2017 Pocono - Pocono 400 - Pre Race Thread

dpkimmel2001

dpkimmel2001

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EVENT SCHEDULE
Event Schedule times are local to the track

Thursday, June 8
6:00 - 8:00 PM MENCS HAULERS ENTER (EQUIPMENT UNLOAD)

Friday, June 9
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM MENCS GARAGE OPEN
10:00 AM MENCS ROOKIE MEETING, SPOTTER MEETING, & RANDOM DRAWING
11:00 AM - 12:25 PM MENCS 1ST PRACTICE
4:15 PM MENCS QUALIFYING

Saturday, June 10
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM MENCS GARAGE OPEN
11:30 AM - 12:25 PM MENCS FINAL PRACTICE

Sunday, June 11
9:30 AM MENCS GARAGE OPEN
1:00 PM MENCS DRIVER / CREW CHIEF MEETING
2:20 PM MENCS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
3:00 PM MENCS RACE

MENCS = Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
All event schedule times above are listed in LOCAL track time
 
Later start. Weekend early forecast looks OK.

SUNDAY
  • JUN 11

    74° /57°RealFeel® 77° / 56°
    Periods of sun and clouds
 
Bob said:
Later start. Weekend early forecast looks OK.

SUNDAY
  • JUN 11

    74° /57°RealFeel® 77° / 56°
    Periods of sun and clouds
Click to expand...

It's going to be much hotter than that. Everything I see point towards to a heat wave starting Sunday. I think it will be near 85-90 which usually means later afternoon thunderstorms. When it's Pocono week it means the weather will be a major factor....
 
kkfan91 said:
3 pm start at a track where it rains a lot and there are no lights....
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This is more tv related than anything.The tv networks have always complained about early starting time for sporting events impacting west coast ratings.That is why we have World Series games on east coast ending at midnight.
 
darlingtonfan said:
This is more tv related than anything.The tv networks have always complained about early starting time for sporting events impacting west coast ratings.That is why we have World Series games on east coast ending at midnight.
Click to expand...
But west coast ratings have always been dismal for NASCAR. Makes no sense.
 
kkfan91 said:
3 pm start at a track where it rains a lot and there are no lights....
Click to expand...

Sunset isn't til 8:30ish tho...

For the "fall" Pocono race followed by Watkins Glen both in early August, both with 3:15 start times, then sunset will be a some-what justified concern.
 
Speedbowl14 said:
Sunset isn't til 8:30ish tho...

For the "fall" Pocono race followed by Watkins Glen both in early August, both with 3:15 start times, then sunset will be a some-what justified concern.
Click to expand...
Yeah but you cut out a lot of wiggle room in case of rain since that's only 5 hours to sunset.
 
Who's excited to see them fly off into 1 with all of this low downforce and braking? :waver:

Anybody have any ideas on corner entry speed after that long straight?

Gonna be good. Love this track from a technical standpoint. Awesomeness.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
It's an opportunity for the drivers to demonstrate a skill that doesn't get showcased very often. For some drivers, it's another competitive advantage, like tire management or fuel mileage.
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You should see the skill I demonstrate each day on my drive to the office. My shifting skills are unbelievable. :D
 
TIRE CODES

Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials

Set limits:
Cup: 4 sets for practice, 1 set for qualifying and 7 sets for the race
Xfinity: 6 sets for the event

Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-4708; Right-side -- D-4710

Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 87.44 in. (2,221 mm) Right-side -- 88.23 in. (2,241 mm)

Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 18 psi Left Rear -- 18 psI
Right Front -- 41 psi Right Rear -- 37 psi

Storyline - Hybrid Track Requires a Hybrid Solution: Pocono Raceway is one of the most unique tracks on the NASCAR circuit. It has three distinct corners, each one based on a different race track - Turn 1 on the former Trenton Speedway, Turn 2 on Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Turn 3 on The Milwaukee Mile. The challenge that stands out for Goodyear is that the track is high speed, but is also relatively flat. Goodyear's tire set-up for Pocono features a left-side tire that helps the cars with grip, while the right-side tire features a hybrid construction with some characteristics of a short track tire (grip) and a speedway tire (durability). Goodyear held a tire test at Pocono for the 2016 season, and this tire set-up came out of that session.

Notes: Teams in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series will run the same tire set-up at Pocono this weekend . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires Cup teams ran twice at Pocono last season . . . Xfinity teams ran a different tire set-up at Pocono in 2016 . . . for Xfinity teams, compared to what was run last year, this left-side tire code (D-4708) features a compound change for more grip, while this right-side tire code (D-4710) has an increase in tread gage (thickness) to align with what is run in Cup . . . teams in both of these series also ran this right-side tire at Indianapolis last year, and will again this July . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners on all four tire positions at Pocono . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.
 
