NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway

Pocono Raceway hosts the NASCAR Cup Series for the 53rd consecutive year on Sunday, June 14, 2026, with a full three-day weekend of motorsport running from Friday, June 12, through Sunday. The Cup Series race — officially titled The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VISITPA — is a 160-lap, 400-mile event on one of the most distinctive tracks in American motorsport: a 2.5-mile triangular layout with three corners of completely different geometry, known universally as the Tricky Triangle. No other track in the NASCAR schedule demands the same setup compromises, and no other track punishes a poorly balanced car with quite as much drama across a full race distance. The Cup Series race has sold out three consecutive years running; anyone expecting to walk up and buy a ticket at the gate should book as soon as the window opens at poconoraceway.com.

Three Days at the Tricky Triangle

The weekend builds across all three days. Friday, June 12: gates open at 11:30 AM with ARCA Menards Series practice, qualifying, and the 60-lap, 150-mile ARCA feature at 3:00 PM — the best value seat in the sport, included with general weekend access. Saturday, June 13: the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series runs the MillerTech Battery 250 Presented by KOA, a 100-lap, 250-mile race with a 4:00 PM start following a morning practice and qualifying session. Cup Series practice and qualifying also run Saturday. Sunday, June 14: gates open at 8:00 AM, driver introductions at 2:25 PM, and the Cup Series race fires at 3:00 PM. Pocono is the world’s first privately owned solar-powered sports facility, and the 25-acre, three-megawatt solar farm on the property is visible from multiple grandstand sections — a genuinely unusual detail in the context of a NASCAR event. Cup Series tickets start at $65. Children 12 and under receive free admission all three days with a ticketed adult, up to four children per adult ticket purchase. Camping is available in the infield; all tent camping spots in 2026 are reserved in advance.

The Pocono Mountains Beyond the Track

Long Pond sits in Monroe County, roughly 12 miles southwest of Lake Wallenpaupack and a short drive from the main concentration of Pocono lake properties. Race weekend in June is one of the best times to be in the area: the summer rental season is in full swing, the water temperature on Pocono-area lakes is climbing, and the crowds that define July and August have not yet arrived. After race day, the drive north on Route 390 toward Hawley takes you to Wallenpaupack Brewing Company on Welwood Avenue — an award-winning brewpub in a converted historic building with house-fermented lagers and ales alongside a kitchen that sources locally. The Dock on Wallenpaupack at Silver Birches Resort serves a lighter lunch menu with lake views and weekly live music on a deck that sits at water level; it is the more relaxed option if the race-day crowd is still running high energy. For families who want a next-morning activity, the Claws ‘N’ Paws Wild Animal Park in Lake Ariel, twelve miles from the raceway, runs daily shows with live raptors and big cats and has been drawing families consistently for more than forty years — the interactive feeding stations hold children’s attention for two to three hours without difficulty.

The Practical Run-Down

Single-day tickets and weekend packages are available at poconoraceway.com and 1-800-722-3929. Pocono Raceway’s Worry-Free Weather Guarantee applies to Cup Series grandstand tickets: if the Cup race is postponed by weather and you cannot attend the rescheduled date, the face value of your ticket is refunded directly. All times listed are Eastern and are subject to change — confirm the final schedule at poconoraceway.com in the week before the event. June in the Pocono Mountains runs warm with afternoon thunderstorm potential; bring rain gear and sun protection. Infield tent camping is fully reserved and not available for walk-up booking.

Quick Tips
– The Cup race has sold out three years running. Purchase tickets the day they go on sale.
– Arrive at 8:00 AM on Sunday to secure a good grandstand position before the 3:00 PM race start — the infield opens early and fills steadily across the morning.
– Kids under 12 are free with a ticketed adult, making this one of the most accessible major motorsport weekends for families in the Northeast.

Find Your Pocono Lake Base on Lake.com

Lake Wallenpaupack, Promised Land State Park, Ariel Lake, and the wider Pocono lake district offer the full range of waterfront rental options within twenty minutes of the raceway. Search Lake Wallenpaupack and Monroe County properties on Lake.com for June availability — the race weekend itself books fast, but the surrounding weekdays in mid-June represent some of the best-value water access of the Pocono summer season.