NASCAR Pocono 2012: Start Time, Starting Lineup, TV/Radio Schedule, Live Streaming And More

It’s NASCAR race day at Pocono Raceway, and we’ve got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about today’s Pennsylvania 400 for you below.

What time does the race start today? The command to fire engines will be given today at 1:09 p.m. Eastern time, and it could be an emotional one: The grand marshals of the race are family members of passengers killed on Flight 93 during 9/11. After a few pace laps, the green flag will officially wave at 1:20 p.m. So if you’re looking to skip the pre-race show and just tune in for the race, turn on your TV set at 1:20 p.m. Eastern.

UPDATE (9:30 a.m.): NASCAR has moved the start time up eight minutes to 1:12 p.m. Eastern due to approaching weather. Stay tuned to @nascar_wxman’s Twitter feed for weather updates.

Race name/distance: Today’s race is the first Pennsylvania 400, which follows in the path of June’s Pocono 400. Track officials believed cutting the distance from 500 to 400 miles will make for a better show, and that seemed to happen in June. The race is 160 laps around the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway.

TV, radio and live streaming: Today’s race can be seen on ESPN. This is ESPN’s second broadcast of its portion of the season, and it will handle the remainder of the season. There IS live streaming of the race today, which can be found at NASCAR.com’s “RaceBuddy” site and on the “Watch ESPN” app. If you’ll be away from your computer and TV, check the Motor Racing Network’s web site for a list of affiliate radio stations in your area.

*** NOTE: If you’re out and about today and can’t watch the race, make sure to follow me (@jeff_gluck) on Twitter. I’ll be tweeting updates about the event. ***

National anthem: RCA recording artist Alex Boyd is scheduled to do the honors today.

Tickets: The race is not a sellout, so you should be good to go if you’re planning to make a last-minute trip on race day.

Weather: The unofficial NASCAR weatherman, Brian Neudorff, says today’s weather at Pocono is iffy. There is only a 30 percent chance that the entire race gets in today due to weather in the area. Here’s his full forecast.

Last time: Last August, Brad Keselowski shocked the NASCAR world by going to Victory Lane despite a broken ankle. More recently, Joey Logano nudged his way past Mark Martin to win the Pocono 400 in June.

Here’s the starting lineup for today’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono: