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The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
by The Frontstretch Staff
Johanna Long Scores Iowa XFINITY Series Ride
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Records and facts
Last year, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. passed Greg Biffle with 14 laps to go and held on through a wild final restart to claim the victory and the season sweep at Pocono. Kevin Harvick was second followed by Joey Logano, Clint Bowyer and Biffle.
Jeff Gordon is the winningest active driver at Pocono Raceway with six career victories, the most recent of which was the rain/lightning-shortened race in July 2012. He has an average finish of tenth in 45 career starts at the scalene triangle. Denny Hamlin has four career wins at Pocono, including a season sweep as a rookie in 2006. Jimmie Johnson has three career wins at Pocono as well.
Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 2.5-mile oval, 160 laps (400 miles)
Banking: 14 degrees in turn 1, 8 degrees in turn 2, 6 degrees in turn 3
Frontstretch: 3,740 ft., flat
Long Pond Straightaway: 3,055 ft., flat
North Straight: 1,780 ft., flat
Grandstand Seating: 70,000
Pit Road Speed: 55 mph
Pace Car Speed: 65 mph
Opened: 1971 (first Cup race in 1974)
Website: http://www.poconoraceway.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/poconoraceway
Twitter: http://twitter.com/poconoraceway
Pre-Race Schedule:
Practice 1: Friday, July 31, 11 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Practice 2: Saturday, August 1, 9 - 9:50 a.m. ET on NBCSN
Happy Hour: Saturday, August 1, 11:35 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Qualifying: Friday, July 31 at 4:45 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Say What?!
"I think it's a fun track as far as how unique it is with the three corners being different. And the fact that your setup really can't be dialed in for all three corners, you have to give and take. Some years, it seems like turn 1 is tough. Some years, turn 3 ends up being a tough corner but I always focus on the tunnel turn. I always try to get through turn 2 as quickly as I can because, like I've said, it seems like the years I've won, that's where I've had the best car." - Kurt Busch
"After winning there last month, how can you not feel good and upbeat about returning to Pocono? We're going to have a big target on our back but that's OK. We'll use everything we learned last time and more to hopefully achieve a Pocono sweep. Our Furniture Row guys have been working hard to find more speed for this weekend. All the teams are also working harder as we get closer to the Chase. The toughest thing about Pocono is to find the right balance for all three corners. The three unique corners at Pocono are all different and the challenge is to figure out a way to make your car work in each of them. Conditions for this Pocono race will most likely be different -- especially with the weather being hotter than in early June." - Martin Truex, Jr.
"Well, all three corners are very different from each other. You have turn 1 that has a lot of banking in it for a flat track. Turn 2 is a very short duration and flat corner and then turn 3 is a very, very, long sweeping flat corner. There's a lot going on, but every corner on the track is totally different from each other. It's a big challenge for the crew chiefs to not only try to find a balance but also figure out what to do when they're making changes.They have to figure out the corner they're trying to fix without messing up the other two corners." - Tony Stewart
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This Week's Race: Honda Indy 200
Track: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. It's a 2.258-mile natural terrain road course located in Troy Township, OH.
Last year's P1: Sebastien Bourdais
Last year's winner: Scott Dixon
Distance: 200 miles
Who Ya Got? Matt Stallknecht and Huston Ladner are each going with Will Power this week. Toni Montgomery is going with Scott Dixon.
Where To Watch: CNBC is carrying the race this week. Race coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
On Social Media: Follow along with @Mid_ohio, @IndyCar, and #IndyCar
Quotable:
Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet) "A lot of credit goes to the team…it's a track that is good for me. It's a long list that makes me do well at this track. It's an aggressive place." – On his success at Mid-Ohio
Graham Rahal (No. 15 Steak and Shake Honda): "I had this concept that, with Ohio State having won the national championship and us being in the championship battle here, it would be fun to come home and do something I haven't done before." – On his Ohio St. branded helmet being run this weekend
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Q: The 2002 Pep Boys Pennsylvania 400 is best known for the huge crash on the first lap involving Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Steve Park. However, Jeremy Mayfield took a big hit during the race as well. What happened?
Thursday's Answer:
Q: Dave Marcis had some hard hits in his career at Pocono. The 1999 crash is an all-timer in intensity. Marcis' 1998 Pennsylvania 500 also ended against the wall, but in a different way. What caused the crash?
A: Marcis was running in 37th when he suffered a left rear tire failure entering turn 1. The casing of the tire removed itself from the car, causing Marcis to spin and hit the wall hard. The crash can be seen here. Marcis was OK, but done for the day.
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