After finishing 20th in the Pocono Organics 325, the first race of an historic NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader weekend at Pocono Raceway on Saturday, Ryan Preece will start the second race of the doubleheader, Sunday’s Pocono 350 from the pole. The top-20 starting positions for Sunday’s race was set by an inversion of the top-20 finishers of Saturday’s race.
The inversion puts Austin Dillon on the front row alongside Preece after Dillon finished 19th on Saturday.
“Even though we didn’t get the finish we were hoping for today, the good news is we get to race at Pocono Raceway again tomorrow,” Dillon said. “We start second. Hopefully, we can turn that into a solid run for all of the RCR fans out there. I want to recognize all of the farmers with American Ethanol. They are the true back bone of America and I am proud to race for them.”
Kurt Busch and Preece’s JTG-Daugherty teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will start in the second row in the third and fourth positions.
Because of the inverse, Kevin Harvick will start 20th on Sunday after claiming his first-career Pocono win Saturday.
“Well, we were back to 20th today. I think in the end, it will come down to strategy,” Harvick said. “I gotta thank everybody from Mobil 1, Hunt Brothers Pizza, Jimmy Johns, Fields, everybody from Haas that puts this car on the race track. I wish I could explain to everybody how hard the guys and gals are working in the shop right now with this schedule and everybody broke up. We appreciate all you guys. Thank you to all the fans. I wish you were here. This isn’t near as exciting. I feel like I am my seven year old. I have all this pent up energy and am going to just share with nobody.”
Denny Hamlin, who leads active drivers with five wins at Pocono Raceway, will start 19th, next to Harvick in the 10th row of the starting grid Sunday after finishing second to Harvick in Saturday’s race. Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, Aric Almirola, will start 18th Sunday after leading a race-high 61 laps and finishing third in Saturday’s race.
The back half of the Pocono 350 starting grid, positions 21st through 40th, will mirror the back half of the Pocono Organics 325 finishing order. As a result, Jimmie Johnson and Darrell Wallace Jr. will start in the 11th row in the 21st and 22nd positions Sunday.
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