The Pocono Model

[scottgarrity07]

Kinda funny that at Pocono they are not tearing down granstands, putting up huge banners over empty seats or painting chairs all different colors to make it look like people are in empty seats. True, there were some empty seats Sunday, but nowhere near as bad as everywhere else the Cup series runs. Why? Because of great racing. I used to live just about an equal drive to New Hampshire, Dover and Pocono. New Hampshire and Dover were always snoozefests. After a while I would just go to Pocono. It is one unique track that gives the fan elements of superspeedway, road course and short track racing. All in one event! Plenty of passing, drafting, and paint trading. You don't get that aero push crap (scourge of the mile and a half cookie cutters) when you sail down a long straightaway and have to whoa the car down for a near flat corner. Turn one is a true speedway turn, turn two like a road course and turn three a flat tight radius short track corner. Maybe the racing is good because you can't set the car up perfectly for 3 very different turns. It's awesome to see passing and tight packs of cars without the phoney baloney restrictor plate contrived competition. Restarts are cool as cars fan out 4-5 wide on that huge frontstretch. When push comes to shove, turn 3 is a great spot for the old bump n run move. Funny how it just might be the perfect NASCAR track, when it was originally designed for Indycars. It's become one of the handful of Cup races that I actually look forward to watching anymore.

[OldSchool+]

Scott, I just have to disagree.

Without a caution there is no passing, and in fact within 5 laps the cars are lucky if they can see who they are chasing.

Led the race, had a bad pit stop, now you are in 12th? Welcome to the world of 12th, that is it for you.

Still am glad that you have had great experiences and have great memories.

In general, I think you like bigger tracks than I do, and that is certainly your prerogative.

I would suggest that the fans in the area support racing, and although they turn out, many more may come to a shorter, more exciting venue.

I do agree that it is better than restrictor plate racing, and support flattening the banks at talledega & daytona. But I believe all three would be better still if they ran them through a road course in the infield, or at least a chicane somewhere...

[Matt Albee]

Kinda funny that at Pocono they are not tearing down granstands, putting up huge banners over empty seats or painting chairs all different colors to make it look like people are in empty seats. True, there were some empty seats Sunday, but nowhere near as bad as everywhere else the Cup series runs. Why? Because of great racing. I used to live just about an equal drive to New Hampshire, Dover and Pocono. New Hampshire and Dover were always snoozefests. After a while I would just go to Pocono. It is one unique track that gives the fan elements of superspeedway, road course and short track racing. All in one event! Plenty of passing, drafting, and paint trading. You don't get that aero push crap (scourge of the mile and a half cookie cutters) when you sail down a long straightaway and have to whoa the car down for a near flat corner. Turn one is a true speedway turn, turn two like a road course and turn three a flat tight radius short track corner. Maybe the racing is good because you can't set the car up perfectly for 3 very different turns. It's awesome to see passing and tight packs of cars without the phoney baloney restrictor plate contrived competition. Restarts are cool as cars fan out 4-5 wide on that huge frontstretch. When push comes to shove, turn 3 is a great spot for the old bump n run move. Funny how it just might be the perfect NASCAR track, when it was originally designed for Indycars. It's become one of the handful of Cup races that I actually look forward to watching anymore.

I think we all know that Pocono isn't going to make it for long without adapting NASCARs lastest business model. As Brian France is about to demonstrate, no track can hope to survive without re-naming their entrances " injectors ". And you have to offer vertical transporters (normal people call them escalators ), and neighborhoods ( places for people to mill around aimlessly while NOT watching the race but while getting drunk ) spaced at strategic intervals.
I also like Pocono but it sure does string out the cars after a few laps. On a not unrelated topic, i was listening on the radio to MRN and heard an announcer say " Jimmy Johnson is nearing the front now, he's just moved into 23rd place ".

[scottgarrity07]

@ Old School

I think we were watching a different race! I saw a lot of passing. Yes, on any big track on a long green run things will get spread out. But tire wear from flat high speed turns and pit strategy make it less so at Pocono. I'm not a fan of big track racing. It is usually very boring. I'll only plan to watch Martinsville and Bristol (both disappointing as of late), Daytona and Talladega (both disappointing as of late), Watkins Glen and Pocono. I agree that a race through the infield road course would probably be more exciting at most places. But let's face it, NASCAR ain't ever gonna do that or flatten the banks at Daytona or Talladega or go back to a predominantly short track schedule. Rockingham and North Wilkesboro were great tracks that are forever gone. They way we'd like to see things are not likely to happen. Pocono is unique and because of that the" big track" racing there is better than the others. In a room full of homely girls, Pocono is kinda cute.

[scottgarrity07]

I think that's the charm of Pocono, Matt. It's "old school" (pun intended). No gimmicks. No lights, no condos, no luxury skyboxes. Just racin' on a track that's very demanding of driver skill. It must piss Brian France off to see a simple throwback track like Pocono with it's nearly full grandstand while all of the "palaces" ISC owns are half empty. But he'll still never get it, like his dad and granddad did.

