NOAH GRAGSON
Pocono Advance
No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.com (Round 21 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 14
● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway
● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle
● Laps/Miles: 160 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 30 laps / Stage 2: 65 laps / Final Stage: 65 laps
● TV/Radio: USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Pocono (Pa.) Raceway is known as the “Tricky Triangle” for its three distinct corners connected by three straightaways, including an enormously long 3,740-foot frontstretch. It is the only triangle-shaped track on the NASCAR Cup Series calendar, and its layout was designed by two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Rodger Ward, who modeled each of its three turns after a different track. Turn one, which is banked at 14 degrees, is from the legendary Trenton (N.J.) Speedway. Turn two, banked at 8 degrees, is a nod to the turns at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And turn three, banked at 6 degrees, is based on the corners at The Milwaukee Mile. The first race on the 2.5-mile triangle occurred in 1971, but it wasn’t until Aug. 4, 1974 that NASCAR visited, with the inaugural race won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty.

● The Great American Getaway 400 will serve as Noah Gragson’s third career NASCAR Cup Series start at Pocono. The driver of the No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing finished 24th in his first Cup Series race at the 2.5-mile triangle in 2022 and improved that mark by two positions in 2023 when he finished 22nd.

● While Gragson is still building his NASCAR Cup Series resume at Pocono, his CV in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the track is stout. The 25-year-old racer from Las Vegas has four Xfinity Series starts at Pocono, with three finishes of sixth or better. In fact, his last Xfinity Series start at Pocono was his best. On July 23, 2022, Gragson started ninth but worked his way to the lead after 25 laps. He wound up pacing the field three times for a race-high 43 laps, including the final 22, to take the win by .281 of a second over runner-up Ty Gibbs.

● Before Gragson came to Pocono as a rookie in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2019, he was a rookie in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, making a single start at Pocono in 2017. He qualified eighth and was a top-10 regular until he became embroiled in a three-truck accident on lap 40 that ended his race.

● Gragson also has three ARCA Menards Series starts at Pocono. He first saw the track in 2016, but it was an inauspicious beginning to his time at Pocono, as his car stalled on just the fourth lap. While Gragson’s team was able to finally fix his racecar, it took a while, 51 laps to be exact. But the 29 laps Gragson did run provided valuable experience, which Gragson turned into top-10 runs in 2017 and 2018, when he finished ninth and 10th, respectively. That 2018 ARCA race, however, probably should’ve ended in victory lane. Gragson won the pole for that race and led three times for a race-high 37 laps before he was penalized for an errant wheel from his pit box. ARCA officials sent Gragson to the rear of the field, and while he rallied to 10th, he could never regain the form he had earlier in the race when he was able to race in clean air.

● Overstock.com adorns Gragson’s No. 10 Ford Mustang Dark Horse at Pocono. The partnership amplifies the recent relaunch of Overstock.com, home of crazy good deals that offer quality and style for less. Overstock.com is for the savvy shopper who loves the thrill of the hunt and it includes product categories customers know and love, like patio furniture, home furniture and area rugs, while reintroducing jewelry, watches and health-and-beauty products.

Noah Gragson, Driver of the No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

What makes a lap at Pocono so challenging?

“You’ve got three different corners and the challenge is to get the car set up optimally in all three corners. But the reality is that you’ve got to compromise one corner so you can be good in the other two. Just trying to get the car handling right all the way around the racetrack and feeling good about it is hard. All the corners are important, and you really have to be good in all of them, and if you get your car dialed in, you can get all three pretty good.”

What makes the Tunnel Turn so difficult?

“It’s just super flat as far as banking, and you’re pretty hammer down through there. It’s all timing. You might touch the brake, barely. You carry a lot of speed, and you have to be right with your steering input. If you hang it out and turn in late by a half-second, or turn in a bit early, you’re going to be angled and positioned wrong and you’re going to have to get back out of the gas again on exit. So it’s important to get through there and time it right, and you definitely have to give yourself room.”

How big of a deal is aero at Pocono, specifically, battling through dirty air when you’re in traffic?

“I feel like you have more options now because they’ve resined the second lane the last five or six years. You can run side-by-side pretty well around there and just go to the lane that they’re not in, so it’s not terrible.”

Pocono seems to have a road-course element to it – some flat, fast corners, some bumps, plenty of shifting – does that make it a track that puts more of the race in your hands?

