There are superspeedways, intermediate tracks, short tracks, and then there’s Pocono Raceway. Undoubtedly, it is the most unorthodox Oval track on the NASCAR Cup Series calendar. Its three turns of different banking angles have long confounded drivers. This year won’t be any different. Stewart-Haas Racing driver Noah Gragson recently spoke about the challenges of driving on the three-corner Oval in a recent media interaction.
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As per the #10 driver, you can only set up the car to run optimally in two of the three corners. Running the whole track perfectly is a massive challenge because of the different banking angles. The first turn has 14 degrees of banking, the second has eight and the third has six. This second turn, also known as the ‘Tunnel Turn’, is the most challenging of them all as per Gragson.
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“It’s just super flat as far as banking, and you’re pretty hammer down through there. It’s all timing. You might touch the brake, barely. You carry a lot of speed, and you have to be right with your steering input,” he said as per Speedway Digest.
The drivers carry a lot of speed into the flat turns, so if a driver fails to turn in at the right time, they would have to step on the brakes. This can cost them track position and if in traffic, lead to a big wreck. However, it is not impossible to navigate the track perfectly.
What does it take to master Pocono Raceway?
A popular saying in motorsports is that a driver has to be at one with their car. Gragson believes that is the only way one can perfectly run at Pocono. Driving in such intense conditions comes down to a driver’s feel of the track and their race craft. If those two are on point, even Pocono Raceway can be mastered.
“Just trying to get the car handling right all the way around the racetrack and feeling good about it is hard. All the corners are important, and you really have to be good in all of them, and if you get your car dialed in, you can get all three pretty good,” Gragson explained.
It’s safe to say that Sunday’s race will be one hell of a challenge for everyone involved. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top and masters the three-turn Oval.
