As a late addition to the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the Pocono Raceway, Chase Elliott will start from pole position for Saturday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 250, after clocking a blistering lap of 54.209 seconds in his No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Elliott edged out Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones by 0.161 seconds to claim the top spot for the 250-mile ‘Tricky Triangle’ race. Elliott is also the only NASCAR Cup Series regular in the field for his second Xfinity start of the season. The 2020 Cup Series champion showed impressive pace early in the session and remained unbeaten through the rest of the qualifying race.
Behind Elliott and Jones, Big Machine Racing’s Nicholas Sanchez claimed the third spot in qualifying, followed by William Sawalich and Ryan Sieg, rounding out the top five. Other names to watch out for further down the grid include Justin Allgaier (8th), Jesse Love (10th), and Austin Hill (14th).
Fans will also be treated to watching Dale Earnhardt Jr. put on his crew chief hat for the first time in the NASCAR National Series on Saturday. Stepping in for the suspended Mardy Lindley, Earnhardt will serve as crew chief for Connor Zilisch.
Full Starting Lineup for Saturday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 250
Below is the full official starting lineup for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway.
Xfinity lineup and pit stalls for this afternoon at Pocono: pic.twitter.com/AXC3CB4lOy
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 21, 2025
- Chase Elliott – No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Brandon Jones – No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Nick Sanchez – No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet
- William Sawalich – No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Ryan Sieg – No. 39 RSS Racing Ford
- Sam Mayer – No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford
- Taylor Gray – No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Justin Allgaier – No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
- Connor Zilisch – No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
- Jesse Love – No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- Matt DiBenedetto – No. 99 Viking Motorsports Chevrolet
- Sheldon Creed – No. 00 Haas Factory Team Ford
- Sammy Smith – No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
- Austin Hill – No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- Christian Eckes – No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Harrison Burton – No. 25 AM Racing Ford
- Justin Bonsignore – No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Daniel Dye – No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Brennan Poole – No. 44 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet
- Jeb Burton – No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet
- Jeremy Clements – No. 51 Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet
- Carson Kvapil – No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
- Parker Retzlaff – No. 4 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet
- Ryan Ellis – No. 71 DGM Racing Chevrolet
- Dean Thompson – No. 26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota
- Josh Williams – No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Blaine Perkins – No. 31 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet
- Anthony Alfredo – No. 42 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet
- Mason Massey – No. 45 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet
- Kris Wright – No. 5 Our Motorsports Chevrolet
- Josh Bilicki – No. 91 DGM Racing Chevrolet
- Garrett Smithley – No. 14 SS Green Light Racing Chevrolet
- Carson Ware – No. 35 Joey Gase Motorsports Ford
- Dawson Cram – No. 74 Mike Harmon Racing Chevrolet
- Patrick Emerling – No. 07 SS Green Light Racing Ford
- Leland Honeyman – No. 70 Cope Family Racing Chevrolet
- Kyle Sieg – No. 28 RSS Racing Ford
- Logan Bearden – No. 53 Joey Gase Motorsports Chevrolet
How To Watch?
After a high-profile international weekend in Mexico City, Saturday’s Xfinity race will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on The CW and MRN/SiriusXM Radio. The return to Pocono brings the spotlight back to NASCAR’s unique 2.5-mile triangular oval fondly known as the ‘Tricky Triangle’, where tire strategy and track position can make or break a race.
With Elliott providing some Cup Series star power up front and a mixed field of rising prospects and seasoned Xfinity regulars, Saturday’s race is set to deliver a compelling show of strategy, speed, and late-race drama at one of NASCAR’s most challenging tracks.
