Pocono Odds & Ends: Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500

compiled by Mike Forde
NASCAR Media Services

History

• Pocono Raceway held the first race on the 2.5-mile track in 1971.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was in 1974.

Notebook

• There have been 65 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono.
• There was one race from 1974 through 1981, and two per year since.
• All NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono have been scheduled for 500 miles.
• Buddy Baker won the first pole.There have been 36 different pole winners, including David Pearson who won the pole there in June 1984 but did not race; 15 drivers have more than one pole there.
• 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.
• 28 different drivers have won races at Pocono, led by Bill Elliott, with five victories; 20 drivers have won more than once there.
• There have been six season sweeps at Pocono, the last by Denny Hamlin in 2006.
• Bobby Allison and Tim Richmond each won three consecutive races at Pocono.
• 47 of 65 Pocono races have been won from a top-10 start.
• The June 2005 race was won by Carl Edwards from the 29th starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started.
• Rick Hendrick leads all car owners with 11 Pocono victories.
• Mark Martin leads all drivers in top fives (19) and top 10s (32), but has yet to win at Pocono. His best finish was second, six times (most recently in August 2004).
• Denny Hamlin (8.6) and Jimmie Johnson (9.5) are the only active drivers to average a top-10 finish.

Pocono Raceway Data
Race #: 21 of 36 (8-1-10)
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

Driver Rating at Pocono
Denny Hamlin 119.1
Kurt Busch 103.7
Jimmie Johnson 103.7
Tony Stewart 101.4
Carl Edwards 98.5
Jeff Gordon 96.1
Mark Martin 95.8
Ryan Newman 94.5
Kasey Kahne 92.0
Kevin Harvick 90.1
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2010 races (11 total) at Pocono.

Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: None (inclement weather)
2009 race winner: Denny Hamlin, 126.396 mph, 8-3-09)
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)


Estimated Pit Window: Every 28-30 laps, based on fuel mileage.

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