All-time lap leaders at Pocono Raceway

Since it was added to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 1974, 88 races have been held at Pocono Raceway.

The Cup Series will visit the Pennsylvania track once this year on Sunday (July 24) for the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400.

Below are the all-time lap leaders at the 2.5-mile track. Three of the Top-10 drivers on this list will race at Pocono Sunday.

No. 10 Richard Petty (497 laps led)

NASCAR’s King was the first victor at Pocono Raceway in 1974. He won his second and final Pocono race in 1976.

Petty continued to race at the track through 1992, but did not have on-track success in his later starts compared to his first 12 races at the track.

In total, Petty raced Pocono 30 times, earning 2 wins, 8 Top-5 finishes, and 12 Top-10 finishes.

No. 9 Kyle Busch (522 laps led)

Kyle Busch was winless at Pocono through his first 25 starts.

However, after his first win at the 2.5-mile track in 2017, Busch has ripped off three more wins, taking the checkered flag in four of the last nine Pocono races.

Busch has 4 wins, 11 Top-5 finishes, and 18 Top-10 finishes in 34 races at Pocono.


No. 8 Dale Jarrett (524 laps led)

Jarrett raced at the track from 1987 to 2007 for a variety of teams.

However, all three of the 1999 series champion’s wins came driving for Robert Yates Racing, winning a race in 1995, 1997 and 2002.

Jarrett made 41 total starts, earning 3 wins, 13 Top-5 finishes and 18 Top-10 finishes.

No. 7 Kurt Busch (596 laps led)

Busch has been racing at the track since 2001, earning three wins for three different teams.

Busch first won in 2005 driving for Jack Roush. He then won with Roger Penske’s team in 2007 and Stewart-Haas Racing in 2016.

In 41 total starts, the 2004 series champion has 3 wins, 14 Top-5 finishes and 21 Top-10 finishes.

No. 6 Darrell Waltrip (618 laps led)

Waltrip made 44 starts at the track, earning four of his 83 Cup Series wins at Pocono.

Waltrip first won in 1978 driving for DiGard Racing and then his second Pocono win for Junior Johnson and Associates in 1981. Waltrip’s two other wins came driving for his own team (1991 and 1992).

In total, Waltrip had 12 Top-5 finishes and 20 Top-10 finishes at the track.

No. 5 Jimmie Johnson (743 laps led)

Johnson raced 38 times at Pocono, earning three of his 83 career wins there.

Johnson swept the 2004 races at the track, but his next win wouldn’t come until the June 2013 race.

The seven-time champion made all his starts at Pocono driving the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

No. 4 Rusty Wallace (753 laps led)

Wallace raced 44 times at the track, earning four of his 55 career Cup Series wins at Pocono.

Wallace, the 1989 champion, won all of his races driving for team owner Roger Penske. He earned his first win at the track in 1991.

He then won races in 1994, 1996 and 2000.

No. 3 Denny Hamlin (797 laps led)

Impressive out of the gate, Hamlin won his first two career Cup Series races at Pocono Raceway during his rookie season in 2006.

Hamlin would win one race in each of the 2009 and 2010 seasons, but would have to wait until July 2019 for his next win at the track. His last win at the track came in 2020 during the double-header race weekend in June.

In total, Hamlin has six wins in 32 starts, and has the most laps led among active competition.

No. 2 Geoff Bodine (810 laps led)

The 18-time NASCAR Cup Series winner earned three of his wins at “The Tricky Triangle.”

Bodine won his three races with three different teams; 1988 with Hendrick Motorsports, 1990 with Junior Johnson and Associates, and 1994 with his own Geoff Bodine Racing.

In total, Bodine raced at Pocono 40 times, with his last start coming with Tommy Baldwin Racing in 2010.

No. 1 Jeff Gordon (1,040 laps led)

In 47 starts at the track, Gordon picked up six wins and 32 Top-10 finishes.

Gordon first won at the track in 1996, following up with wins at Pocono in each of the next two seasons. He then won at the track in 2007, 2011 and 2012.

Gordon raced at the track from 1993 to 2016, with his last start coming in 2016, subbing for a sidelined Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Gordon and Hamlin are tied for the most Pocono race wins in the Cup Series with six races each. Gordon won all his races driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

SOURCES
Racing-Reference.info