Pocono 500

Here is a quick run down of trivial facts and statistics for this weekend’s Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA.

Pocono Raceway History

• Opened in 1968 as a .75-mile track, Pocono Raceway held the first race on the 2.5-mile oval in 1971.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was in 1974.
• There was one race from 1974 through 1981, and two a year since then.

Track Numbers

• NASCAR Cup Series Races: 60
• Pole Winners: 35
• Race Winners: 27
• Buddy Baker won the first pole at Pocono.
• Only 13 drivers have more than one Pole there.
• There have been 21 pole winners in the last 25 races. Denny Hamlin and Jeff Gordon (two each) are the only repeat pole winners there since 1995. Qualifying was canceled once.
• The pole has been swept just three times: Bill Elliott (1985), Ken Schrader (1993), Denny Hamlin (2006).
• Richard Petty won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono.
• Bill Elliott leds with five victories at Pocono. Eighteen drivers have won more than once there.
• There have been 12 different race winners in the 15 races since Bobby Labonte swept in 1999. Jimmie Johnson swept 2004 and Denny Hamlin 2006, while Kurt Busch won the July race in 2005 and 2007.
• There have been six season sweeps at Pocono, including two of the past four seasons.
• Bobby Allison and Tim Richmond each won three consecutive races at Pocono.
• 43 of 60 Pocono races have been won from a top-10 start; 12 by the pole winner.
• The June 2005 race was won by Carl Edwards from the 29th starting position, the deepest in the field a race winner has started.
• Rick Hendrick leads all other car owners with 11 Pocono victories.
• There have been eight car owner season sweeps, including three of the past four seasons (two of the car owner sweeps were with different drivers).
• Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard, Juan Pablo Montoya, Brian Vickers and J.J. Yeley are the active drivers that have finished on the lead lap in all of their races.
• Denny Hamlin won his first two appearances at Pocono Raceway, claiming both victories from the pole. Hamlin finished sixth and third in his second two races for an average finish of 2.8 in four races – the all-time best of any driver at the Pennsylvania track. He also led 283 of the 706 laps raced in the four races (40 percent).

Track Records

• Track qualifying record: Kasey Kahne (172.533 mph, 52.164 secs., 6-11-04)
• Track race record: Rusty Wallace (144.892 mph, 7-21-96)

Pocono Raceway Race Day Data

• Estimated Pit Window: Every 28 – 30 laps, based on fuel mileage.
• Race # 14 of 36 (6-08-08)
• Track Size: 2.5 mile (200 laps/500miles)
• Banking/Turn 1: 14 degrees
• Banking/Turn 2:: 8 degrees
• Banking/Turn 3: 6 degrees
• Frontstretch: 3,740 feet
• Backstretch: 3,055 feet
• Shortstretch: 1,780