Best of the Rest: Pocono’s Tricky Triangle

As the motorsports community slowly starts to return to normal, NASCAR and ARCA headed to the virtually triangle-shaped track known as Pocono Raceway. A long standing resident on the schedule, Pocono has always presented a high speed challenge to drivers and equipment alike.

Last weekend, while the trucks were off, the ARCA Menards Series, O’Reilly, and Cup Series teams hit the track to contest their respective events. From a historic performance by an up and coming female talent in ARCA, to another consistent winner in O’Reilly and Cup…Pocono certainly did not disappoint again this season.

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SUNSET HILL SHOOTING RANGE 150

Winner: Giovanni Ruggiero

 

#77 Lanie Buice

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the Pocono weekend came in the ARCA Menards Series. An up-and-coming talent, Lanie Buice joined the championship-winning Pinnacle Racing Group in 2026 to make select starts in their #77 Chevrolet. Despite limited starts this season, Buice has already made an impression and raised the standard even higher in Pocono.

The surprise of the weekend first came when Buice scored her first career ARCA Menards Series pole. Leading the first lap of her career following her pole, Buice ran with the leaders throughout the event and collected a strong 5th place finish.

Buice made her ARCA debut in 2025, and despite only making seven career starts between then and Pocono last weekend, she has a solid resume already. Scoring two top tens in 2025, Buice now has 3 career top fives and 5 career top tens in only seven starts.

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MILLERTECH BATTERY 250 presented by KOA

Winner: Justin Allgaier

 

#96 Anthony Alfredo

Alfredo joined the Viking Motorsports team in 2026 to pilot their new #96 Chevrolet in a full season effort. While their have certainly been growing pains (especially compared to teammate Parker Retzlaff),  the 96 team and Alfredo came to play in Pocono. Very much a quickly appearing dark horse to win, Alfredo had what could be considered his best run of the season.

Starting 12th, Alfredo quickly moved to the front early on put pressure on the leaders for much of the event. Sliding back slightly late in the race, Alfredo rallied to a 6th-place finish (and his best finish of the season). While Alfredo’s team has certainly had to learn from scratch, Pocono put the #96 team on the map with potential.

Alfredo’s 6th-place effort in Pocono, was his third top ten in 17 races this season. A veteran journeymen driver, Alfredo has showcased his ability to to take smaller teams to the front. Alfredo’s last finish above 10th came with Young’s Motorsports in Talladega, finishing 6th that day as well.

#24 Harrison Burton

A former Cup Series winner with the Wood Brothers, Burton was forced to join the NOAP Series in 2026 after failing to secure a Cup ride this season. A former championship-caliber driver in his own right in the NOAP Series, the expectation was for Burton and his #24 Sam Hunt Racing team to make an instant impact. What has followed however, has been a nightmare season for Burton and his #24 Toyota team as we approach mid-season.

Pocono was a banner day for the #24 SHR team in many ways, and a much needed shot in the arm. Qualifying 23rd, Burton showed speed much of the race, and collected an 11th-place finish for his efforts…easily his best finish of a nightmare 2026.

Thought to be a championship-contender in 2026, the #24 SHR Toyota team and Burton have buckled down as the bad luck bug continues to bite them. Through 17 races thus far, Burton’s previous best finish was 13th in Rockingham.

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GREAT AMERICAN GETAWAY 400

Winner: Denny Hamlin

#42 John Hunter Nemechek

John Hunter Nemechek rejoined the Cup Series roster in 2024, signing to drive Legacy Motor Club’s  #42 Toyota with hopes of building a team capable of eventually joining the upper echelon of Cup. While that progress and speed has been slow to build, 2026 has shown hints…and Pocono last weekend shone the brightest.

JHN easily qualified his #42 Toyota in the top ten, starting 8th. Keeping his Toyota in site of the leaders, the #42 would eventually make it’s way to the top spot, and lead a race high (and career-high for JHN) 42 laps before settling for a 4th-place finish.

Legacy Motor Club has shown serious speed as a whole in 2026, with Erik Jones’ #43 and JHN’s #42 Toyotas making appearances at the front often. As for Nemechek, Pocono was his second top ten of the season, with the other being a 10th in Watkins Glen. 

#38 Zane Smith

Zane Smith’s 2026 season has certainly been an interesting one. Smith joined Front Row Motorsports’ Cup team in 2025 after winning the Craftsman Truck Series title for Front Row in 2022. As the #38 Ford team continues to gel in 2026, Smith has suddenly been one of the fastest Ford teams this season….a season strongly noted for Ford searching for speed to combat their Chevrolet and Toyota competitors.

The end result was certainly not what Smith has hoped for in Pocono, but their is more to this story. Officially credited with a 37th place finish due to handling issues after 66 laps, it does not tell the whole of his race. The #38 Ford rolled off 18th, but quickly found it’s way to the front. Smith made his presence felt as a possible race winner, and was well on his way to racing for the lead before getting loose fighting winner Hamlin. This eventual spin is what relegated the former Truck champion to a 37th place finish instead of a possible top five or higher.

Smith’s 2026 has been a pleasant surprise, often being the Ford team breaking into the top ten and speed charts on an almost weekly basis now. While Pocono was a “what could have been”, Smith has had several strong finishes this season. The best results 16 races in include a 5th place finish at Talladega and 5 top ten finishes already in 2026.