[OldSchool+]

"...let's face it, NASCAR ain't ever gonna do that or flatten the banks at Daytona or Talladega or go back to a predominantly short track schedule. Rockingham and North Wilkesboro were great tracks that are forever gone. They way we'd like to see things are not likely to happen."--Scott

Agreed (heavy sigh...).

It is kind of frustrating though.

The Christmas tree keeps falling over and rather than fixing the tree stand they swap out the tinsel...

[scottgarrity07]

Kind of unrelated and not to bum you out but another thing I miss is the old Busch Series races on TNN. Unlike "Nationwide", the old Busch Series would companion the Cup cars for half the schedule. The other half were great short track races at places like Myrtle Beach, Hickory, IRP, South Boston, Oxford, Orange County (NC) and Nashville. I miss how that Series had it's own stars like Tommy Houston, Jack Ingram, Morgan Shepherd, Tommy Ellis, Butch Miller, Sam Ard, Bosco Lowe, Larry Pearson, etc. And those wonderfully annoying mosquito Buick V6 engines...

[kendo]

I think that's the charm of Pocono, Matt. It's "old school" (pun intended). No gimmicks. No lights, no condos, no luxury skyboxes. Just racin' on a track that's very demanding of driver skill. It must piss Brian France off to see a simple throwback track like Pocono with it's nearly full grandstand while all of the "palaces" ISC owns are half empty. But he'll still never get it, like his dad and granddad did.

Heck,from the overhead shot,looks like they still park in the mud...

Attended my 1st cup race at Pocono back in 1986.It was good racing but of course the cast of characters were different.What we wouldn't do to see Earnhardt,Richmond,Elliott,Rudd,Petty,DW,and the Allisons battle it out once again

[OldSchool+]

Great list of great drivers, Scott.

"And those wonderfully annoying mosquito Buick V6 engines..."

Man, when you think about what those things cost, how often they detonated, and what the purses were, it must have cost those guys (and/or their teams) a fortune.

[scottgarrity07]

Yeah, I think that's why they went bye-bye. But they were really different sounding. I hated them when I first heard them, but I miss them now!

[egspeedway]

Kind of unrelated and not to bum you out but another thing I miss is the old Busch Series races on TNN. Unlike "Nationwide", the old Busch Series would companion the Cup cars for half the schedule. The other half were great short track races at places like Myrtle Beach, Hickory, IRP, South Boston, Oxford, Orange County (NC) and Nashville. I miss how that Series had it's own stars like Tommy Houston, Jack Ingram, Morgan Shepherd, Tommy Ellis, Butch Miller, Sam Ard, Bosco Lowe, Larry Pearson, etc. And those wonderfully annoying mosquito Buick V6 engines...

Unfortunately the entire NASCAR program is driven by sponsors and their rolling billboards. That coupled with manufacturer demands for parity have left little wiggle room for NASCAR and the track fan and TV fan be damned. You will have to watch what we provide or go elsewhere. It seems they are going elsewhere in alarming numbers and will be difficult to woo back under the current thinking. In my opinion it will take a major shift in the basic product and that is not likely. Would love to see more dirt programs and while the live crowd will be smaller the TV crowd could become spectacular.

[scottgarrity07]

Kendo, my first Cup race was that summer too, only at Watkins Glen. Our campsite was right against the fence on the backstretch (before they put in the chicane) and boy did the cars carry some speed by our "home". IROC, Trans-Am and American Challenge Series cars on Saturday, Winston Cup on Sunday. What a weekend.

[luke81]

Pocono looks fuller because they have have less capacity than most other tracks. There's somewhere around 70,000 seats. They have a similar amount of seats to the much, much smaller Richmond. I like Pocono, sort of. It would be a good once-a-year venue. When I lived up there we used to go to both races every year plus the ARCA race, so I've probably been there a dozen times or more. When there is a yellow there is a short burst of good racing. When you get a long green run there's not much to see. Pocono used to have an excellent infield party, until they cracked down on it one of the last years i was there.

[scottgarrity07]

Luke81, that is true but Talladega has been downsized to 78,000, Michigan to 72,000, and Homestead, Phoenix, Martinsville, Chicago and California all seat less and seem to have way more empty space in the grandstands than Pocono. I'd take a 3rd date at Pocono if you could take Kansas, Chicago, Texas, Kentucky and/or Las Vegas off the schedule. Lol. I was in the infield at Pocono in the early 90's and it was WILD. Not exactly family friendly. Lol.

[egspeedway]

At the rate they are shrinking the seating it won't be long and Bristol will have the largest capacity. If the France boys (Big Bill/Bill Jr. were men) had any cajones they would cover Bristol in clay and see how many people come to see and see what the TV ratings are as well. Oops I just woke up from napping.