Pocono Raceway

Address:500 Long Pond Road
Long Pond, Pennsylvania

Pocono Raceway is unlike any other track on the NASCAR circuit. Its triangular shape provides a unique challenge for competitors. The Pocono Raceway, located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, is situated in the beautiful Pocono Mountains. With two major cities nearby, New York and Philadelphia, the track has become a major attraction for fans. The track is one of the most competitive tracks in NASCAR, featuring a 2.5 mile course which has three turns, all with different degrees of banking. Pocono Raceway is the site of two annual NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races, held just weeks apart; the Pocono 500 in June, and the Pennsylvania 500 in August. In addition to NASCAR races, Pocono Raceway is also used throughout the year by sports car and motorcycle clubs, as well as racing schools.

Pocono Raceway has a unique design. Each turn is modeled after turns at 3 different tracks. Turn One, with its 14 degree banking, was modeled after the now defunct Trenton Speedway, Turn Two, sometimes referred to as "The Tunnel Turn," has the 8 degree banking of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Turn 3's 6 degree banking is similar to that of The Milwaukee Mile. The track could be said to be a tri-oval, but the turns are much more severe than those of a more typical tri-oval, such as Daytona, and the track really is nearly triangular. The turns have often been compared to the hairpin-style turns of road courses. An additional complication is that the three turns are not identical, nor are any of the three straights identical in length. The banking of each turn is considerably less than on many other long ovals. Although the track is long, the sharp nature of the turns tends to make the overall speeds much lower than at other tracks of similar lengths, thus rendering restrictor plates unnecessary. Despite its size, Pocono Raceway doesn't carry the speeds of Daytona or Talladega because it is very flat. Drivers do tend to approach 200 mph, however, when heading into Turn One.

The odd design at Pocono Raceway makes the setup of the car, and the crews' ability to make chassis adjustments, even more crucial here than at many other tracks. Often, this ability is the difference between a winning performance and near-disaster. Drivers tend to either love the track or hate it, largely depending on how well it suits their driving style and their crews' abilities.

To the delight of fans, Pocono Raceway features a big Paddock Area that puts fans within 56 feet of the cars. Another project that the raceway can boast is "Long John," the world's biggest toilet facility, with 1000 stalls, so no one waits in lines. The new Midway features spruce trees, 200 picnic tables, and gazebos, making it a family friendly place to relax.

The Raceway is located in a triangle relative to New York and Philadelphia, all of them located 90 miles apart, with the track situated on Route 115, 3 miles south of I-80 at exit 284 (old exit 43) in northeastern Pennsylvania. There is free daytime parking in lots along Long Pond Road, with shuttle service to the raceway entrance. Parking is also available in the infield, for campers and for fans who buy a one-day infield ticket.