than a decade of experience across all three of NASAR’s national series, highlighted by 13 seasons at Richard Childress Racing and contributions to title-winning campaigns in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (2011) and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (2013).

Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Michael McDowell will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series’ Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VISITPA at Pocono Raceway.
• Delaware Life is a life insurance and annuity company that empowers financial professionals with a wide array of customizable solutions. A subsidiary of Group 1001 Insurance, Delaware Life was born out of the advisor industry and understands how important it is to find the right fit for every client, every situation, and every individual need. Delaware Life is passionate about equipping its clients with annuities that give customers peace of mind and a successful future, allowing them to plan with confidence for whatever’s next.
• McDowell owns 23 Pocono starts where he’s earned two top 10s and led 14 laps in NASCAR Cup Series competition. He registered a venue-best sixth-place finish in 2022. The father-of-five has logged a 25.5 average start and a 26.2 average finish at the “Tricky Triangle.”
• In 2007, McDowell earned a trip to Pocono’s Victory Lane in the ARCA Menards Series where he led twice for just two laps including the final sprint to the checkered flag.
• Last Sunday at Michigan, the two-time Cup Series race winner struggled to find a competitive balance until early in Stage 3. Unfortunately, the No. 71 sustained significant damage during a Lap-155 incident, leaving him 26th in the final rundown.
• Across his last five races, including the 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race, the 2021 Daytona 500 Champion holds an average finish of 13th, while pacing the field two times for eight laps (Watkins Glen/Charlotte).
• After 15 points-paying races on the 2026 calendar, McDowell is currently 20th in points. With 11 races remaining before NASCAR’s “Chase” format begins to determine this year’s champion, the Glendale, Ariz., native sits 46 points below the cutline on the strength of two top-five and three top-10 finishes.
• Michael McDowell Quote
• The next few tracks play to your strengths, Pocono and a few road courses. What do you need this weekend to regroup after a tough day at Michigan?
• “I always look forward to Pocono. It is a great atmosphere. When it comes to racing, Pocono is pretty technical and unique given how narrow the track gets over the tunnel turn. So, getting though there is important because you can lose track position if you’re not aggressive enough and then it is important to be able to keep your speed in Turn 3 to set up a good passing zone on the frontstretch. Pocono has been a place where we’ve had good speed, and we didn’t get the result we deserved but I’m optimistic with the speed we have in 2026. This weekend is a place where we need to have a solid day to set us up for success at Coronado and Sonoma.”

Travis Peterson – Crew Chief, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Travis Peterson is the crew chief of Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• Peterson heads to Pocono to call his fifth Cup Series event at the iconic Long Pond, Pa., triangular-shaped track where he earned a venue-best 19th-place result with McDowell in 2023.
• In his former role as a race engineer at Hendrick Motorsports, Peterson played a key role in Dale Earnhardt, Jr’s., 2016 runner-up Pocono finish.
• The 35-year-old has called 128 races in NASCAR’s premier series, where he’s secured eight pole awards, one win, nine top fives and 26 top 10s.

Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Carson Hocevar will race Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA, his third start at the “Tricky Triangle” in NASCAR’s premier division.
• Zeigler Automotive Group is one of the largest privately-owned dealer groups in the U.S. with 88 franchises across 41 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Vehicle brands represented include all the domestic and majority of the imported manufacturers. Besides its extensive automotive portfolio, the organization owns and operates Zeigler Motorsports, an 85,000-square-foot motorsports dealership and action park, offering 19 different powersports brands, plus its own onsite restaurant: Trak Houz Bar & Grill. Additionally, Zeigler Motorsports houses the Elevate Leadership & Team Building Academy, an executive training company. The Kalamazoo-based dealer group also owns three Byrider franchises, three finance companies, several insurance firms, and a leasing firm.
• In last season’s annual trip to the Pocono Mountains, Hocevar qualified third and spent most of the day racing for position inside the top five. Unfortunately, an untimely sequence of cautions left him mired in traffic for the remainder of the afternoon, ultimately leaving him 18th when the checkered flag waved.
• Through 15 races, the 23-year-old driver sits seventh in points, just 25 markers out of sixth. His one win, four top fives, seven top 10s, 428 points scored, average starting position of 10.9 and 14.2 average finish are all career highs through the first 15 points-paying races of the season. The team’s average starting position has improved by nearly nine spots while its average finish is eight positions better compared to this point in 2025.
• Last Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, the Portage, Mich., native started on the outside of the front row and led the opening 14 circuits. He battled for the lead during the final restart of the afternoon but ultimately finished fifth, a career-best result at his home track.
• The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year registered his first-career victory earlier this season at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. He survived a late-race restart with three laps remaining with help from his Chevrolet teammates and brought home the checkered flag. Hocevar became the 13th driver to earn his inaugural series victory at Talladega, and registered Spire Motorsports’ first win since the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with driver Justin Haley.
• Hocevar owns four CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Pocono, highlighted by a fifth-place finish in 2022.
• Carson Hocevar Quote
• Coming off a strong showing at Michigan, how do you carry that momentum into Pocono this weekend?
• “I obviously wanted to finish better last week, but it just shows our expectations for our team. We have been really fast on the intermediates and bigger tracks. Coming off a good finish, you get a little bit of momentum to carry through the week until you get to the racetrack. We qualified third last year and ran up front for most of the race, so we expect to be up there again this weekend.”

