For the second time since June 7th the NASCAR Sprint Cup teams will again be taking on the challenge of the mammoth Pocono Raceway for this Sunday’s running of the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500. This unique track places a lot physical stress on engines and transmissions and it can be equally demanding on the drivers as well. It’s also a severe challenge for crew chiefs. There is no one definitive car set up that will allow maximum performance through the trio of turns and straightaways. When it comes to pre race prep at Pocono a crew chief has to pick the one portion of the track where he thinks his car and driver is going to need the most help.
THE TRACK BREAKDOWN
The 2.5 mile Pocono Raceway’s uniqueness lies in the fact that it’s shaped like a triangle and features three virtually flat turns linked by three straightaways.
Turn one is only banked 14 degrees. Turn two, also known as the dreaded “tunnel turn” is extremely challenging because, with only 2.8 degrees of banking, it’s almost as flat as a pancake. Turn three is also virtually flat with only six degrees of banking.
The bulk of the raceway’s massive speed capability is based on the long straightaways. The front stretch measures 3,740 feet and allows the drivers to run flat out. The second straightaway, known as the Long Pond straight, measures 3.055 feet and is located between turns one and two. The shortest of the three straights is the north stretch measuring 1,780 feet. It’s located between turns two and three.
The raceway currently has seating for approximately 100,000 fans.
The Pocono Raceway was opened in 1968. The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event was held there in 1974 and was won by Richard Petty. Since that time NASCAR has sanctioned 63 races there with 28 different winners visiting victory lane. Twenty drivers has won a Pocono race more than once.
THE RACE BREAKDOWN
The Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 is a grueling 200 laps long.
The defending race winner is Carl Edwards who started the August 2008 race from the 15th position. Edwards is also a race winner from 2005. The most recent winner from this past June 7th is Tony Stewart who won the race from the pole position after qualifying was rained out. The Stewart victory was based on extreme fuel mileage measures which is often a factor during a Pocono race.
The weather has often played a major role in a race weekend at Pocono. There has been times in the past when qualifying was rained out as well as occasions when rain forced officials to shorten the race distance. The forecast for Long Pond-Pennsylvania calls for thunder storms on Friday followed by cloudy skies and a cool 76 degrees on Saturday and Sunday.
NASCAR Sprint Cup icon Bill Elliot holds the track record for the most wins at Pocono with five. Elliot shares the record with veteran Ken Schrader for the most pole positions with five each. Elliot, and his Wood Brothers Ford team, is not entered in Sunday’s race. The team chose to run a part time schedule this year on 1.5 mile super speedways where Ford has a good track record.
The track qualifying record, 172.533 MPH, was set by Kasey Kahne back in June of 2004.
Pocono Raceway records indicate that the competitive levels often run from one extreme to the other. For example, the track record for lead changes in a race is 56 set back in 1979. The record for race leaders is 16, set during the course of three different events, with the most recent occurring in 2004. In direct comparison a 1998 Pocono race only had 10 lead changes while a 1985 event only had four leaders.
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