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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Shubham Shekher |Chintan Devgania
Pocono Raceway should have been a clean slate for Kyle Busch. But even before he hit the track, controversy found him. Busch made headlines during media day, not for his car, but for his comments about Dale Earnhardt Jr. As Junior stepped into a new role, serving as crew chief in the Xfinity Series for Connor Zilisch, fans celebrated. It was a big moment, symbolically and emotionally. But Busch didn’t join the celebration.
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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Jahnavi Sonchhatra |Chintan Devgania
Drama update on Pocono Raceway: Brad Keselowski, who had an impressive drive from 14th on the grid to lead the race by lap 35, made a shocking step that cost him dearly. Just nine laps after his only pit stop, Keselowski was called down pit road from the lead while it was closed. It was a blunder that sent the NASCAR world reeling. PRN was first to take note of this blunder, as they took to X: “Brad Keselowski comes down a closed pit road for service from the race lead.
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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Pratham Gurung |Chintan Devgania
Pocono’s “Tricky Triangle” struck again, and 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace was its latest victim. On Lap 56 of the Great American Getaway 400, Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota slammed into the Turn 1 SAFER barrier after a right front brake rotor exploded, spraying debris across the track. The crash brought out the caution, halting the race’s rhythm. “That was big,” Wallace said, still catching his breath, echoing the shock of a hit that rattled the 23XI camp.
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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Shubham Shekher |Chintan Devgania
As NASCAR returned to the States after a successful trip to Mexico City, fans in Pocono had everything to welcome them. However, the sold-out grandstands and race turned from calm to chaos in a matter of minutes. As thousands of fans packed the grandstands for Sunday’s Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway, a storm warning swept across the track. “WEATHER ALERT: Be aware there is a threat of a thunderstorm, including lightning,” Pocono Raceway tweeted just hours before the green flag.
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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Pratham Gurung |Chintan Devgania
After 16 of 36 races in 2025, Chase Elliott is parked fourth in the Cup Series standings. Winless but steady, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy driver nailed a top-20 finish in every race, boasting the third-best average finish. His playoff spot’s nearly locked, barring a flood of new winners. Rating his season, Elliott calls it “good” but admits, “it’s not where I want to be, no doubt.”Yesterday’s Xfinity race at Pocono showed why he’s hungry for more.
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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Shubham Shekher |Chintan Devgania
Talladega Superspeedway has always been more than just a racetrack. It’s a legend, a madhouse, a rowdy carnival where speed meets spectacle. Since it opened in 1969, fans have descended on the infield like it’s NASCAR’s answer to Mardi Gras.
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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rajnish Kumar |Chintan Devgania
In NASCAR fandom, if there is a single driver likely to step forward in defense of the current playoff system, Joey Logano would top that list, having claimed three Cup Series championships (2018, 2022, and 2024) under the elimination-style format introduced in 2014 and refined over the years. The debate around the playoff format has intensified following Shane van Gisbergen’s win in Mexico City, which vaulted him into playoff contention right from the tail end of the points tally.
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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Shivranjini Parihar |Chintan Devgania
The 2025 NASCAR Race Weekend at Pocono Raceway promised not just high-speed thrills but also a patriotic musical, which kicked off with a carefully curated lineup of National Anthem performers across all three race days. For the main event on June 22, fans will rise to their feet as Generald Wilson, U.S. Navy Petty Officer First Class (Ret.), delivers a rousing vocal performance of the National Anthem ahead of the Great American Getaway 400.
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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Shubham Shekher |Chintan Devgania
In 2005, Denny Hamlin was a young driver with talent but little spotlight. Joe Gibbs had a seat open in the No. 11 car after parting ways with Jason Leffler. That’s when a unique friendship came into play, one that would define Hamlin’s NASCAR career. Joe Gibbs and Fredrick Smith, the founder of FedEx, had a connection rooted in mutual respect. Their bond became a gateway for Hamlin. Smith, then the chief executive at FedEx, saw the potential in NASCAR and in Gibbs’ judgment.
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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Pratham Gurung |Chintan Devgania
Last week at Mexico City’s Viva México 250, Carson Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevy skidded into Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s No. 47 Chevy with 10 laps to go, grinding the race to a halt. This marked the second incident between the two drivers after Nashville shenanigans, which eventually ended in a peace deal. NASCAR’s debut south of the border, already electric with Shane van Gisbergen’s pole and Daniel Suárez’s Xfinity triumph, soured as Hocevar’s blunder stole the spotlight.
