Back to green, but quickly back to yellow. pic.twitter.com/0dr4XUezVZ
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 14, 2024
Man, Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway started off as a clean straight-forward race. But things have gotten a bit crazy in the final Stage of the race. Following a seven-car melee triggered by Corey LaJoie on Lap 121, which ended the day for Kyle Busch, Harrison Burton, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Ryan Preece, we had another four-car incident erupt on Lap 127.
On the exit of Turn 1, Chase Elliott, John Hunter Nemechek, Zane Smith, and Michael McDowell found themselves in a four-wide battle for the 16th position. Elliott would come away with the spot after Nemechek made contact with Smith, which sent Smith into McDowell.
Nemechek ricocheted down into Elliott, which sent him back into Smith again. This sent Nemechek, like a pinball, into the left side of McDowell’s car. This sent Nemechek skidding into the inside wall with Smith. Both drivers would make contact with the wall, and the damage sustained would bring their races to an end.
Elliott and McDowell would soldier on in 16th and 17th.
For Smith, a Rookie of the Year contender, the DNF will end what had been an excellent two-race stretch for the driver of the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. Heading into Sunday’s race at Pocono, Smith had gained 43 points on Josh Berry for the Rookie of the Year point lead. His hopes of rebounding for ROTY honors took a bit of a hit at Pocono.
