NASCAR: Recurring issue may not be a factor at Pocono

It has been more than one month since a NASCAR Cup Series race was contested without any schedule changes due to bad weather.

You have to go back to Sunday, June 11 at Sonoma Raceway to find the most recent NASCAR Cup Series race contested without any schedule changes due to rain.

The series was off the following weekend but returned at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, June 25. That race’s start time was moved up because of a less than stellar forecast for later in the evening. NASCAR wanted to avoid having rain cut the event short.

Then on Sunday, July 2, the Cup Series ran its first ever street race at the new Chicago Street Course. The start of the race was delayed because of torrential downpours, and once it finally got started, it ended up having to be shortened due to darkness. The street lights around the Chicago, Illinois venue were not designed as racing lights.

The following Sunday, July 9, Atlanta Motor Speedway became the first track to host a second race in the 2023 season. But that race was shortened due to rain. Fortunately, it did not need to be suspended and pushed back to the Monday, July 10, as enough distance had been completed before the rain started to fall.

And most recently on Sunday, July 16, there was never a chance of New Hampshire Motor Speedway hosting a Cup Series race. The race was postponed to Monday, July 17 pretty early on, and it was run in its entirety on that date.

Now here we are on Sunday, July 23, and the forecast looks good for a regular NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway.

According to The Weather Channel, there is just a 11% chance of rain at the three-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Long Pond, Pennsylvania track throughout the afternoon.

On Saturday afternoon, the Cup Series qualifying session took place as scheduled, and rain was never a factor. It doesn’t look like it will be a factor during Sunday’s 160-lap race around the three-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Long Pond, Pennsylvania track, either.

FanDuel Sportsbook, which is offering fans an instant $100 just for betting $5, lists Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. as the co-favorites to win Sunday’s race.

Odds and availability are subject to change. Be sure to lock in your $100 now so you don’t miss your opportunity to do so!

Tune in to USA Network at 2:30 p.m. ET for the live broadcast of the HighPoint.com 400 from Pocono Raceway. If you haven’t yet begun a free trial of FuboTV, do so now!