Luke Lambert – Crew Chief, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Luke Lambert is the crew chief of Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• Lambert is in his third season at Spire Motorsports and fourth with driver Carson Hocevar. The duo has logged two pole awards, one win, seven top-five and 22 top-10 finishes in 95 races together.
• The 16-year veteran crew chief has called 21 NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono Raceway, earning five top 10s. Lambert owns venue-best seventh-place finishes with drivers Ryan Newman (June 2014) and Daniel Hemric (July 2019).
• In his lone O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race atop the pitbox at Pocono, the Mount Airy, N.C., native guided Noah Gragson to Victory Lane in 2022. Gragson led 43 of the event’s 90 laps and held off a late-race charge to secure his third of eight wins on the season.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports fields full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing.

The team, co-owned by longtime NASCAR industry executive Jeff Dickerson and TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss, earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado its first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent victory came May 24, 2026, when Daniel Suárez won the NASCAR Cup Series Series’ Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

In 2026, Spire Motorsports campaigns the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Nos. 7 and 77 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Mooresville, N.C., organization also fields the No. 77 410 sprint car in Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing competition.

Casey Mears Kicks Off Countdown to 500th NASCAR Cup Series Start as Beard Motorsports Tackles Pocono for the First Time

MT. PLEASANT, Michigan (June 9, 2026) – For Casey Mears, the road to a milestone 500th career NASCAR Cup Series start got a little sidetracked thanks to the intervention of Mother Nature seven weekends ago at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. But it continues in earnest for the 48-year-old driver on Sunday with the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, where the veteran racer will finally get his first chance to strap into the No. 62 Gracie Foundation Chevrolet for family-owned Beard Motorsports.

Wet weather on qualifying day April 25 at Talladega sent Mears and the Beard team to the sidelines before they ever had a chance to turn a lap. It was to be Mears’ 496th career Cup Series start, and his and the team’s first of five races together this season, to be followed by the July 26 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Aug. 29 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the Oct. 25 YellaWood 500 at Talladega, and the season finale Nov. 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The latter outing will mark career start No. 500 for Mears.

But before his thoughts turn to milestones, Mears is focused on something much simpler this weekend – getting back behind the wheel.

“The biggest thing is just looking forward to getting to the racetrack,” Mears said. “After showing up to Talladega and being the only car that goes home, that was no fun. Just knowing that we’re going to the racetrack and have an opportunity to go racing and get to know all the guys on the team a little better and go out and have some fun is the plan.”

That opportunity was denied at Talladega when qualifying was washed out. With the field set by NASCAR metrics that include owner points, the Beard entry, with zero owner points, became the lone team left out of the 40-car field.

“For sure it was disappointing,” Mears said. “I felt like if we would’ve had the opportunity to qualify, we definitely would’ve been in. That was probably the frustrating part, knowing one of the better cars

was going home. But that’s the way the sport goes. You can’t control the weather.”

Now the focus shifts to one of NASCAR’s most unique venues. Pocono Raceway, known as “The Tricky Triangle,” presents challenges unlike any other track on the schedule. Its three corners were modeled after three different speedways, creating a setup compromise that teams spend entire weekends trying to solve.

That challenge becomes even greater for Beard Motorsports, whose 34 previous Cup Series starts over the past nine seasons have come almost exclusively the superspeedways at Daytona and Talladega. This weekend represents the organization’s first appearance at Pocono.

For Mears, however, the 2.5-mile triangle feels much more like home. He owns 28 career Cup Series starts there, highlighted by a pole position in 2004 and a pair of top-10 finishes during the 2007 season for Hendrick Motorsports. Before that, he dominated a memorable ARCA Menards Series doubleheader weekend in 2003, sweeping both races while leading 103 of 160 laps driving for owner Chip Ganassi.

