This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series visits Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Known as the “Tricky Triangle,” the 2.5-mile track features a unique three-turn layout that has made it one of the series’ most distinctive and challenging venues since its Cup Series debut in 1974.

The Pocono race serves as the final event before the 2026 NASCAR In-Season Challenge seedings are set. The tournament is a five-race, bracket-style event featuring the top 32 drivers in the Cup Series points standings, with the winner taking home $1 million.

Allmendinger and Dillon arrive in Pennsylvania representing the only organization in the NASCAR Cup Series that competes without technical support or an alliance with another Cup team, consistently outperforming better-resourced competitors.

Race & Broadcast InformationRace: NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono RacewayTime: Sunday at 3:00 p.m. EDTBroadcast: Prime, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)AJ Allmendinger – No. 16 CELSIUS Chevrolet

CELSIUS returns as the primary sponsor of AJ Allmendinger’s No. 16 car at Pocono Raceway. This marks the brand’s sixth primary appearance of the season on the No. 16, as part of a 10-race slate for the year.

Driver & Team Notes:

In-Season Challenge Status: Allmendinger currently sits 21st in the standings, well inside the top 32 required to earn a berth in the tournament. He advanced to the second round in 2025.Season So Far: Allmendinger recently finished 17th at Michigan after an eventful race and 35th at Nashville (where he won the first stage and led seven laps). His best result of the season remains a seventh-place finish at Watkins Glen International.Pocono Experience: In 25 NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Tricky Triangle, Allmendinger has two top-10 finishes.Career Highlights: Currently in his 18th full-time Cup Series season (fifth with Kaulig), he is a three-time Cup Series winner and will make his milestone 500th Cup start later this year at Sonoma Raceway.

AJ Allmendinger Quotes:

On carrying momentum from the Indy test: “We can take some of what we learned from the Indy test, especially a few of the things we were able to try. It’s not going to correlate perfectly, but in our situation, any information we can gain from a test is valuable since it’s really the only opportunity we have to experiment. Without SIM or anything really, we have to take advantage of the opportunity and try different things.”

On the challenges of Pocono: “It’s about getting your car through the bumps there and it’s so hard because you want to run this car as low as you can for downforce. But if it starts touching the bump stops, it’s evil. You just carry so much speed in. If it steps out, I’d say at least 80% or 85% of the time, you don’t catch it and you hit big there. There’s also got to be some give and take, but everybody’s just super aggressive. The field is so close and it’s so hard to pass that if you lose that spot or maybe it checks you up, you may lose another spot that could kill your run.”

Ty Dillon – No. 10 Patriot Mobile Chevrolet

Patriot Mobile returns as the primary sponsor on Dillon’s No. 10 car as he looks to lock himself into the In-Season Challenge.

Driver & Team Notes:

In-Season Challenge Status: Dillon currently sits 31st in the standings, entering the final race just 12 points ahead of Alex Bowman (32nd) and 15 points ahead of Cole Custer (33rd). In 2025, Dillon entered as the lowest possible seed (No. 32) and pulled off a historic Cinderella run to the championship round.Recent Momentum: Dillon recorded a season-best 12th-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway and finished 11th in the first stage at Michigan before a late-race accident relegated him to 24th.Pocono Experience: Dillon has 13 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono.Superspeedway Success: Showcasing strength on large tracks this year, Dillon earned a 13th-place finish at Talladega and 14th in the Daytona 500—ranking ninth-best among all drivers across those two events.

Ty Dillon Quotes:

On the importance of making the In-Season Challenge: “Having a solid run at Pocono this weekend is massive, whether it’s gaining positions in the In-Season Challenge or just making sure we’re in it. Being one of the biggest stories in 2025 — if not the biggest — in the in-season tournament, we want to make sure we’re back competing in it and giving ourselves a shot when we get to Sonoma. As long as we’re in it, we feel like we can make it to the end and hopefully beat one more driver this year.”

On Pocono Raceway: “Pocono is probably our most unique track. It has three corners, all with different banking angles and different shapes. It’s really tough to get all three of them set up perfectly. Away from the track, it’s a pretty cool place. One of the things I like most about Pocono Raceway is the family atmosphere. The infield has lots of entertainment, dog parks and just a lot of fun things to do.”

Kaulig Racing PR