Pocono Raceway
Address: Long Pond Road and Andretti Road Blakeslee Pennsylvania 18610
ARCA Racing Series
41.055277777778 - 75.511388888889Koordinaten: 41 ° 3 ' 19 " N, 75 ° 30' 41 " W
The Pocono Raceway (formerly Pocono International Raceway ) is a superspeedway in Blakeslee, in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond. It is the venue of the biennial race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which takes place only a few weeks of each other separated in June and August.
The Pocono Raceway is one of the very few NASCAR tracks, which is not owned by Speedway Motorsports and International Speedway Corporation. He is next to the South Boston Speedway in South Boston (Virginia ) of the Mattioli family.
In addition to the race of the NASCAR track is used throughout the year by sports car and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools. The tri-oval also has three separate sections in the infield, the North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of the three sections use a separate portion of the tri- oval for his route. At the regular weekends where held no races that clubs can use the track at the same time on the different sections. Some sections also allow driving in both directions and the combination among the sections.
Champ Cars
Between 1971 and 1989, the IndyCar Series and the USAC National Championship drove at Pocono Raceway and held a race over 500 miles. In 1989 Emerson Fittipaldi presented in qualifying on a new course record with a 211.715 mph ( 340.722 km / h ). However, after the race came in 1989 to criticism that the track was too rough and the security measures are insufficient. Then Pocono was deleted from the calendar.
Race of Champions
Between 1977 and 1991 took place at the Pocono Raceway the Race of Champions for touring cars instead, a prestigious race in the USA. The Race of Champions was the successor of the Langhorne National Open, held in Pocono 1951-1971. Champions from other circuits from the northeast and southeast were guaranteed a starting place, while in addition a large field of drivers from many other states attempted to qualify for the race. In the first three years from 1977 to 1979 the race was held on the 2.5 -mile tri-oval, from 1980 on the oval in the infield with a length of 0.75 miles. Richie Evans and George Kent were the most successful driver of this event, each two races each of the 15 races won. In 1992, the Race of Champions Pocono was moved to the Flemington Speedway.
Route configuration
The Pocono Raceway has a unique design. Each curve has been planned and built according to curves on three different racetracks. The now disused Trenton Speedway served as a model for curve 1, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for curve 2 and curve 3 is similar to the Milwaukee Mile. Although it resembles a tri-oval in shape, the curves much more closely, and in the style of hairpin curves are maintained, so that the track is almost a triangle. To make matters worse, that the curves are not identical, and the lines having a different length. Thus requires the start -finish line often an additional upshift. Although the distance is long, the average speed is lower than at distances comparable length, which is due to the narrow and not very elevated curves.
Due to the non-circular design of the Pocono Raceway the configuration of the car and the skill of the crew is even more important than at other circuits. Among the drivers there are basically only two opinions: some like them, others do not. Often this is dependent on how their driving style suits the track and whether the crew is able to adapt the car to the special conditions of the track.
Special Events
- August 4, 1974: Richard Petty wins the opening race Pocono 500
- August 1, 1976: Petty reached a popular victory after David Pearson bursting a tire two laps to go.
- July 20, 1986: Tim Richmond comes back after an accident on the track and wins against Ricky Rudd and Geoff Bodine in a photo finish.
- June 18, 2000: Jeremy Mayfield poses Dale Earnhardt out of the race and gets as his second victory in the Winston Cup.
- July 28, 2002: Steve Park and Dale Earnhardt Jr. entangle the exit of Turn 1 Both cars hit in the inner boundary, the carriage of parking lifts, flying over the hood of Earnhardt's. The incident resulted in a longer race interruption, in which the old limit, as it is used on highways, had to be repaired. A short time later, all the old limitations similar to new robust were replaced.
- 2006: Rookie of the Year Denny Hamlin wins both races at Pocono.
Criticism
Many fans and drivers argue that the 500- mile race at Pocono take too long. Also, some of the Sprint Cup drivers expressed that the track was the most boring in the NASCAR calendar, and that they saw the race distance like reduced to 400 miles, their wish will be fulfilled in 2012. Both races to go over 400 miles. Also, some fans would not be sad if the track would completely ruled out of the race calendar, or would at least reduced to a race per season. Others called for a race in the Nationwide Series and Craftsman Truck Series in the framework program, as the Pocono Raceway is the only race track next to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, at the least not a race of that series will be held. The only race in the framework program is the ARCA series.
Race
Current
- NASCAR Sprint Cup - Pocono 400
- NASCAR Sprint Cup - Pennsylvania 400
- ARCA Racing Series - ARCA Pocono 200
- ARCA Racing Series - ARCA Pennsylvania 125
Former
- USAC and CART - Pocono 500 (1971-1989)
Records
- NASCAR Sprint Cup race: Rusty Wallace, 144.892 mph ( 233.181 km / h ), July 21, 1996
- CART Qualifying: Emerson Fittipaldi, 211.715 mph ( 340.649 km / h ), 1989
- CART race: Danny Sullivan, 170.720 mph ( 274.688 km / h ), 1989