Pocono 500 Race Preview

Pocono Raceway -- 06/7/2009

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Wednesday Jun 3 2009 2:42am

Let’s let Jeff Gordon, a four-time Cup winner at Pocono Raceway, tell us about the racing here:

`Pocono has always been a challenge because of the three very different corners,` Gordon said. “We were always concerned with set-up changes and how the adjustments might help you in one corner but hurt you in another, but the strip of pavement in turn 3 has taken it to another level. For years, the preferred line was around the bottom in that corner. Now, we’re running three grooves up in that corner on the newer pavement. That area is smooth with more grip compared to the rest of the track, which is pretty bumpy with less grip. When you already have three unique corners and you throw that into the mix, it makes it a real challenge to set the car up.

“The new car has added to the challenge. We don’t have the travel in the front end with the Chevrolet Impala like we did with the Monte Carlo. The track is fast and flat but really rough, and we don't have a lot of travel to be able to handle big bumps like that. Track position is very important during this race … Qualifying well can make the race a little bit easier to manage. But there are many strategies that come into play here. Because of the long lap times, it’s possible to make a pit stop without losing a lap, or you can take only right-side tires or pit off-sequence. There are several strategies that can be used to put yourself into position to win here.`

If you think Gordon’s description of Pocono make it sounds like a tricky place, you’re right. The Pennsylvania track bills itself officially as `The Tricky Triangle.`

The nickname is well-deserved, as the 2.5 mile tri-oval venue has three different corners and three different straightaways which are not only challenging for the drivers, but especially for the crew chiefs trying to set their cars up to handle well throughout the track. The banking in Turn 1 is 14 degrees, Turn 2 is 8 degrees, and Turn 3 is 6 degrees; the frontstretch length is 3740 feet, the backstretch, 3055 feet, and the shortstretch,1780 feet.
NASCAR started racing at Pocono in 1974 and raced one time a year until 1982 when a second date was added. That makes a total of 62 races in the books, with Gordon the winningest active driver at four wins, his most recent coming in the 2007 Pocono 500.

Bobby Labonte has three Pocono wins, while several drivers have two including Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, and Kurt Busch.

Active one-time winners here are Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, and Kasey Kahne.
Among the former Pocono winners, Denny Hamlin leads all drivers in the average finish category with a 6.7. Hamlin won his first two Pocono starts and has a 6th and two 3rd-place finishes, but last fall ran 23rd.

Following Hamlin in the average finish category are Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, and Tony Stewart.

Hamlin also has the highest cumulative points total at Pocono over the course of the last five races, followed by Gordon and Stewart. But narrow that to the most recent two, three, or four race span, and a different driver tops the stats each time: Kasey Kahne has the most points over the last two races, Jimmie Johnson over the last three, and Jeff Gordon over the last four.

The race Sunday will be 200 laps on the 2.5-mile track for 500 miles and should take about four hours to run. The winner last spring was Kasey Kahne, who led 69 laps overall, while Jimmie Johnson led 59. Carl Edwards led the fall race, though Mark Martin led the most laps.

The early forecast calls for a 30% chance of rain on Sunday.

One other factor that could affect the race’s outcome is the possibility of NASCAR instituting double-file restarts, as has been hinted this week. The result will be bringing the field closer together on restarts and giving more drivers a chance to pass before things get too strung out. In addition, we may see a greater variety of race winners throughout the year.

Current odds for select drivers for the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway:

Jimmie Johnson +485

Kyle Busch +725

Denny Hamlin +785

Carl Edwards +815

Jeff Gordon +855

Tony Stewart +1150

Mark Martin +1150

Kasey Kahne +1300

Greg Biffle +1300

Kurt Busch +1350

Matt Kenseth +1815

Please check back before the race for our practice and qualifying update.

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