Poconos International Raceway

Poconos International Raceway is the old name for what is now called just Poconos Raceway. Apart from the NASCAR races, Pocono International Raceway is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as by racing schools. The rounded triangular track of the Poconos International Raceway also has three separate infield sections of racetrack - North Course, East Course and South Course, each of which uses a separate section of the tri-oval to complete the track.

Poconos International Raceway

The Poconos International Raceway was established in 1968 and has been thrilling motor racing fans with enthralling motorsport ever since. The Poconos International Raceway is located at Long Pond, Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountain Range, which is a sub-range of the Appalachian Mountains. It is conveniently situated for access from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

If you want to visit the races at the Poconos International Raceway, there are many hotels and rentals near-by or you could just throw up a tent on the Poconos International Raceway Campground where facilities include a swimming pool and non-stop auto racing. The exact location of the Poconos International Raceway at Long Pond is south of exit 284 (old exit 43 at Blakeslee) of Interstate 80, just east of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre region of Pennsylvania; then take the I-80 to exit 284 and travel south for a few miles until you see the Poconos International Raceway on your left.

The track is what is called a tri-oval. In other words it is a triangle with rounded corners. The Poconos International Raceway has the nickname of 'The Tricky Triangle'. Inside the tri-oval, there are three other sub-tracks, each having one side of the tri-oval as a section. This leads to quite a few variations as the sub-tracks can be linked and some of them can be run in either direction. They can even hold separate events concurrently.

The Poconos International Raceway has a unique design, but each of its bends is actually modelled on bends in other raceways. For example, Turn One, which has 14 degree banking, was modelled on the now no longer Trenton Speedway; Turn Two, also known as 'The Tunnel Turn', is similar to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with its 9 degree banking and Turn Tree is styled on the Milwaukee Mile with its 6 degree banking.

Although the Poconos International Raceway is called a tri-oval, many drivers and other experts point out that the corners are much more severe than more typical tri-ovals such as Daytona. In fact the turns are so severe that it is more like a triangle with the hair-pin bends of a mountain road course like Monte Carlo!

Furthermore, the three turns of the Poconos International Raceway are not the same as each other at all and neither are the three straights of the main track identical in length either. This is further complicated because the banking is considerably less than on comparable stretches of track. Restrictor plates are not needed here, because the reduced banking means overall slower speeds and consequent more use of the gears.

The unusual shape and characteristics of the Poconos International Raceway have led some enthusiasts to describe it as a 'roval'. Still others call it a modified road course, because of the increased use of the gears.

Whatever description you give the Poconos International Raceway, there is one that no one would argue with - challenging, very challenging.