Pocono Raceway facts for kids

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Pocono Raceway
"The Tricky Triangle"
Pocono Raceway Logo
Location	Long Pond Road and Andretti Road, Long Pond, Pennsylvania, 18334
Time zone	UTC−5 / −4 (DST)
Capacity	76,812
Owner	Mattco Inc.
Operator	Igdalsky and Mattioli families
Broke ground	1969
Opened	1971
Former names	Pocono International Raceway (1969–1996)
Major events	NASCAR Cup Series Pocono Organics 325 Pocono 350 NASCAR Xfinity Series Pocono Green 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Pocono Organics 150 ARCA Menards Series General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200
Triangle
Surface	Asphalt
Length	2.5 mi (4.023 km)
Turns	3
Banking	Turn 1: 14° Turn 2: 8° Turn 3: 6°
Race lap record	223.871 mph (Juan Pablo Montoya, Team Penske, 2014, Verizon IndyCar Series)

Track map

An aerial view of Pocono Raceway from a jetliner in March 2014

Pocono Raceway, also known as The Tricky Triangle, is a famous superspeedway for car races. It is located in the Pocono Mountains in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Many exciting races happen here, including four big NASCAR events and an ARCA Menards Series race.

From 1971 to 1989, and again from 2013 to 2019, Pocono also hosted Indy Car races. Unlike most other NASCAR tracks, Pocono is not owned by NASCAR or Speedway Motorsports. It is owned by a family company called Mattco Inc.

Besides major races, Pocono Raceway is used all year for driving schools and other car clubs. The track has a unique triangular shape. It also has three separate sections inside the main track. These can be used alone or combined to create 22 different road course layouts. You can even drive on them in two directions, making 44 total options!

The Tricky Triangle's Design
- Shifting Gears During Races
IndyCar Racing at Pocono
Race of Champions Events
Memorable Moments at Pocono
Races Held at Pocono
- Current Races
- Past Races
Track Records
- NASCAR Cup Series Records
Pocono's Green Efforts
Images for kids
See also

The Tricky Triangle's Design

The track was designed by Rodger Ward, who won the Indianapolis 500 twice. Pocono Raceway is special because each of its three turns is modeled after a turn at a different famous racetrack.

Turn one (14° banking) is like a turn at Trenton Speedway.
Turn two (8° banking), also called the "Tunnel Turn," is like a turn at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Turn three (6° banking) is like a turn at the Milwaukee Mile.

Even though it looks like a tri-oval, its turns are much sharper than other tracks like Daytona. Also, the three turns and three straight sections are all different lengths. The banking (how much the track slopes) in the turns is also less than at many other long tracks.

Because of its unique shape, Pocono is sometimes called a roval. This means it's an oval track that acts a bit like a road course. Drivers often have to shift gears to handle the different speeds needed for the slow turns and fast straightaways. This unique design makes setting up the race car and making adjustments during the race very important for winning.

Shifting Gears During Races

In 1991, some NASCAR drivers, like Mark Martin, started changing gears on the long front straightaway. They used a special transmission that let them shift gears without using the clutch. This helped them get better speeds around the track. By 1993, all drivers were shifting gears at Pocono.

Some drivers didn't like it, saying it made passing harder. But this practice continued until 2005, when new rules stopped it. In 2011, the rules changed again, and shifting gears returned to Pocono.

IndyCar Racing at Pocono

Scott Dixon talks to the press after winning the Pocono IndyCar 400 in 2013.

From 1971 to 1989, Pocono hosted a 500-mile IndyCar race. This race was part of the IndyCar 500-mile Triple Crown. In 1989, Emerson Fittipaldi set a qualifying speed record of 211.715 miles per hour. After 1989, the track was removed from the IndyCar schedule due to concerns about its surface and safety features.

In 2013, IndyCar racing returned to Pocono with a 400-mile race. They also brought back the IndyCar Triple Crown, which included races at Indianapolis, Pocono, and California. A driver who won all three races in one season could get a $1 million bonus!

The Pocono IndyCar race was made longer to 500 miles in 2014. That year, Juan Pablo Montoya won the race. It became the fastest 500-mile race in motorsports history, with an average speed of 202.402 miles per hour.

Sadly, there were some serious accidents during IndyCar races at Pocono. In 2015, a driver was hit by debris and later passed away. In 2018, another crash caused a driver to be badly injured and paralyzed. These events led to calls for more safety changes. In 2019, IndyCar decided not to return to Pocono for its 2020 schedule.

Race of Champions Events

From 1977 to 1991, Pocono Raceway hosted the Race of Champions Modified race. For the first few years, the race was on the big triangular track. Later, it moved to a smaller, three-quarter-mile oval inside the track. Richie Evans and George Kent were top winners, each winning two times. In 1992, the Race of Champions moved to a different track.

Memorable Moments at Pocono

Pocono Raceway and IndyCar announce the return of the Tricky Triangle to the IndyCar schedule in 2013.