Those experiences provide confidence heading into an otherwise uncertain weekend.

“Anytime you go back to a place where you’ve had success at any level, it makes you feel good about going back,” Mears said. “Those ARCA races were super dominant. The car was super fast, and it was great to get a couple of wins and get momentum going in the right direction.”

Pocono’s unique layout also played into Mears’ strengths during the early stages of his NASCAR career.

Coming from an IndyCar background, he arrived with extensive experience shifting gears and adapting to diverse track configurations – skills that proved valuable at a venue many stock car drivers found challenging back in the day.

“I’ve always liked the track,” Mears said. “I feel like I adapted to it pretty early on and had speed right out of the gate.”

Even so, there are plenty of unknowns awaiting him this weekend. Although Mears and Beard Motorsports have spent months preparing for their run this season, Talladega’s weather-shortened weekend means neither side has yet experienced a single competitive lap together.

“We haven’t had any on-track activity to have any gauge of where the car may or may not be,” Mears said. “We’re kind of going into this with a lot of unknowns. But they’re prepared. I’ve been speaking a lot with (crew chief) Darren (Shaw) and (co-owner) Amie (Beard-Deja), and Darren’s saying all the right stuff as far as things they’re working on with the car.”

The team’s attention to detail has earned Mears confidence. Since making its Cup Series debut at the 2017 Daytona 500, Beard Motorsports has built a reputation for maximizing opportunities despite its limited schedule. Powered by ECR-built Chevrolet engines, the organization has recorded eight top-10 finishes in just 34 Cup Series starts, including Noah Gragson’s fifth-place finish at Daytona in 2022.

While much of that success has come on superspeedways, Mears believes the meticulous approach required to compete at those venues can translate elsewhere.

“The majority of the ability to excel at the superspeedways goes out the window at a place like Pocono, but the attention to detail that it takes at a superspeedway is key,” he said. “The relationship between the bottom of the car and the ground is so important these days. Anything that can reduce friction and drag is huge. There’s stuff they’ve probably done with their superspeedway program that applies.”

Practice will be especially important as Mears gets reacquainted with both Pocono and NASCAR’s NextGen car on a high-speed handling circuit. The limited track time available means every lap will matter.

“I’m going to be trying to get speed as quickly as I can,” Mears said. “Hopefully the car is close and we have pretty good speed. If we can make a couple changes in practice, get some direction, and I can go out there and get laps and get comfortable, I’ll be pretty happy.”

Success at Pocono often comes down to mastering turn three, the long, flat corner that feeds onto the track’s longest straightaway.

“If you mess up turn three, you pay for it all the way down the front straight,” Mears said. “I think turn three is probably one of the most important corners, time-wise.”

Coincidentally, Pocono also carries a deeper family connection for Mears. His uncle, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears, was a three-time IndyCar winner at Pocono, while his father Roger also competed there multiple times during his IndyCar career. The track’s place in family history only adds another layer of significance to the weekend.

Here and now, the goal is a clean race, a solid finish and a strong start to a partnership designed to culminate with one of NASCAR’s enduring veterans reaching the 500-start milestone come November. At a track known for surprises, patience and experience often prove valuable commodities.

“If you can stay clear of mistakes and when people start getting desperate, you can sometimes capitalize on that,” Mears said. “Hopefully we can stay clean and have a good, solid day to start off our relationship with Beard.”

No. 62 Beard Motorsports Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Casey Mears

Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Crew Chief: Darren Shaw

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Car Chief: Drew Mickey

Hometown: Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Spotter: Bruce Danz

Hometown: St. Petersburg, Florida

President: Linda Beard

Hometown: Mt. Pleasant, Michigan

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Caison Dillon

Hometown: Welcome, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Bryan Ketchie

Hometown: Mt. Ulla, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Tanner Wells

Hometown: Goldsboro, North Carolina

Jack Man: Garrett Crall

Hometown: Hicksville, Ohio

Fuel Man: Douglas Warrick

Hometown: Hamilton, New Jersey

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Jack Gagnon

Hometown: Quebec, Canada

Mechanic: Mark Sanders

Hometown: Springfield, Ohio

Tire Technician: Mike Harrold

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Engine Tuner: Brian Trevino

Hometown: Statesville, North Carolina

Interior Specialist: Nic Hill

Hometown: Fort Myers, Florida

Engineer: Mack Kanupp

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Transporter Driver: Roger Lankford

Hometown: Lexington, North Carolina

POCONO

Sunday, June 14– NASCAR Cup Series, 3 p.m. ET (PRIME)

The NASCAR Cup Series makes its annual trip to the Pocono Mountains for this weekend’s Great American Getaway 400 on Sunday afternoon. Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher are the two active drivers who have series victories with Ford at the track, which has been hosting races since 1974. Ford has 25 wins overall at the Tricky Triangle with Bill Elliott’s four from 1985-89 leading the way.

