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Great American Getaway 400: NASCAR announces conclusion time for Pocono Cup Series race

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 6:41 PM ET

Today’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway was delayed about two hours due to rain. So, there is a possibility that the sun ends this race. NASCAR has set the time that the race will end tonight, if we haven’t run all of the laps by sunset.

NASCAR has started to make these decisions more public. It felt like this was an emphasis starting last year. Tonight, the time that NASCAR has listed for Pocono is 8:25 PM ET.

Dustin Long of NBC Sports shared the decision from NASCAR on X/Twitter. If the race hasn’t concluded by the listed time, the leader will cross the line, and from there, it will be a two-lap race to the finish.

#NASCAR announces that if the Cup race at Pocono cannot reach the advertised Race distance after the conclusion of Stage 2, the conclusion time today will be 8:25 p.m ET

FYI: Sunset is 8:38 pm ET here.
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) June 22, 2025

Now, before you get too upset, this race has time to finish all 400 miles. Starting at 4:30 PM ET, the race is expected to take just over three hours. So, we’re looking at around 8:00 PM ET or sooner for the conclusion of this race? That’s barring any weather or extensive caution-related delays.

Pocono has had its fair share of rain in the past for both NASCAR and IndyCar races. It is known for being foggy at times, and today’s delay was nothing new. Good news, blue skies, and warm temperatures right now as the race is underway.

Denny Hamlin searching for eighth NASCAR win at Pocono

This weekend has been the Denny Hamlin show early. He comes back after taking last weekend off following the birth of his son, Jameson. While he probably got less sleep than the drivers who went to Mexico City, Hamlin seems refreshed.

For the fifth time in his career, Hamlin won the pole at Pocono. He is now tied for most poles in Cup Series history at Pocono. Of course, he has seven wins, the most all-time in Cup history. Hamlin wants to add another NASCAR win at Pocono, especially coming off his win at Michigan two weeks ago.

There has been a lot of talk about Denny Hamlin and entering the twilight years of his career. But lately, Hamlin has seemed to be at the top of his game. At this rate, how many more years does he have left? It feels like more than one or two, that’s for sure.

Pocono is where he is at his best. So, someone else is going to have to beat Hamlin today if they want to win this race.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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