Pocono Raceway

Three-cornered Pocono Raceway often resembles The Bermuda Triangle, rather than a speedway in the Pennsylvania countryside.

Triangular-shaped Pocono Raceway is perhaps the most distinctive on the Nextel Cup circuit. The 2.5-mile superspeedway features three unique corners which don't resemble each other in the slightest. Accordingly, setting up a stock car to negotiate Pocono Raceway is a series of trade-offs and compromises.

A car that will roll smoothly through 14-degree-banked Turn 1 might have trouble in Turn 2 (the Tunnel Turn), which flattens out to 8 degrees. The most critical corner, though, is No. 3, a tight turn banked at 6 degrees. It is absolutely imperative that the car carry momentum into the 3,740-foot frontstretch, but then again, a car that's set up for an ideal exit from Turn 3 won't be perfect in Turn 1.

Over the years, Nextel Cup drivers have learned to incorporate road racing skills into their repertoires at Pocono Raceway. It is now commonplace to shift gears during a trip around the 2.5-mile track, which opened in 1968 on Long Pond Road, just off of Highway 115, south of I-80.

Richard Petty won the first Winston Cup race held at the track, the 1974 Purolator 500. Tony Stewart holds the qualifying record of 172.391 mph, set during time trials for the 2000 Pocono 500. Bill Elliott has won five times at Pocono Raceway, which annually hosts Cup races in June and July. Wallace, Darrell Waltrip and the late Tim Richmond are tied for second with four wins each.

It was once said that this track was built by committee, with its three turn triangle, each with a different radius and angle.

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