The Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 is a NASCAR Xfinity Series

stock car race Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It or ...

held at Pocono Raceway.

History

The inaugural Xfinity Series race at Pocono was held on June 4, 2016 with a scheduled distance of 100 laps/. However, the race was shortened after only 53 laps/ because of persistent rain showers. The race marked the first time NASCAR's second-tier series visited and raced in the state of Pennsylvania since the closure of

Nazareth Speedway Nazareth Speedway was an auto racing facility near Nazareth in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania which operated from 1910 to 2004 in two distinct course configurations. In its early years, it was a dirt twin oval layout. In 1987 it was reo ...

in 2004. The second running of the event was the first NASCAR-sanctioned event at Pocono to use the stage format, a format that was created prior to the 2017 NASCAR season for all three divisions for all race tracks; the 100 laps were split into three stages, with the first two being 25 laps each and the last consisting of the final 50. In 2020, the distance was reduced to 225 miles and 90 laps—with the first two stage lengths being reduced to 20 laps—as the race was held on Sunday in support of the NASCAR Cup Series' second round of a Pocono doubleheader. In 2022, the race was moved from June to July and the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, which was previously the title sponsor of one of the track's Cup Series races, replaced J.P. Mascaro & Sons as the title sponsor of the race. Like they did with the Cup Series race name, the PMVB replaced their own name in the name of the race with "Explore the Pocono Mountains".

Past winners

* 2016: Race shortened due to rain. * 2019 & 2020: Races extended due to NASCAR overtime.

Multiple winners (teams)

Manufacturer wins

References

External links

* {{NASCAR Xfinity Series races NASCAR Xfinity Series races 2016 establishments in Pennsylvania Recurring sporting events established in 2016 Annual sporting events in the United States