“Every corner is different, so it’s hard to get into a rhythm. When you go to a regular racetrack, their overall configuration is kind of the same with the way they’re banked and angled. Pocono’s a bit different just because it’s a triangle and three different corners that they tried to replicate from other racetracks, so it’s hard to get into a rhythm there.”

You won at Pocono in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In fact, you did it in your fourth and final Xfinity Series start there. Was that win a result of your experience at Pocono, because you knew what you needed in your racecar, or was it just a matter of taking a really good car and delivering with it?

“Probably a bit of both. I think the experience we had and us building up a notebook over the years allowed us to bring a good package. Pocono’s one of those tracks where you’re only as good as your car. If the car won’t do something, you’re probably not going to run great. When it’s dialed in and you can hit on something, you’re probably going to have speed and contend for the win. That’s what I felt like we had in the Xfinity race in ’22. I still had to work my tail off holding off Ty Gibbs. It was probably one of the best battles I’ve had racing. We raced each other super hard. It was a lot of fun.”

No. 10 Overstock.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Noah Gragson

Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Jerry Cook

Hometown: Toledo, Ohio

Engineer: James Kimbrough

Hometown: Pensacola, Florida

Spotter: Andy Houston

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder

Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White

Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Tyler Bullard

Hometown: King, North Carolina

Jack Man: Sean Cotten

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Fuel Man: James “Ace” Keener

Hometown: Fortuna, California

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Chris Trickett

Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Beau Whitley

Hometown: Carmel, Indiana

Tire Specialist: Jacob Cooksey

Hometown: Westbrookville, New York

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller

Hometown: Monroe, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Steve Casper

Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy

Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

Grant Park 165: Chicago Street Course
Chicago, Ill. – July 7, 2024

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 DISCOUNT TIRE FORD MUSTANG

START: 21ST STAGE ONE: 38TH STAGE TWO: 33RD FINISH: 15TH POINTS: 20TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang, finished 15th in Sunday’s Grant Park 165, the second-ever street race in the NASCAR Cup Series. The unique event was plagued by weather for the second year, again ending prematurely due to darkness after a nearly two-hour long red flag. Cindric qualified 21st under bright, blue skies Saturday but different conditions greeted him Sunday afternoon as wet weather loomed over the city of Chicago. The skilled road racer fired off on rain tires and gained solid track position early on, but as the track dried out, he slipped back in the running order as the tires became heavily worn. Cindric visited pit road on Lap 15 for a fresh set of rain tires as another burst of rain was en route. A mere one lap later the caution was displayed with Cindric 39th, one lap down. As Stage 1 ended in the following laps, Cindric was scored 38th and eligible to take the wavearound. Intense, heavy rain began to pour over the race course, igniting a nearly two-hour long shutdown of track activity. Once the race resumed, the Discount Tire Ford Mustang restarted 29th, still on rain tires, as the darkness countdown clock ticked away creating a sense of urgency for drivers. On Lap 43, the No. 2 team elected to pit for four slick tires as the weather cleared up and the track conditions changed, just prior to finishing Stage 2 in the 33rd spot. As the time remaining in the race shrunk, Cindric remained focused and steered clear of other on-track mishaps to register a 15th-place finish.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “It was nice to be able to get a decent finish there at the end with the Discount Tire Ford Mustang. The weather at the start obviously generated a lot of different strategies, and then the long red flag, it’s just unfortunate we weren’t able to go the full distance again. I’m proud of the effort from everyone on the No. 2 team.”

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/DUTCH BOY FORD MUSTANG

START: 17TH STAGE ONE: 36TH STAGE TWO: 29TH FINISH: 10TH POINTS: 7TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney came away with a 10th-place finish in Sunday’s weather-impacted Chicago Street Race, marking his ninth top-10 result of the season. Steady rain began to fall shortly after the command to fire engines was given, prompting NASCAR to give teams the option to put on wet weather tires before rolling off the grid for the second edition of the street course event. The No. 12 team opted to start the race on the wet tires before Blaney dropped to the rear of the field due to suspension repairs following Saturday’s qualifying session. As the rainfall dissipated and the track began to dry out during the opening laps, Blaney worked to manage tire wear on the softer wet tires with another band of rain approaching the track. While mired in traffic in the back half of the field, Blaney went down a lap five to go in the opening stage and was called to pit road the following lap for four fresh wet tires as heavy rainfall began, prompting the entire field to make the call for the treaded tires before the start of Stage 2. After taking the wave around during the stage break to rejoin the lead lap, the field was brought to pit road on lap 26 for what amounted to be a nearly two-hour red flag. Following the delay, Blaney worked his way up to 24th in the running order before hitting pit road under green for four slick tires before pit road closed prior to the end of Stage 2. The final stage began with 15 minutes remaining until the mandated end time of 8:20 p.m. CT due to darkness as teams were on varying tire strategies to get them to the finish. Blaney evaded several incidents throughout the field in the closing laps, making up nine spots in the final seven laps to surge into the top-10 before ultimately taking the checkered flag 10th on lap 58.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “It’s hard to assess it. It was a crazy race from the start. There were a lot of split strategies getting going on a mix of dry and wet [tires] and then ended kind of on split strategies. We put dries on and ended up 10th – I kind of gave away a few spots at the end missing the corner. Overall, a good finish from where it started today. Pretty wild race – I’d like to run here one time where it’s dry the whole time for the fans’ sake and our sake.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG

START: 32ND STAGE ONE: 40TH STAGE TWO: 34TH FINISH: 23RD POINTS: 14TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano posted a 23rd-place finish in Sunday’s weather-impacted Chicago Street Race as the second edition of the Grant Park 165 was shortened to 58 laps due to rain throughout the afternoon. Rain began to fall around the track shortly after the command to fire engines was given, prompting NASCAR to give teams the option to put on wet weather tires before rolling off the grid. The No. 22 team chose to start the race on the wet tires in an attempt to gain track position on those the elected to stay with slick tires as Logano worked to manage wear during the opening run as the track began to naturally dry out. With another cell of rain approaching the track in the latter stages of Stage 1, Logano continued on with the wet tires before going a lap down with seven to go in the stage, prompting crew chief Paul Wolfe to call him to pit road on lap 17 for four fresh treaded tires as heavy rainfall began. However, the caution flag flew before Logano crossed the commitment line, trapping him a lap down and forcing him to start at the tail of the field to restart Stage 2. After the entire field made the change to wet weather tires prior to the start of the second segment, a timely caution on the opening lap awarded Logano the free pass to rejoin the lead lap before the race was red flagged for nearly two hours due to rain. After returning to action with eight laps to go in Stage 2, Logano was called to pit road for four slick tires prior to the stage end as the rain dissipated ahead of the final run of the afternoon. The final stage began with 15 minutes remaining until the mandated end time of 8:20 p.m. CT due to darkness as teams were on varying tire strategies while Logano made up ground on the slick tires in the closing laps to come away with a 23rd-place finish.

LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “A pretty crazy race overall, for sure. With starting back where we did, we had to go against the grain early to find a way to make up as much track position as we could. Fortunately we gained some ground late with the different strategies playing out the way they did.”

The NASCAR Cup Series makes its annual trip to Pocono Raceway on Sunday, July 14. Coverage of the Great American Getaway 400 begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

DANIEL HEMRIC
No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

• Daniel Hemric qualified 35th for the Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Race.
• Starting on slick tires, Hemric made it up to 24th, after completing nine laps. He pitted on lap 17 for wet-weather tires, but the first caution of the day came out just before he committed, closing pit road. Hemric rejoined the field and pitted under caution, before the opening stage ended under caution. Hemric finished 25th.
• Hemric pitted for four wet-weather tires during the stage break, before restarting 27th. A wreck on the restart brought the caution back out, with Hemric acquiring minimal nose damage. The race was then red flagged due to weather. When the race resumed on lap 29, Hemric sat 22nd. The next caution came out on lap 35, as Hemric had worked his way to 20th. Restarting 19th with eight laps remaining in the stage, Hemric fell multiple spots but stayed out until the end of the stage, while most pitted. Hemric finished seventh in the second stage, earning stage points.
• During the stage break, crew chief Trent Owens made the call to gamble and stay out, as the countdown for the race wound down. Hemric started the final stage in seventh. The fifth caution of the day came out on lap 50, as Hemric sat eighth. Told to conserve fuel under caution, he stayed out, before restarting eighth on lap 54. As the countdown continued, Hemric went on to finish 12th, after 58 laps complete.