BERRY TO MAKE 100TH CUP START

Wood Brothers Racing driver Josh Berry will be making his 100th career NASCAR Cup Series start this weekend when the circuit makes its annual stop at Pocono Raceway. Berry’s most memorable moment to this point was his first victory with the team last year in the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. That made him the 20th driver to win at least one series race for the organization and guaranteed his spot in the postseason for the first time.

FIRST-TIME CUP WINNERS

There are currently four Ford Racing NASCAR Cup drivers still looking for their first series victory (Todd Gilliland, Zane Smith, Noah Gragson, Ryan Preece). Pocono Raceway is a place where that has happened on a few occasions, most recently in 2017 when Ryan Blaney scored his first victory while driving for the Wood Brothers. Jeremy Mayfield (1998), Denny Hamlin (2006) and Chris Buescher (2016) are the other three who also made the “Tricky Triangle” the place for their first trip to Victory Lane.

SITTING ON 749

The next Ford win will be its 750th all-time in NASCAR’s top series. Ned Jarrett is Ford’s win leader with 43 while Bill Elliott is second with 40. Shirtless Jimmy Florian scored the Blue Oval’s first series victory when he upset the likes of Lee Petty, Curtis Turner and Joe Weatherly at Dayton Speedway on June 25, 1950. Florian earned his nickname after getting out of his 1950 flathead Ford without a shirt. Overall, 91 drivers have won at least one series race with Ford, including notable drivers Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty, and Dale Earnhardt.

QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT YOUR FIRST WIN AT POCONO?

CHRIS BUESCHER: “Lots of things that were very positive, and then on the negative side of it, I’ll just start with that because when we did get the final OK, that’s it, we’re calling it, it was almost an hour-and-a-half later. I think all the pit boxes on pit road were shut down and sealed up. People were gone. Haulers were missing. It was pretty clear that we were done and we hung out for a long time. The negative side to that is at the end of it, there was nobody to celebrate with. I think there were eight people, mainly our team standing on pit road, and the grandstands were empty. Pit road was empty. The garage was all but empty. We couldn’t use the really neat Victory Lane at Pocono that has since been replaced, so we had to go do an alternate one in the garage. There was no celebration on the frontstretch. No burnout to it. It took away some of the most fun parts about winning races in just that raw emotion in the moment. That being said, it was huge for us. I remember how the day went. We had an accident that we narrowly avoided, but I think we touched fenders with somebody and with a metal body car it ended up cutting a tire down. So, we ended up on pit road off sequence, which set us up to be able to run longer on that fuel run. That put us in a spot to where as cars started pitting, the rain was far enough out, but the fog is unpredictable in Pocono. I had an ARCA win narrowly slip away due to fog at Pocono, ironically. I’ll still trade it for that Cup win at the end of the day, so I’m OK with it now, but it let us stay out there just long enough. Jamie McMurray was ahead of us and when he pitted and then I think it was the next straightaway they came over the radio and they’re like, ‘Hey, the visibility is getting pretty bad up here. How is it from your standpoint going down the backstretch?’ And I’m like, ‘It’s fine.’ And as soon as I let the words come out of my mouth, I realized, ‘Well, that was the wrong answer. I know what they were fishing for.’ They were very quick to ask me again the next straightaway and I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, it’s really bad. I can’t see a thing. I’m sure you can’t see me either. This feels unsafe.’ I was a little bit of a slow learner back then, but it was a really big moment for us and everybody at Front Row Motorsports. To be able to put ourselves in the playoffs that season was huge in our rookie year, so I definitely have a lot of things that come back to me from that race and it was certainly a fun one. It was unfortunate not to get to celebrate the proper way because wins in this sport are so hard to come by no matter how they arrive and you certainly want to have that ability to celebrate with all the people who work so hard to create those moments and it didn’t quite feel the same as any of the wins since.”

