Pocono

Pocono Raceway

Track Length: 2.5 miles
Race Length: 500 Miles
First Race: Aug. 4, 1974 – Purolator 500
Banking: 14° (Turn 1); 8° (Turn 2); 6° (Turn 3)
Lengths: 3,740 feet (Frontstretch); 3,055 feet (Backstretch); 1,780 feet (Shortstretch)
Seating: N/A

Track History

Mailing Address
P.O. Box 500
Long Pond, PA 18334

Ticket Office
(800) 722-3929

History
When it comes to a challenging track, probably none presents more potential headaches for a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief and driver than the Keystone State’s Pocono Raceway.

The track opened in 1971 and the Mattioli family brought in Indy cars and USAC stock cars while dreaming of hosting NASCAR’s premiere series.

In 1974, after nine years of absence, the top guns of NASCAR returned to do battle in Pennsylvania. In 1982, Pocono added a second Cup event to the schedule and fans were treated to another dose of side-by-side, sometimes seven-wide, racing down the long front straight off turn 3 just six weeks apart.

Dale Earnhardt was injured while leading during the second event of 1979 and was out of commission until the Richmond race that September. In 1987, Tim Richmond, terminally ill with AIDS, won his 4th Pocono race.

The next year, 1988, on the first lap of the second event, Bobby Allison was caught up in a turn 2 incident that ended his driving career and nearly cost him his life.