The Great American Getaway 400
Location: Long Pond, Pa.
Course: Pocono Raceway
Format: 2.5-mile tri-oval
Laps: 160
The Great American Getaway 400 Race Preview
Toyota's unassailable form persisted in Michigan a week ago as Denny Hamlin drove from the back of the field to win his third points race of the season, tightening the margin between himself and Tyler Reddick at the top of the championship standings. The race was marked with crashes, but the Toyota cars, in clean air, continued to be the class of the field. This week, the series heads to another high-speed and long oval at Pocono Raceway. Similar to Michigan in terms of length and tendency to bring about strategy-heavy races, the track is unique unto itself. Chase Briscoe is the defending winner and, after sniffing around the front of the field last week, Chevrolet will be eager to see if they can continue chipping away at the gap to Toyota. This race will be the last oval outing before heading to the west coast for back-to-back weekends turning left and right.
Key Stats at Pocono Raceway
- Number of races: 92
- Winners from pole: 16
- Winners from top-5 starters: 50
- Winners from top-10 starters: 65
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 7
- Fastest race: 145.384 mph
Previous 10 Pocono Winners
2025 - Chase Briscoe
2024 - Ryan Blaney
2023 - Denny Hamlin
2022 - Chase Elliott
2021 II - Kyle Busch
2021 I - Alex Bowman
2020 II - Denny Hamlin
2020 I - Kevin Harvick
2019 fall - Denny Hamlin
2019 spring - Kyle Busch
Pocono Raceway is a triangle-shaped 2.5-mile oval with three distinct corners and some of the longest straightaways in NASCAR. Each turn is modeled after a famous corner from another circuit, giving Pocono its unique character. The long straights put a premium on top-end speed, but drivers must balance that with shifting and heavy braking to get through its unique turns.
The track's long lap makes it a strategy-heavy race. Similar to what we saw at Michigan, extended green-flag runs and relatively low tire wear open the door to two-tire stops, short-pitting, and fuel mileage strategies. Even with the emphasis on speed and strategy, track position remains critical, especially along the long straightaways where clean air matters.
With the current generation car, no race at Pocono has been won by a driver starting deeper than eighth, and each engine manufacturer has visited Victory Lane at least once during that span.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for The Great American Getaway 400
Based on Standard $50k Salary Cap
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Denny Hamlin - $11,000
Kyle Larson - $10,500
Tyler Reddick - $10,300
Ryan Blaney - $10,100
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Chase Briscoe - $9,900
Christopher Bell - $9,700
William Byron - $9,500
Chase Elliott - $9,200
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Ty Gibbs - $8,900
Carson Hocevar - $8,700
Chris Buescher - $8,500
Bubba Wallace - $8,000
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Brad Keselowski - $7,900
Erik Jones - $7,500
Zane Smith - $6,800
John Hunter Nemechek - $5,900
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for The Great American Getaway 400
Ryan Blaney - $10,100
Chase Elliott - $9,200
Chris Buescher - $8,500
Brad Keselowski - $7,900
Erik Jones - $7,500
Zane Smith - $6,800
Since Pocono's strategy-heavy racing can sometimes produce unexpected results, it may make some sense to lean a littler heavier on long-shot driver selections for this particular race. Selecting Ryan Blaney (DK $10,100, FD $11,000) could be a smart contrarian move in order to free up funds for those competitive options further down the price sheet. Despite Toyota's recent dominance, Blaney and team have been maximizing their returns and remain poised to pounce on every opportunity that presents itself. At Pocono, Blaney has two prior wins, most recently in 2024. Last year, he finished third despite starting 20th. With better track position to start with this week, he could be an even bigger threat this weekend.
Chase Elliott (DK $9,200, FD $12,000) has been the picture of consistency at Pocono. The Chevrolet driver has been of the best at Hendrick Motorsports this season and was in good position again last week at Michigan before a crash ended his day. Elliott is also a former Pocono victor with no finishes outside of the top 10 in the current generation of car. In fact, in the four races since the introduction of this car, Elliott's average finish is 6.3 versus an average starting spot of 16.8. Yes, his only win at the track came from a Hamlin disqualification, but Elliott has still been very productive for fantasy players.
Pocono has also been kind to Chris Buescher (DK $8,500, FD $9,500). In 2016, he won a rain-shortened race at the circuit. More recently, he started on the front row last season and went on to finish fourth. Ford struggled early in the weekend at Michigan, but Buescher recovered in the race to snag a ninth-place finish, remaining inside the top 10 in the championship standings. That was his first top-10 finish since Texas, and if he can have a better start this weekend, Buescher should be contending for another top finish.
Brad Keselowski (DK $7,900, FD $7,000) should also be a wise choice. He struggled a week ago at Michigan, but Ford was able to figure things out in the race. Keselowski never got a chance after crashing with John Hunter Nemechek early in the race. However, with 10 consecutive finishes of 16th or better at Pocono heading into this weekend, Keselowski could recover this week. He finished seventh and ninth in the last two Pocono races, too.
Last week Erik Jones (DK $7,500, FD $7,800) shined with a runner-up finish. Even better is that was his third straight finish inside the top 15. Legacy Motor Club is another team maximizing its chances when presented, and Jones has been getting chances throughout his career at Pocono. He has eight top-10 finishes from 14 starts, and his average finish in the current generation of car is 11.3 despite an average start of just 23rd. With momentum on his side after last week's success, Jones is one not to pass up this week.
Zane Smith (DK $6,800, FD $6,000) has also been taking his chances. He has five top-10 finishes so far in 2026 and has shown speed at Pocono in the past, too. Even though his best finish from two series appearances at this track is 25th, Smith's average start is 12th. If he can avoid trouble during the race, Smith has been a top-15 contender nearly every week. I would expect that trend to hold true again at Pocono, too.
NASCAR Betting Picks for The Great American Getaway 400
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 11:30 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Chase Briscoe +1100
Top-Five Finish - Ryan Blaney +135
Top-10 Finish - Chris Buescher +120
Winning Manufacturer - Ford +400
Chase Briscoe is a top Toyota and the defending Pocono winner. He also seems to be past his run of bad luck and has two top-fives and three top-10s in the last four points races. Briscoe has rediscovered his form and is moving up the standings in recent weeks, which makes this week a great time to pick him as the winner. His potential payout here is nearly four times that of Denny Hamlin. Hamlin's win streak is going to end at some point, and with Toyota still maintaining an edge over the rest of the field, Briscoe could be the guy to go with at Pocono.
Ryan Blaney only has three top-five finishes this season, but he has finished seventh or eighth in the last three races. Add that run of form to his excellent record at Pocono, and his positive odds for scoring a top-five this week look pretty enticing. He has four top-five Pocono finishes from 16 starts and two of those came in the last two races. This long track and strategy-influenced race could be a good one to take one of the best executing teams in the garage this week.
A front row start and a fourth-place finish at Pocono last season was another feather in Chris Buescher's Pocono hat. The RFK Racing driver won there in 2016 and finished 11th or better in the last two races at the track with a combined 21 laps led. Ford are typically quick at this track, and after they recovered to put three of their drivers in the top 10 a week ago at Michigan, they should be able to repeat this week at another long oval. Buescher should be one of the names leading their charge.
After a slow start a week ago at Michigan, Ford figured things out during the race and several of their drivers were able to recover for top-10 finishes. Like Michigan, Pocono is a track where the manufacturer tends to field competitive cars, and Ryan Blaney was the winner in 2024. Taking their learnings from last week's race, they should expect a better start to this race weekend, too. With odds nearly twice as lucrative as the others, Ford could be a stretch worth taking in this week's race.
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