Length: 2.5-miles

Banking in Turn 1: 14 degrees

Banking in Turn 2: 8 degrees

Banking in Turn 3: 6 degrees

Length of Frontstretch: 3,740 feet

Length of Long Pond stretch: 3,055 feet

Lengh of Shortstretch: 1,780 feet

 

 

·         Qualifying: Kasey Kayne, June 11, 2004 – 172.533 mph

·         Race: Rusty Wallace, July 21 1996 – 144.892 mph

 

      The fact that Pocono Raceway was built; then even survived is amazing. In the late 1960’s a group of people dreamed of building a race track in the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania. The group had two major problems: no land and no money to purchase land.

     In the early 1960’s in Philadelphia a dentist – Dr. Joseph Mattioli – realized that after make a good amount of money in his practice there was more to life and decided to enjoy life a little. He learned how to fly, bought a sail boat, skied and enjoyed life. He fell in love with the Pocono region and invested in the Camelback Ski area and some other businesses.

     In a 2009 interview with Stock Car Racing Magazine, Mattioli described how he got into the racing business:

     In 1968 a three-quarter mile oval was complete and started hosting races. As that was happening, Mattioli was carving out a 2-5-mile triangular shaped track that incorporated parts from other successful tracks in the country.

     Turn one was modeled after the now-defunct Trenton (N.J.) Speedway. Turn two – the tunnel turn – is a 90 degree corner like Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And, turn three is a wide-sweeping flat turn like those at The Milwaukee Mile.

     On July 3, 1971, Mark Donahue won the inaugural USAC Pocono 500 at the speedway. Three years late NASCAR arrived at the track with Richard Petty winning the NASCAR-version of the Pocono 500 on August 4, 1974.

     While the track was operating, it was not succeeding and Mattioli was looking to sell. Indy-car racing at the time was the premier series of racing in the country with NASCAR not nearly as prominent. But, it was NASCAR’s Bill France who convinced Mattioli to stay the course.

     In a meeting in New York City, France took out a business card and wrote the following on the back: “On the plains of hesitation, lie the bleached bones of millions who when within the grasp of victory sat and waited and waiting died.”

     In the early 1980’s the racetrack business was struggling and yet France convinced Mattioli that he needed a second NASCAR race at the speedway. Mattioli resisted at first; but his confidence in and loyalty to France trumped his reservations and he took a second date. 

     NASCAR has been making two annual stops at the track that has made the Mattioli family financially very healthy.

     The facility has been totally re-worked in the past few years with improvements across the board and the Mattioli family has invested in other businesses in the region. 

      On track the speedway no longer hosts IndyCar racing and this year adds the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to the traditional NASCAR/ARCA weekends.

 

 

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: (65 races have been won by 27 different drivers)

Bold – Active

·         5 – Bill Elliott

·         4 – Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Tim Richmond, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace

·         3 – Bobby Labonte, Bobby Allison, Geoff Bodine, Dale Jarrett

·         2 – Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt, Terry Labonte, Cale Yarborough, Harry Gant, Richard Petty, Jeremy Mayfield

·         1 – Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, David Pearson, Ricky Rudd, Benny Parsons, Alan Kulwicki, Kyle Petty, Neil Bonnett

 

·         In 1972 a hurricane jockeyed the schedule and Pocono became the first race track to host a pair of 500-mile races on the same weekend. Joe Leonard won the Schaefer 500 Indy-car race while Roger McClusky won the 500-mile USAC stock car race.

 

·         From 1977 to 1991 the track hosted the Race Of Champions, one of the largest and most prestigious modified races in the country.