RYAN BLANEY: “It was a wild race in 2017 with the Wood Brothers. I had a great car all day. I lost communication with my team early in that race, probably a third of the way through. Fortunately, I could hear them but they couldn’t hear me, so communication-wise I knew when to pit, which was good and we really just had a system of if I was tight, hand on the roof, and if I was too loose, hand on the door and they would make adjustments to that. We had a good pit stop at the end of the race to get out and be the first guys on tires. I was able to get by Kyle Busch with 10 or 11 laps to go and then I had to hold Kevin (Harvick) off. It was more stressful trying to hold Kevin off than trying to get the lead because now you’re in the lead trying to win your first Cup race and all you can think about is just don’t make a mistake and don’t give it away, so that was a stressful 10 laps or so to hold Kevin off, but he raced me really clean. The other thing that was the most fun about that day is it wasn’t just my first Cup win, it was a lot of my team’s first Cup win too, so being able to share that moment with them and celebrate, to be able to win for the Wood Brothers was something I always wanted to achieve and to have your poster up on the wall in Stuart (VA) was something pretty neat. That was number 99 for the Wood Brothers. I wish we could have got 100, but that came a few years later. Still, that was a fun day and an even better night.”

BLANEY GETS FIRST CUP VICTORY

Ryan Blaney earned his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in 2017 at Pocono Raceway, giving the Wood Brothers their 99th all-time series win. Blaney held off Kevin Harvick over the final seven laps to win the Pocono 400 after overcoming a loose wheel only 19 laps into the event. He found himself in position to win after the caution came out with 19 laps to go. Kyle Busch opted to stay out while all of the other contenders behind him pitted, including Blaney who got four fresh tires and restarted fourth. A major battle between Busch and Blaney resulted, but the newer tires proved to be too much as Blaney eventually got by with nine laps to go. He couldn’t breathe easy, however, as Harvick started to reel him in. Despite closing the gap, Harvick could never pull alongside to challenge and Blaney took the checkered flag.

BUESCHER JOINS FIRST-TIME WINNERS CLUB AT POCONO

Chris Buescher is another Ford driver who posted his first NASCAR Cup Series win at Pocono when he won the rain-shortened Pennsylvania 400 in 2016. Buescher led the final 12 laps and qualified for the playoffs as the scheduled 160-lap race was called after 138 circuits. It represented the second series win and first playoff qualification for Front Row Motorsports, which Buescher drove for in 2016 after the organization entered into an alliance with what was then Roush Fenway Racing.

KULWICKI’S FINAL WIN

When Alan Kulwicki won the Champion Spark Plug 500 on June 14, 1992 it marked the final victory of his NASCAR Hall of Fame career. Kulwicki, who was voted into the Hall in 2019, passed Bill Elliott with 11 laps remaining to cap a day that saw 15 cars drop out before the checkered flag flew, including 11 engine failures. In a precursor to what happened a few months later at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kulwicki and Elliott battled down the stretch as they exchanged the lead multiple times over the final 25 laps. Kulwicki passed Elliott for the top spot on lap 181, but traffic slowed him down to the point that five laps later the two swapped positions. Mark Martin made it a three-way battle, but Kulwicki ultimately prevailed as he got by both drivers on lap 190 and never looked back. Kulwicki, who won five series races overall, went on to win the championship later that year over fellow Ford drivers Elliott and Davey Allison.

FORD’S NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS

AT POCONO

1985 – Bill Elliott (Sweep)

1988 – Bill Elliott (2)

1989 – Terry Labonte and Bill Elliott

1990 – Geoffrey Bodine (2)

1992 – Alan Kulwicki (1)

1994 – Rusty Wallace and Geoffrey Bodine

1995 – Dale Jarrett (2)

1996 – Rusty Wallace (2)

1997 – Dale Jarrett (2)

1998 – Jeremy Mayfield (1)

2000 – Jeremy Mayfield and Rusty Wallace

2001 – Ricky Rudd (1)

2002 – Dale Jarrett (1)

2005 – Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch

2008 – Carl Edwards (2)

2010 – Greg Biffle (2)

2016 – Chris Buescher (2)

2017 – Ryan Blaney (1)

2020 – Kevin Harvick (1)

2024 – Ryan Blaney

Ryan Blaney celebrates his second NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono on July 14, 2024.

The Ford Mustang is the world’s best selling sports car and one of its most popular race cars. With Mustang-based race cars competing in international sports car competition (GT3 and GT4), NASCAR, NHRA, Formula Drift, in Supercars, at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and in its own bespoke regional one-make series – Mustang Cup and Mustang Challenge – the platform has an unprecedented global reach. This weekend, 40 Mustang race cars are scheduled to race across all disciplines. Learn more about Mustang at www.FordRacing.com .