Pocono Raceway Improvement Projects Continue

Pocono Raceway Improvement Projects Continue

October 4, 2011

Long Pond, PA. (October 4, 2011) ? On June 4, 2010 Pocono Raceway announced the Raceway was embarking on an expansive construction project directed to improve driver safety and enhance competition.  In the fall of 2010, more 5,500 feet of the new generation SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barrier was installed to the inside of the track from the exit of turn one to the entrance of turn three, and more than 6,100 feet of  catch fence added from the front straight to turn two. Today, Raceway President and CEO, Brandon Igdalsky announced the kick-off of phase two of the project that includes:  a new outer pit wall, concrete pit stalls and repaving of the 2.5 mile superspeedway, known as "The Tricky Triangle."

"We received input from a number of drivers, as well as, NASCAR Officials before making our final improvement plans," stated Igdalsky. "A new outer pit wall will replace the current pit wall and new concrete pit stalls will provide an excellent surface for pit stops and subsequent burn-outs. Our pit stalls are already among the largest on the circuit and our pit road is one of the widest and safest in NASCAR," Igdalsky added. "Pocono was last repaved in 1995 and all construction work will be completed prior to Pocono Raceway’s June 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event."

The 2012 Pocono Raceway schedule includes the June 10, Pocono 400 and the August 5, Pennsylvania 400, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events. An ARCA 200-mile race will be run on Saturday, June 9. An ARCA 125-mile race and a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 125-mile race will be run on Saturday, August 4.  NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pole Qualifying will also be conducted on the Saturday prior to each Sprint Cup Series event.

Renewal forms for 2012 tickets have been sent out to existing ticket holders. June 2011 ticket holders will receive a 10 percent discount on tickets ordered by October 31. August 2011 ticket holders will receive a 20 percent discount on tickets ordered by November 1 or a 10 percent discount on tickets ordered by December 31. Additionally, if race fans renew their tickets for the 2012 season by October 31, they will be automatically entered into a random drawing for two tickets to 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Banquet in Las Vegas on Friday, December 2 and $500 spending cash.

Road to a Miami Championship

The “Road to a Miami Championship” Heads to Delaware This Weekend

Race 3 in the Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup takes place at Dover before culminating at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 20

MIAMI— Tony Stewart may not have captured a win leading up to the Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup, but he is making up for it now. Stewart is two-for-two in NASCAR's “playoffs” after winning at New Hampshire and has taken over the Championship points lead.  In capturing his first two victories of 2011, Stewart became only the second driver to start the Chase with two consecutive wins. The first was in 2008 by Greg Biffle, who went on to finish third in that season’s championship points. Now, can he do the seemingly impossible? Stewart would be the first to open the Chase with three consecutive wins and it would be the first time in his career he has ever won three straight races. The driver of the No. 14 car is stalking a third NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. His championship runs in 2002 and 2005 at Homestead-Miami Speedway make him the only driver to win NASCAR’s biggest prize in both the pre-Chase and Chase era. Stewart is also trying to become the first driver/owner to win the Sprint Cup trophy since Alan Kulwicki accomplished the feat in 1992.

While Chase drivers around him ran out of gas at Loudon, Stewart had the fuel to go the distance and injected the Chase For The Sprint Cup Championship with a dose of dominance that has made him a formidable front-runner and a favorite to end five-time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson’s incredible run. Johnson has gotten off to a sluggish start in the Chase, falling to 10th in the standings after the first two Chase races and leading to questions about whether his reign as five-time champion is finally over.

Don’t count Johnson out of the Championship fight just yet. Johnson has overcome large deficits before to win the title, and rallied during the final two races last season to win the Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He has won three of the past five races at Dover and dominated the spring race there in May.

Every point matters and could be huge when it comes down to the Championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 20. Here’s a look at some notable Chase drivers and how they have fared on the “Road to a Miami Championship”:

Tony Stewart                     The current Championship points leader heads to Dover with two straight wins. Stewart also has four straight Top 10 finishes with three of those in the Top 5. This torrid pace has made him a legitimate championship contender.

Carl Edwards                      The defending Ford 400 winner at Homestead-Miami Speedway has recorded five consecutive Top 10 finishes to keep his NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship hopes alive.

Brad Keselowski              The reigning NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway has put together an impressive streak of his own lately. Keselowski has eight Top 10 results in his last nine races, and the other finish was 12^th. His runner-up finish last week at Loudon put him in the thick of the Championship race.

Expect these drivers to take this momentum into Delaware this weekend. The drama, excitement and anticipation of NASCAR’s Chase For The Sprint Cup Championship “playoff” system has begun—the winner of which will be crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway during Ford Championship Weekend for a 10th consecutive season Nov. 18-20.

NASCAR Preseason Thunder,

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR Preseason Thunder, the annual three-day NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test session at Daytona International Speedway in advance of the prestigious season-opening 54th annual Daytona 500, will be held on Jan. 12-14.

All NASCAR Preseason Thunder test sessions begin at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m., weather permitting. Each includes a lunch break from noon until 1 p.m.
Race fans can also rev up their new year at the NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fest – the companion event to the January test sessions. Along with watching NASCAR Preseason Thunder track activity from the Sprint FANZONE, fans can enjoy two Fan Fest driver sessions – from 5-9 p.m., on Thursday, Jan. 12 and from 5-7 p.m., on Friday, Jan. 13.

The schedule of driver question-and-answer and autograph sessions will be finalized closer to the event. Tickets for the NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fest, which include autograph session wristbands, will be available for purchase at a later date. For fans who would like to be contacted regarding NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fest ticket information can sign up online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/thunder

Fans can also watch each day’s testing at no cost from a section of the Oldfield Grandstands.

“NASCAR Preseason Thunder is an important opportunity for teams to acquire vital on-track data as they prepare for the sport’s biggest, richest and most prestigious race of the year – the Daytona 500,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. “It’s also exciting time for race fans who are anxious to see their favorite drivers and teams preparing for the new NASCAR season.”

The Roar Before The Rolex 24, the tune-up session for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series teams in advance of the historic 50th anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, is scheduled for Jan. 6-8.

Information on tickets for both the NASCAR Preseason Thunder and the Roar Before The Rolex 24 will be available online at http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.