Pocono Raceway will open its July 12-14 NASCAR tripleheader weekend in grand fashion with the longest scheduled CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race ever to run at the historic venue.
The CRC Brakleen 175 will consist of 70 laps and 175 miles on the 2.5-mile tri-oval – an increase of 10 laps and 25 miles from the most recent races – and serve as the weekend opener for all three of NASCAR’s national series on Friday, July 12, at 5:30 p.m. ET.
When the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series made its debut at Pocono Raceway in 2010, the series ran a 50-lap, 125-mile race for the first four visits. The race was extended to a 60-lap, 150-mile event in 2014 and remained that length through last year.
In addition to the CRC Brakleen 175 becoming the longest NCTS race at Pocono Raceway, it also will be the first ever contested on a Friday evening at “The Tricky Triangle.” Of the previous 14 NCTS races run, 12 were held on Saturday and two (2011, ’20) on Sunday.
The CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will put on a one-day show with practice and qualifying also scheduled on race day. The series will open practice at 2 p.m. and follow with single-lap qualifying at 2:30 p.m.
In celebration of the extended CRC Brakleen 175, Pocono Raceway will be offering a special Friday ticket at $17.50 for a limited time.
The NASCAR race weekend also will feature the Xfinity Series Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 on Saturday, July 13, and Cup Series Pocono 400 on Sunday, July 14. The Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 will start at 3 p.m. following Cup Series qualifying. The Pocono 400, which sold out the frontstretch seating last season, will begin at 2:30 p.m.
It is a shame that Pocono does not have an IndyCar event or a second weekend of NASCAR on the schedule.
Ken Squier event next month
This is worth the trip. I am happy to have had Ken as a friend.
Following a meeting between Thunder Road officials, Vermont state government officials and representatives of the Squier family, all parties have announced today that the Kenley Dean Extravaganza – A Celebration of Life, for the one-and-only Ken Squier, is in full planning stages and scheduled for Saturday, May 4 at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, Vermont. The Kenley Dean Extravaganza will begin at noon on Saturday, May 4 with the annual Thunder Road car show set to start the day beginning at 9 a.m.
While the particulars, including the panel of speakers, are still in the planning stages, all parties agreed that this is meant to be an extravaganza to celebrate a one-of-a-kind life. Dave Moody, who also joined the planning meeting via video call said, “This is truly a celebration of Ken. Although we were, and are, saddened by his loss, we also all know that he wouldn’t stand for some somber, black suit get-together.”
Governor Phil Scott added, “One of the things we all agreed on is this will certainly be a celebration, a time to tell our favorite Ken stories and a time to remember all that he has done for our state and, of course, the sport of stock car racing.”
As in years past, Saturday, May 4 will start at 7:00am with the pit gate opening for Thunder Road and American-Canadian Tour teams for Car Show set-up. Gates will open at 9:00am for spectators, completely free of charge with the Kenley Dean Extravaganza to begin at 12:00-noon, again free and open to the public. Practice for Thunder Road opening weekend divisions will begin at some time following the services.
The 2024 season hits its stride on Saturday, May 4 with the annual Car Show at Thunder Road with free admission for the general public from 9:00am to 12:00pm, followed by the Kenley Dean Extravaganza starting at 12:00-noon. The 26th annual Community Bank 150 for the American-Canadian Tour kicks off the Thunder Road season the following day, Sunday, May 5. Track championship action for the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers and rk Miles Street Stocks begins on Sunday, May 5, alongside the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors for an explosive start to year 65 at the Nation’s Site of Excitement!
For more information, contact the Thunder Road offices at (802) 244-6963, media@thunderroadvt.com, or visit www.thunderroadvt.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @ThunderRoadVT.
New engine regulations
It sounds like new engine regulations could debut for the NASCAR Cup Series come 2026 or 2027 that could allow for a new manufacturer to join Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota.
Honda has been at the center of garage rumors as the most likely OEM to enter the highest levels of Stock Car competition. And while NASCAR nor Honda has confirmed those rumors, NASCAR chief racing development officer John Probst made an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Thursday to detail all the reasons a new manufacturer will soon have a logical runway.
“A timeline for a new OEM coming into our sport is somewhere in the 18- to 24-month period,” said Probst on the licensed NASCAR channel. “When we work with our existing partners, obviously it’s important for us to make sure that any new partner coming in would be a complement to what we have here today.
“So, there would be an outside chance we could do it quicker. And certainly, when all of our existing OEM partners are on board, which they are, you know the opportunity would exist, we may be able to expedite that, but under normal circumstances, 18 to 24 months.”
Probst said a new manufacturer would likely have to begin the engine and body submission process over the summer months.
“If a new OEM did want to come in 2026, we are within a few months of us getting to the point where you almost start running out of time to go through all the steps that we have today,” Probst said. “If all the stars align, it is possible you could do it quicker than 18 months.
“It would take a lot of effort and frankly a little bit of luck to get everything to line up perfectly to do that… Certainly, 2026-2027 would be pretty ideal years for an OEM that would be looking to come to our sport right now to make a launch.”
Toyota was the last manufacturer to enter NASCAR, arriving to the Cup Series in 2007 following a three-year stint in the Craftsman Truck Series, and a challenge for that manufacturer was working towards a chassis and body combination that was both competitive and aesthetically pleasing.
Now, the current generation car is effectively a spec platform with only the body and engine fundamentally different between the manufacturers.
“The timing has probably never been better for an OEM to consider coming into our sport,” Probst said. “In years past, you were effectively trying to build the car from the ground up before you would come into our sport. With the Next Gen car, the way it is today, we preserved the DNA of the OEM’s in the body work and in the engines that go in the car.
“So as a new OEM looking to come into NASCAR, you’d be looking at developing a body and then also getting an engine approved for use in our sport.”
Since 2012, McLaren has provided the ECUs, digital dashes and numerous electronic components that power cars at the highest level. McLaren has since extended with NASCAR and Probst indicated even more electric technology is on the way that would be appealing for manufacturers in their pursuit of futuristic power plants.
“We’ve already awarded that contract to McLaren, who is the existing electronic supplier in the Cup Series,” Probst said. “The feedback from our team partners and the OEMs as to which direction we want to go in this case with the ECU and the electronics around the Cup cars, that was McLaren and that will launch in 2025.”
Does this mean the V8 pushrods will soon go the way of carburetors from over a decade ago?
“Yeah, certainly,” Probst said. “One thing that is common in our approach to just about everything now on the technical and the competition side is we leave all our options open and we try not to close any doors. That’s certainly true of the electronics. They are more capable than the electronics that we have on the car today.
“They will open up doors to allow us to explore what may potentially lie ahead with respect to power trains in the Cup Series. In general, it’s just meant to keep our cars current to the relevant technology that exists today and to keep our options as wide open as they can be into the future.”
Long term, NASCAR is still pursuing alternative fuel sources for its future, like hydrogen combustion but the NextGen was always intended to feature a form of EVO on the current generation engine platform and it seems that could come as early as 2026 or 2027.
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Ernie Saxton is an auto racing contributor for MediaNews Group. He co-founded the Eastern Motorsports Press Association, served as public relations director for Grandview Speedway for 47 years, and is in multiple halls of fame for his promotion and journalism related to the sport. He has announced races at more than 100 tracks, and he is the only person to have announced a race at Madison Square Garden. Email him at ESaxton144@aol.com.
