As we get closer to the official start of summer, things are getting really busy. We have stock car racing in the Northeast, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, Formula 1 in Catalonia and SRO America in Georgia.
NASCAR Weekend TV Schedule: Pocono
- ARCA Menards Series Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150: 3 p.m. ET Friday on FS1
- NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Practice: 10:30 a.m. ET Saturday on The CW App
- NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Qualifying: 11:35 a.m. ET Saturday on The CW App
- NASCAR Cup Series Practice: 1 p.m. ET Saturday on Sports on Prime YouTube/Prime Video
- NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying: 2:10 p.m. ET Saturday on Prime Video
- NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series MillerTech Battery 250 presented by KOA: 4 p.m. ET Saturday on The CW
- NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400: 3 p.m. ET Sunday on Prime Video
This weekend, NASCAR makes its annual trip to the Poconos to race on the former site of a spinach farm. It will be the 53rd straight year that the NASCAR Cup Series will race on the 2.5-mile scalene triangle.
Cup teams will be loading into the garage Friday morning in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, but there will be no work on the cars. Instead, Saturday will be a long day.
Teams are scheduled to practice at 1 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon. The session will air live on the Sports on Prime YouTube channel and on Prime Video. Qualifying will follow at 2:10 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
Coverage of The Great American Getaway 400 will begin with NASCAR Live Pre-Race at 2 p.m. ET on Prime Video. Race coverage will start at 3 p.m. ET with the green flag flying around 3:15 p.m. ET.
Back from a week off, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will serve as the primary support division this weekend. Teams will load into the garage Friday and have a full day of work with no on-track activity.
Practice is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET Saturday morning with coverage on The CW App and website. Qualifying will follow at 11:35 a.m. ET. Some CW affiliates may air the sessions live as well, but please check your local listings.
Coverage of the MillerTech Battery 250 presented by KOA will start with NASCAR Countdown Live at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon on The CW. Race coverage will begin at 4 p.m. ET with the green flag around 4:10 p.m. ET.
Finally, the ARCA Menards Series will also be back in action. Teams already arrived Thursday to park. They will unload early Friday morning and get to work.
Teams will have a 45-minute practice session starting at noon ET Friday. That will immediately be followed by a 20-minute group qualifying session. Neither of these sessions will be televised.
Coverage of the Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150 will air live starting at 3 p.m. ET Friday on FS1. The green flag is scheduled to fly around 3:10 p.m. ET.
What’s the Weather Going to Be Like?
It’s been quite warm in the northeast recently, and that trend is going to continue into the weekend. Unfortunately, that warmth will also bring humidity.
The forecast for Friday is for a mix of sun and clouds with a lot of humidity. The high temperature will be around 85° (local outlets are predicting closer to 90°, but they are at lower elevations), but there is a significant chance of showers and thunderstorms. If they hit the track, you’re going to have significant delays.
Saturday will be much drier. The forecast is for sunny skies with a high of 83° with no chance of rain. Pretty much perfect for this time of year, but bring your sunscreen.
Sunday will have periods of clouds and sun. The high temperature will be around 84°, but a chance of thunderstorms returns. Once again, if it happens, it will cause problems because of the sheer size of Pocono Raceway and the possibility of weepers on the track surface, which is now 14 years old.
TV Ratings Check — Michigan
Sunday’s broadcast of the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway had 2.07 million viewers on Prime Video. This is up nearly 17% from last year’s event, which had 1.77 million viewers.
There is no rating or viewership information available for Saturday’s DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the Frontstretch email newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the Frontstretch Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.
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