“What a challenge. Incredible strategy once again by my crew chief, Trent Owens, to continue to run on rain tires. If the race ended about two laps earlier, we would have had a solid top 10, but we finally fell back to a couple guys with new tires. All in all, we maximized our day, and I appreciate the fight from our Kaulig Racing team.” – Daniel Hemric  

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 13 Benesch Camaro ZL1

• AJ Allmendinger qualified 37th for the Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Race.
• After several cars were sent to the rear at the start of the race, Allmendinger was 26th on the first lap green. The No. 13 continued to move through the field, reporting he needed more lateral grip. By the stage end, Allmendinger was in 16th place. Under the stage break, the team came to pit road for wet weather tires.
• The race restarted for the second stage, and the caution came out on lap 26. The field was brought to pit road for weather, and the red flag was displayed. After the red flag was lifted, Allmendinger restarted in 11th on lap 29 and had taken over 10th on the first lap green. By lap 41, Allmendinger was in sixth place and came to pit road for four slick tires with two laps remaining in the stage. Allmendinger finished the second stage in 19th.
• The No. 13 restarted at the tail end of the longest line on lap 48 after receiving a penalty for pitting when pit road was closed at the end of the second stage. On lap 50, while trying to make it through the field, Allmendinger hit the tire barrier in turn 12, which ultimately ended the day for the No. 13. Allmendinger finished in 38th.

“Proud we had a chance at a really good day. We made a lot of gains from practice and qualifying, but unfortunately, the penalty ended our day.” – AJ Allmendinger  

SHANE van GISBERGEN
No. 16 Wendy’s Camaro ZL1

• Shane van Gisbergen qualified fifth for the Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Race.
• Moments from the start of the 75 lap event, inclement weather came through for a short period of time, giving the field the decision to start the event on wet weather tires or stay on slick tires. The No. 16 team chose to start on slick tires. Van Gisbergen took his first lead of the race on lap 12 and secured the stage one win under caution.
• During the stage break caution, the No. 16 Wendy’s Team opted to pit for fuel and wet-weather tires. Van Gisbergen took the green flag fifth to start stage two. On lap 25, Van Gisbergen was involved in an incident, ending his race, relegating him to a 40th-place finish.

“I’m disappointed. We had a really amazing Wendy’s Chevy today. Kaulig Racing and Trackhouse Racing, they gave us a great car. We were able to lead and I felt like I was driving well with it, so yeah, it’s a shame to be out so early. It’s a shame we couldn’t have a proper crack at it at the end.” – Shane van Gisbergen  

 

About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

RICK WARE RACING
Grant Park 165

Date: July 7, 2024
Event: Grant Park 165 (Round 20 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Chicago Street Race (2.2-mile, 12-turn street circuit)
Format: 75 laps, broken into three stages (20 laps/25 laps/30 laps)
Note: Race called 17 laps short of its scheduled 75-lap distance due to darkness.

Race Winner: Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Shane van Gisbergen of Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Joey Hand of RFK Racing (Ford)

RWR Race Finish:

● Justin Haley (Started 23rd, Finished 16th/ Running, completed 58 of 58 laps)
● Kaz Grala (Started 40th, Finished 26th/ Running, completed 58 of 58 laps)

RWR Points:

● Justin Haley (29th with 287 points)
● Kaz Grala (35th with 166 points)

RWR Notes:

● Haley earned his eighth top-20 of the season and second top-20 in two career NASCAR Cup Series starts on the Chicago Street Course. It was his third top-20 result in the last four races.
● Haley’s best finish on the Chicago Street Course remains second, earned in last year’s inaugural event.
● Haley’s 16th-place finish was a team-best for RWR on the streets of Chicago. The previous best finish was 21st, earned by Jenson Button in 2023.
● This was Grala’s first NASCAR Cup Series start at Chicago.

Race Notes:

● Alex Bowman won the Grant Park 165 to score his eighth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first on the streets of Chicago. His margin of victory over second-place Tyler Reddick was 2.863 seconds.

● There were five caution periods for a total of 19 laps.

● Thirty-four of the 40 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Kyle Larson remains the championship leader after Chicago with an 11-point advantage over second-place Chase Elliott.

Sound Bites:

“I feel like we had a really good car. The biggest thing we were fighting was track conditions and we were able to drive up into the top-10 before the call to pit at the end of stage two. I think we could’ve left with a top-five finish. That’s what this team deserves, but I’m glad I was able to get back up there for another top-20 finish and make a decent points day out of it.”– Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Pinnacle Home Improvements Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I had a blast at the beginning of the race driving all the way up to 12th from the tail. Our remixers.com Ford was quick today and had top-10 pace. The way things cycled at the end we were primed to get that top-10 finish, but got a penalty for entering a closed pit road with only a handful of laps left. We battled back as best we could, but ultimately just got too far behind.” – Kaz Grala, driver of the No. 15 remixers.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.com on Sunday, July 14 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The race begins at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.