Note: All times are ET.

THURSDAY, JUNE 8:
ON TRACK
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
– 4-4:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, no TV (Follow live)
– 6-6:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, no TV (Follow live)
– 8-8:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, no TV (Follow live)

FRIDAY, JUNE 9:
ON TRACK
POCONO RACEWAY
– 11 a.m.- 12:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1 (Follow live)
– 1- 1:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS1 (Follow live)
– 3- 3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, FS1 (Follow live)
– 4 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole qualifying, FS1 (Follow live)

GARAGECAM (Watch live)
– 10:30 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
– 12:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series

TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
– 5:35 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole qualifying, no TV (Follow live)
– 8 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winstaronlinegaming.com 400 (167 laps, 250.5 miles), FS1 (Follow live)

SATURDAY, JUNE 10:
ON TRACK
POCONO RACEWAY
– 9:35 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole qualifying, FS1 (Follow live)
– 11:30 a.m.- 12:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, FS1 (Follow live)
– 1 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Pocono Green 250 (100 laps, 250 miles), FOX (Follow live)

SUNDAY, JUNE 11:
ON TRACK
POCONO RACEWAY
– 3 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Axalta presents the Pocono 400 (160 laps, 400 miles), FS1 (Follow live)
 
Pocono had had some solid races since the repave (weird, isn't it?), so I hope this will be good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bob
I only caught the tail end of his comment, but Harvick on his radio show last night said he thinks the Fords will shine this week with those Yates engines.
 
Wrangler1 said:
First trip to the Pocono mountains this week, any insider tips?
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Take an umbrella. That's always a must for a trip to the Pocono's.

Not sure if you're camping there or motel'ing it. If you're camping, stock up on everything before you get there. You are not in the meca of the shopping district close to that track.

If you got some time to kill..... Run over to Hickory Run State Park and follow the signs for Boulder Field. Talk about things that make you go hmmm. Maybe you can figure out how they got all them boulders up there on that mountain? :D
 
Wrangler1 said:
First trip to the Pocono mountains this week, any insider tips?
Click to expand...

Enjoy the area! Lots of awesome outdoor places if you like to hike and/or fish! There's a handful of worthy golf courses nearby that are worth playing. Jack Frost National is about 20 minutes and away and is one of the top public tracks in the state. The Crossings is a pretty sweet outlet store 20 minutes east of the track.

Traffic in and out of the track should not be much of problem. Once the attendants are in place everything flows quickly given the smaller crowds. Parking is free!! Pocono is a huge track/facility. If you're seats are low you'll have a limited view of the track but the pits will be right there. If you sit about row 30'ish you'll have a good to very good view of the track.

Pocono is easily one the more unique places in NASCAR. All the SMI and ISC tracks have a certain feel now. Even Martinsville has become "corporate" in many ways. Pocono is not like that. It's a huge track in the middle of nowhere. There's not many bells and whistles and the huge grandstand and bathroom facility is different. 15-20 years ago between the stands and infield Pocono was getting upwards of 175k people (due to the enormous infield). It was the Talladega of the north. The infield stories and parking lot tales are legendary. People couldn't get out until Monday morning (as in 9-10 am) in some cases. They kept 115 one lane until the late 90's. The traffic backups were absurd.
 
AXALTA PRESENTS THE POCONO 400 JUNE 9-11, 2017

Damned glad ole Pocono ain’t gone corporate.
 
KodiakRusty89 said:
Enjoy the area! Lots of awesome outdoor places if you like to hike and/or fish! There's a handful of worthy golf courses nearby that are worth playing. Jack Frost National is about 20 minutes and away and is one of the top public tracks in the state. The Crossings is a pretty sweet outlet store 20 minutes east of the track.

Traffic in and out of the track should not be much of problem. Once the attendants are in place everything flows quickly given the smaller crowds. Parking is free!! Pocono is a huge track/facility. If you're seats are low you'll have a limited view of the track but the pits will be right there. If you sit about row 30'ish you'll have a good to very good view of the track.

Pocono is easily one the more unique places in NASCAR. All the SMI and ISC tracks have a certain feel now. Even Martinsville has become "corporate" in many ways. Pocono is not like that. It's a huge track in the middle of nowhere. There's not many bells and whistles and the huge grandstand and bathroom facility is different. 15-20 years ago between the stands and infield Pocono was getting upwards of 175k people (due to the enormous infield). It was the Talladega of the north. The infield stories and parking lot tales are legendary. People couldn't get out until Monday morning (as in 9-10 am) in some cases. They kept 115 one lane until the late 90's. The traffic backups were absurd.
Click to expand...

yeah the place has it's own look and feel..I get it.
 
