It’s Sunday, and that means it’s race day for NASCAR. The drivers are in Long Pond, Pennsylvania to take part in the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway, which is the 21st NASCAR Cup Series race of the year. The action will start at 3 p.m. ET and air on the USA Network and NBC Sports App.
One driver to watch is Bubba Wallace who has some work to do to reach the playoffs. He has yet to win a race this season but finished third last week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. So far this season, Wallace has five top-10 finishes, two top-five finishes and a stage win.
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“I’m just proud of the team, proud of myself, proud of everybody at the shop,” Wallace said after the race last week. “They brought a — I’m going to give them a ‘decent’ DraftKings Toyota Camry TRD. It didn’t handle that great but it had speed, so we knew that. Just the mental preparation, had to set yourself up for a long day, and we did. We had no idea what we were running there at the end. I knew it was inside the top five. But just tire management there at the end and we were able to capitalize. Just proud of everybody. Happy. It’s been hell for me the last month, so good to come out with a top five.”
Wallace drives for 23XI Racing, which is co-owned by fellow NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin. Despite being in 19th place when it comes to total points, Hamlin has a strong chance of reaching the playoffs since he has two wins this year. In the last eight races, Hamlin has finished in the top 10 four times.
“I think the track just fits my driving style and it’s a place I picked up on right from the first time there in my rookie season,” Hamlin said. “It’s a great race track, very challenging and it’s tough to get your car balanced for all three turns. Obviously, I have been very fortunate to work with some great teams and crew chiefs throughout my career as well. That gives me a lot of confidence every time I go to Pocono. This week especially, it’s unlike anywhere we have been so far this season, but I feel like our team and everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota have been working very hard and making gains throughout the year.”
