Among
active drivers, Hamlin has the most victories at Pocono with six. They include a sweep during his rookie year in 2006. Kyle Busch has four wins, while Jimmie Johnson (not entered) has three. Martin Truex Jr. has two victories.
All-time, Hamlin and Jeff Gordon both top the chart with six victories. Bill Elliott has five wins, then Rusty Wallace, Darrell Waltrip, Kyle Busch and Tim Richmond have four each. Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte, Geoff Bodine and Bobby Allison have three each.
Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 2.5-mile tri-oval, 160 laps (400 miles)
Banking: 14 degrees in Turn 1, 8 degrees in Turn 2, 6 degrees in Turn 3.
Frontstretch: 3,740 ft., flat
Long Pond Straightaway: 3,055 ft., flat
North
Straight: 1,780 ft., flat
Grandstand Seating: 70,000
Pit Road
Speed: 55 mph
Pace Car Speed: 65 mph
Opened: 1971 (first Cup race in 1974)
Website: http://www.poconoraceway.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/poconoraceway
Twitter: http://twitter.com/poconoraceway
Pre-Race Schedule:
Practice: Saturday, July 23, 2:35 - 3:10 p.m. ET on NBC Sports App, joined in progress on USA Network at 3 p.m. ET.
Qualifying: Saturday, July 23, 3:25 p.m. on USA Network
Say What?!
"Everything is important at Pocono. There’s just so much time there that can be gained because the track is so big that if you mess up in turn 1 that can be a huge hit all the way down the back straightaway or if you mess up in turn 3, that can be costly with the length of how long the front straightway is. You definitely want to
be good everywhere and make the most of your day." - Kyle Busch
"[Pocono] just really fits my style of racing. I really enjoy the racing that Pocono provides. Our team has been really emphasizing a handful of tracks and this is one of them, just like New Hampshire was. New Hampshire just
didn’t go our way last weekend, which was a bummer because I really hoped for a better result. We’ve been working really hard on the simulator and making sure our car is just right when it comes off the truck. That’s important for our team, and then qualifying well is key. We’ve seen how important qualifying at the front is at these tracks because you don’t know if you’ll be able to maneuver the track and make those passes necessary to get up there and contend. We’re consistently moving in the
right direction and this weekend will be no different." - Ryan Preece
"Pocono Raceway is very technical. The tunnel turn is my biggest challenge. It’s a high speed turn and over the years it’s gotten rough with the track tunnel underneath it. The bumps going over the tunnel turn are noticeable, and you need your car balanced well through that turn. I love the other end of the track. You have the
flat end in turn 3 and turn a lot through that corner. Going into turn one there’s a lot of banking there, you’re drafting down the front straight so you’re carrying a lot of speed into turn 1 so you have to set yourself up to drive into turn 1 and get to the bottom and drive off to head to the tunnel turn." - Austin Dillon
"Pocono has been a good track, I have been there just as much, if not more, than any other
track that I have been to in my career. I have been racing there since 2013 in ARCA cars and then up through the Truck, Xfinity, now Cup series, and I have enjoyed going every time. I feel like it has been a good track for me, and I feel like I got around there pretty well. Last year I felt like we had a good car there with a lot of speed in it, and I am hoping to have the same this year. I always like going up there, I love the track itself and the racing is fun with the way that it plays out
with stages, you can mix it up with taking tires and fuel before the stage or not, taking two or four, and seeing how the fuel plays out at the end of the race is always pretty fun. I am hoping we have a good car with some speed to continue our good runs up at Pocono." - Erik
Jones
