# 2017 Pocono Green 250

The 2017 Pocono Green 250 was the 12th stock car race of the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and the second iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, June 10, 2017, Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 100 laps to complete. At race's end, Brad Keselowski driving for Team Penske, would make a last lap pass on the final lap to win his 35th career NASCAR Xfinity Series win and his first win of the season. To fill out the podium, Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports and Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.
Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.
Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Haas Automation |
| 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Dale's Pale Ale |
| 01 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 2 | Paul Menard (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Menards, Richmond Water Heaters |
| 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Rheem |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pilot Flying J |
| 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Globe Life, Cars 3 |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Allan Myers |
| 07 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Grunt Style "This We'll Defend" |
| 8 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Maguire Plumbing & Heating |
| 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Axalta, Rousseau Metal |
| 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | LeafFilter Gutter Protection |
| 13 | Carl Long | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | CrashClaimsR.Us |
| 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | Toyota Scranton |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Lilly Diabetes |
| 18 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Juniper Networks |
| 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Tunity |
| 20 | Kyle Benjamin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Hisense 4K TV |
| 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Blue Gate Bank |
| 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Team Penske | Ford | SKF |
| 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Allegiant Air |
| 24 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Toyota | Nut Up |
| 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | WinField United |
| 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Giant Markets, Anderson's Maple Syrup |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | Hess Ornamental Iron |
| 40 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | CrashClaimsR.Us |
| 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Eneos |
| 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | DC Solar |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | RepairableVehicles.com |
| 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | Veterans Motorsports Inc. |
| 78 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | B. J. McLeod Motorsports |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | Racing with Jesus |
| 90 | Josh Williams | King Autosport | Chevrolet | CrashClaimsR.Us, Southwest Florida Cable Construction |
| 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| 98 | Casey Mears | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | Fresh From Florida |
| 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | George's Tool Rental |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, July 7, at 1:00 PM EST. The session would last for 55 minutes. Brad Keselowski of Team Penske would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.806 and an average speed of 132.222 mph (212.791 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 53.210 | 169.141 |
| 2 | 20 | Kyle Benjamin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 53.327 | 168.770 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 53.449 | 168.385 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second and final practice

The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, July 7, at 3:00 PM EST. The session would last for 55 minutes. Kyle Benjamin of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 52.722 and an average speed of 170.707 mph (274.726 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 20 | Kyle Benjamin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 52.722 | 170.707 |
| 2 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.995 | 169.827 |
| 3 | 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 53.179 | 169.240 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, June 10, at 9:35 AM EST. Since Pocono Raceway is at least 2 miles (3.2 km) in length, the qualifying system was a single car, single lap, two round system where in the first round, everyone would set a time to determine positions 13–40. Then, the fastest 12 qualifiers would move on to the second round to determine positions 1–12.
Kyle Benjamin of Joe Gibbs Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 52.070 and an average speed of 172.844 miles per hour (278.165 km/h) in the second round.
No drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) |
| 1 | 20 | Kyle Benjamin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 52.409 | 171.726 | 52.070 | 172.844 |
| 2 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.387 | 171.798 | 52.233 | 172.305 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 52.701 | 170.775 | 52.236 | 172.295 |
| 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.408 | 171.730 | 52.259 | 172.219 |
| 5 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.502 | 171.422 | 52.394 | 171.775 |
| 6 | 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 52.449 | 171.595 | 52.472 | 171.520 |
| 7 | 18 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 52.749 | 170.619 | 52.476 | 171.507 |
| 8 | 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 52.749 | 170.619 | 52.486 | 171.474 |
| 9 | 2 | Paul Menard (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.696 | 170.791 | 52.526 | 171.344 |
| 10 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 52.597 | 171.112 | 52.694 | 170.797 |
| 11 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.705 | 170.762 | 52.891 | 170.161 |
| 12 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 52.500 | 171.429 | 53.022 | 169.741 |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||
| 13 | 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 52.768 | 170.558 | - | - |
| 14 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 52.929 | 170.039 | - | - |
| 15 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.016 | 169.760 | - | - |