1971: The first IndyCar 500 race is held, won by Mark Donohue.
1972: Heavy flooding caused the IndyCar race to be moved. Pocono became the first track to hold two 500-mile races in one weekend!
1974: Richard Petty wins the first NASCAR Pocono 500.
1981: A. J. Foyt wins his final IndyCar race at Pocono.
1985: Bill Elliott wins both NASCAR Cup races at Pocono in one season.
1986–1987: Tim Richmond wins three Pocono races in a row.
1988: Bobby Allison suffers career-ending injuries in a crash.
1999: Bobby Labonte wins both NASCAR Cup races at Pocono.
2000: Jeremy Mayfield makes a bold move on the last lap to win.
2002: A big crash involving Steve Park and Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads to safety improvements. The race was shortened due to repairs and rain.
2004: SAFER barriers are installed in all the turns to make the track safer.
2006: Rookie Denny Hamlin wins both NASCAR Cup races at Pocono.
2007: Kurt Busch leads most of the race, setting a record for laps led.
2009: Tony Stewart wins, becoming the first owner-driver to win a Cup race since 1998.
2010: A huge crash involving Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler raises more safety concerns. This leads to new SAFER barriers and a catch fence being added.
2011: Jeff Gordon ties a record with his 84th NASCAR Cup Series win. This is also the last 500-mile NASCAR race at Pocono. Future races are shortened to 400 miles.
2011: The track gets a new surface, new flag stand, and concrete pit stalls.
2012: Joseph Mattioli, the founder of Pocono Raceway, passes away.
2012: Joey Logano wins the first 400-mile Cup race after the track was repaved.
2012: A fan is killed by a lightning strike during a rain-delayed race.
2013: Chase Elliott becomes the youngest ARCA superspeedway winner at 17 years old.
2013: Scott Dixon wins the first IndyCar race at Pocono since 1989.
2014: Juan Pablo Montoya wins the IndyCar race, setting a record for the fastest 500-mile race ever.
2014: Dale Earnhardt Jr. sweeps both NASCAR Cup races at Pocono.
2015: A serious accident during the IndyCar race leads to a driver's death.
2016: The NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Pocono for the first time.
2017: Ryan Blaney gets his first NASCAR Cup Series win.
2018: Kyle Busch becomes the first driver to win in all three top NASCAR series at Pocono. Another serious IndyCar crash badly injures driver Robert Wickens.
2019: Another IndyCar crash leads to a driver being hospitalized. IndyCar decides not to return to Pocono in 2020.
2020: Pocono hosts its first-ever doubleheader weekend for NASCAR. All three NASCAR series race on the same day for the first time in history.
2020: Rose Mattioli, co-founder of Pocono Raceway, passes away.

Races Held at Pocono

Paul Menard races William Byron during the 2019 Pocono 400

Current Races

NASCAR Cup Series
- Pocono Organics 325
- Pocono 350
NASCAR Xfinity Series
- Pocono Green 225
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
- Pocono Organics 150
ARCA Menards Series
- General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200

Tim Steele at the Pocono ARCA race in June 1996. He won 9 ARCA races at Pocono, more than any other driver in a single series.

Past Races

CART IndyCar (1982–1989)
IndyCar Series (2013–2019)
IMSA GT Championship (1981–1985)
Indy Lights (1986–1989, 2013–2014)
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (1985–1991)
USAC IndyCar (1971–1981)

Track Records

Overall Track Record (IndyCar qualifying): Juan Pablo Montoya, 223.871 mph, July 5, 2014
Overall Track Record (IndyCar race): Juan Pablo Montoya, 202.402 mph, July 6, 2014
Most Open-Wheel Wins: A. J. Foyt, 4 wins
Most Wins in One Series: Tim Steele, 9 wins in the ARCA Menards Series

NASCAR Cup Series Records

(As of June 28, 2020)

Most wins	6	Jeff Gordon Denny Hamlin
Most top-5s	20	Mark Martin Jeff Gordon
Most top-10s	34	Mark Martin
Most starts	55	Ricky Rudd
Most poles	5	Ken Schrader Bill Elliott
Most laps completed	9884	Terry Labonte
Most laps led	1040	Jeff Gordon
Best average start*	4.7	David Pearson (6 races)
Best average finish*	9.8	Davey Allison (13 races)

from a minimum of five starts

Pocono's Green Efforts

In 2010, Pocono Raceway started building a huge solar power system. When it was finished, it became the largest solar-powered sports facility in the world! This "solar farm" covers about 25 acres and has almost 40,000 solar panels.

This system creates enough energy for the entire racetrack complex. It also helps power 1,000 homes. In just four months, the system produced over 1 million kilowatt hours of electricity. Over 20 years, it is expected to produce more than 72 million kilowatt hours. This helps reduce carbon dioxide pollution by 3,100 metric tons each year. They even use sheep to keep the grass short around the solar panels!