R Clarence said:
AXALTA PRESENTS THE POCONO 400 JUNE 9-11, 2017

Damned glad ole Pocono ain’t gone corporate.
Click to expand...

It's definitely not. Doc's kids have done an awesome job upgrading the track and the safety of it. It's a beautiful facility that's still very simple. It's modern but still feels like it's 1993 in a way.

Pocono imo is an awesome place. It has a long history with open wheel and stock racing in the is country. Not to mention modifieds back in day. Now it's home to a ton of sports car events throughout the year. It's simply a racetrack. Nothing more nothing less....
 
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KodiakRusty89 said:
Enjoy the area! Lots of awesome outdoor places if you like to hike and/or fish! There's a handful of worthy golf courses nearby that are worth playing. Jack Frost National is about 20 minutes and away and is one of the top public tracks in the state. The Crossings is a pretty sweet outlet store 20 minutes east of the track.

Traffic in and out of the track should not be much of problem. Once the attendants are in place everything flows quickly given the smaller crowds. Parking is free!! Pocono is a huge track/facility. If you're seats are low you'll have a limited view of the track but the pits will be right there. If you sit about row 30'ish you'll have a good to very good view of the track.

Pocono is easily one the more unique places in NASCAR. All the SMI and ISC tracks have a certain feel now. Even Martinsville has become "corporate" in many ways. Pocono is not like that. It's a huge track in the middle of nowhere. There's not many bells and whistles and the huge grandstand and bathroom facility is different. 15-20 years ago between the stands and infield Pocono was getting upwards of 175k people (due to the enormous infield). It was the Talladega of the north. The infield stories and parking lot tales are legendary. People couldn't get out until Monday morning (as in 9-10 am) in some cases. They kept 115 one lane until the late 90's. The traffic backups were absurd.
Click to expand...
Awesome!! Thanks for the feedback, I'm looking forward to it and hopefully some nice weather. Lived in NYS my entire life and ran out of excuses for not getting down there.
 
KodiakRusty89 said:
Enjoy the area! Lots of awesome outdoor places if you like to hike and/or fish! There's a handful of worthy golf courses nearby that are worth playing. Jack Frost National is about 20 minutes and away and is one of the top public tracks in the state. The Crossings is a pretty sweet outlet store 20 minutes east of the track.

Traffic in and out of the track should not be much of problem. Once the attendants are in place everything flows quickly given the smaller crowds. Parking is free!! Pocono is a huge track/facility. If you're seats are low you'll have a limited view of the track but the pits will be right there. If you sit about row 30'ish you'll have a good to very good view of the track.

Pocono is easily one the more unique places in NASCAR. All the SMI and ISC tracks have a certain feel now. Even Martinsville has become "corporate" in many ways. Pocono is not like that. It's a huge track in the middle of nowhere. There's not many bells and whistles and the huge grandstand and bathroom facility is different. 15-20 years ago between the stands and infield Pocono was getting upwards of 175k people (due to the enormous infield). It was the Talladega of the north. The infield stories and parking lot tales are legendary. People couldn't get out until Monday morning (as in 9-10 am) in some cases. They kept 115 one lane until the late 90's. The traffic backups were absurd.
Click to expand...

Ditto on everything. I've only been to Pocono three times but it just feels like a larger (much larger) version of a no-thrills short track. You park in a massive lot that's more like a meadow. You sit in no-thrills bleachers with just a few suites/the press box above you. The infield has a garage, campers, and minimal support buildings. The bathroom is legitimately impressive in its size, but again, no frills. Twenty feet from the end of the grandstand is forest. No track development. No condos. No strip malls/gas stations outside the track. Just a track in the middle of nowhere.

Go to the Indycar race. I'm not much of an open-wheel fan but Pocono and the Indy 500 are, imo, the last great American races. But that's another opinion for another thread...
 
If you're not in a seat with a chairback, they're worth renting for bleacher seats IMO. I think they're eight bucks or so. Just leave it there when the race is over, they collect them after. There's some fun stuff for kids outside the grandstand pre-race. They have go-karts set up in a little serpentine, there's a slide-for-life deal that the Army usually sets up for kids to try. Usually if you buy a program you get a diecast souvenir car with it, painted up with Pocono decals. Kinda cool. If you're in the grandstand you're likely going to get great views of pit stops. Bring binocs, there's always nice scenery down there too.

If you're low in the grandstand you're going to get a great vibe of the speeds they carry down that big straight, especially if you're up toward 1. They are about wide open on green laps where we sit up toward the first pit stall for the June race. It's a hell of a sight. I've seen grown men cackling like kids at their first race when they dig that big, hammerin freight train get rollin' on restarts right in front of you. Enjoy the heck out of it. Bring sunscreen. There is little to no shade and you will fry.
 
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