Pocono Mountains 250

RACE RECAP

Connor Zilisch surged from 9th on the grid to capture the Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono Raceway, methodically working through the field before taking control in the closing stages. The No. 88 led 34 laps on the day and scored 76.4 fantasy points. The margin of victory was .437.

Jesse Love (No. 2) finished second, while Christian Eckes (No. 16) completed the podium in third. The stage battles added another layer of intrigue: Brandon Jones captured Stage 1 and Connor Zilisch won Stage 2. The race featured 10 lead changes among 7 drivers — Chase Elliott led a race-high 38 laps but couldn't convert track dominance into the victory. Long green-flag runs put a premium on tire management and setup, as the track surface evolved throughout the race.

The biggest mover of the race was Carson Kvapil (No. 1), who charged from 22nd to 6th — a gain of 16 positions that made the No. 1 one of the top fantasy value plays. Anthony Alfredo also impressed, climbing from 28th to 13th.

The race wasn't without drama — 2 drivers failed to finish. Sheldon Creed (started 12th) was collected in an accident after completing 88 laps. From a fantasy perspective, Connor Zilisch led all scorers with 76.4 points, followed by Christian Eckes (46) and Ryan Sieg (44).

BY THE NUMBERS

Lead Changes

Leaders

10/41

Cautions / Laps

DNFs

1,891

Green Flag Passes

.437

Margin of Victory

103.722

Avg MPH

2:24:37

Race Time

41.0%

Under Caution

5.4

Avg Green Run (Laps)

Stage Winners

S1Brandon Jones

S2Connor Zilisch

Lap Leaders

#17Elliott38laps

#88Zilisch34laps

#7Allgaier10laps

#2Love8laps

#20Jones6laps

#25Burton3laps

#41Mayer1laps

Caution Breakdown

1L5–73L#10 Spin Turn 3

2L9–135LPossible Fluid On Track From #19

3L27–315LStage 1 ConclusionLD #07

4L34–374L#18, 21, 20, 10, 07 Incident Turn 2

5L42–454L#70 Spin Turn 1LD #00

6L52–565LStage 2 ConclusionLD #10

7L72–754L#14 Spin Turn 2LD #10

8L80–834L#71, 26 Incident Turn 2LD #14

9L85–873L#48, 54, 00 Incident Turn 2LD #21

10L91–944L#28 Spin Turn 2LD #48

KEY TAKEAWAYS

01Connor Zilisch won the Pocono Mountains 250 from 9th, leading 34 laps and scoring 76.4 fantasy points — the highest of the field.

02Brandon Jones won Stage 1 and Connor Zilisch captured Stage 2, each pocketing 10 bonus fantasy points.

03Carson Kvapil was the top mover, climbing 16 positions from 22nd to 6th — the kind of place differential that wins fantasy weeks.

04Chase Elliott led a race-high 38 laps but could only manage a 4th-place finish — a reminder that leading laps doesn't always translate to wins.

052 drivers failed to finish, including Sheldon Creed (started 12th, out with accident). These DNFs turned promising fantasy starts into busts.

06The race saw 10 cautions for 41 laps and 10 lead changes among 7 drivers at an average speed of 103.722 mph.

PERFECT LINEUP

Optimal 5-driver roster for this race

Salary

$0/50

Avg Finish

Total Points

390.80

Group	Driver	Salary	Finish	Led	Bonus	Pts
A	Connor Zilisch	$0	1	34	+18 S1:8 S2:10	152.80 2 × 76.40
B	Christian Eckes	$0	3	0	+12 S1:6 S2:6	80.50 1.75 × 46.00
C	Ryan Sieg	$0	5	0	+12 S1:7 S2:5	66.00 1.5 × 44.00
D	Jesse Love	$0	2	8	+7 S2:7	53.50 1.25 × 42.80
E	Taylor Gray	$0	9	0	+9 S2:9	37.00 1 × 37.00