| 16 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 53.159 | 169.303 | - | - |
| 17 | 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.200 | 169.173 | - | - |
| 18 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.257 | 168.992 | - | - |
| 19 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 53.350 | 168.697 | - | - |
| 20 | 24 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Toyota | 53.505 | 168.209 | - | - |
| 21 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.516 | 168.174 | - | - |
| 22 | 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | 53.608 | 167.885 | - | - |
| 23 | 8 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.623 | 167.838 | - | - |
| 24 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.708 | 167.573 | - | - |
| 25 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 53.726 | 167.517 | - | - |
| 26 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 53.917 | 166.923 | - | - |
| 27 | 01 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.447 | 165.298 | - | - |
| 28 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 54.513 | 165.098 | - | - |
| 29 | 78 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.582 | 164.890 | - | - |
| 30 | 40 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.620 | 164.775 | - | - |
| 31 | 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 54.842 | 164.108 | - | - |
| 32 | 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 54.938 | 163.821 | - | - |
| 33 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 55.039 | 163.520 | - | - |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||
| 34 | 90 | Josh Williams | King Autosport | Chevrolet | 55.113 | 163.301 | - | - |
| 35 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 55.124 | 163.268 | - | - |
| 36 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 55.561 | 161.984 | - | - |
| 37 | 07 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 56.608 | 158.988 | - | - |
| 38 | 13 | Carl Long | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 57.389 | 156.824 | - | - |
| 39 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 57.762 | 155.812 | - | - |
| 40 | 98 | Casey Mears | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | - | - | - | - |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 25
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 20 | Kyle Benjamin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 4 | 2 | Paul Menard (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 5 | 18 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 10 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 25
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 20 | Kyle Benjamin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 5 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 50
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 8 | 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 100 | 29 | running | 0 |
| 2 | 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 | 13 | running | 46 |
| 3 | 6 | 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 100 | 15 | running | 0 |
| 4 | 18 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 33 |
| 5 | 7 | 18 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 100 | 1 | running | 0 |
| 6 | 11 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 32 |
| 7 | 3 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 100 | 14 | running | 38 |
| 8 | 15 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 9 | 2 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 31 |
| 10 | 31 | 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 100 | 0 | running | 29 |
| 11 | 13 | 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 100 | 0 | running | 30 |
| 12 | 5 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 29 |
| 13 | 21 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 24 |
| 14 | 16 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 100 | 0 | running | 26 |
| 15 | 10 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 28 |
| 16 | 1 | 20 | Kyle Benjamin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 100 | 28 | running | 39 |
| 17 | 25 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 20 |
| 18 | 14 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 19 |
| 19 | 26 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 100 | 0 | running | 18 |
| 20 | 22 | 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | 100 | 0 | running | 17 |
| 21 | 40 | 98 | Casey Mears | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 100 | 0 | running | 16 |
| 22 | 20 | 24 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Toyota | 100 | 0 | running | 15 |
| 23 | 19 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 14 |
| 24 | 24 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 13 |
| 25 | 32 | 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 12 |
| 26 | 23 | 8 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 11 |
| 27 | 12 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 10 |
| 28 | 34 | 90 | Josh Williams | King Autosport | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | running | 9 |
| 29 | 29 | 78 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 98 | 0 | running | 8 |
| 30 | 30 | 40 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 97 | 0 | running | 7 |
| 31 | 9 | 2 | Paul Menard (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 97 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 32 | 36 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 97 | 0 | running | 5 |
| 33 | 37 | 07 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 97 | 0 | running | 4 |
| 34 | 39 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 95 | 0 | running | 3 |
| 35 | 35 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 85 | 0 | engine | 2 |
| 36 | 17 | 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| 37 | 27 | 01 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | clutch | 1 |
| 38 | 33 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 16 | 0 | handling | 1 |
| 39 | 38 | 13 | Carl Long | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 12 | 0 | handling | 1 |
| 40 | 28 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 7 | 0 | brakes | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Justin Allgaier | 409 |
| | 2 | Elliott Sadler | 408 (-1) |
| | 3 | William Byron | 347 (–62) |
| | 4 | Bubba Wallace | 321 (–88) |
| | 5 | Daniel Hemric | 314 (–95) |
| | 6 | Ryan Reed | 296 (–113) |
| | 7 | Brennan Poole | 291 (–118) |
| | 8 | Matt Tifft | 284 (–125) |
| | 9 | Cole Custer | 280 (–129) |
| | 10 | Michael Annett | 272 (–137) |
| | 11 | Blake Koch | 237 (–172) |
| | 12 | Dakoda Armstrong | 226 (–183) |
| Official driver's standings ||||