Motorsports
NASCAR returns to Pocono Raceway
Starting in 1982 and continuing through 2019, NASCAR would stage two race weekends per summer at Pocono Raceway with one in early June and the other in late July or early August. Then in 2020-21, the pandemic led to holding Cup series races on back-to-back days, and with restrictions in place, the crowds were drastically […]

Starting in 1982 and continuing through 2019, NASCAR would stage two race weekends per summer at Pocono Raceway with one in early June and the other in late July or early August.
Then in 2020-21, the pandemic led to holding Cup series races on back-to-back days, and with restrictions in place, the crowds were drastically reduced.
However, when NASCAR decided to visit Pocono just once per season, starting in 2022, it settled on a July date. The Cup race was held on July 24 in 2022, July 23 in 2023, and July 14 last year, and the crowds for all three were some of the best seen in Long Pond, Monroe County, in years.
When NASCAR decided to go back to a June date this year, there might have been some cause for concern that it could negatively affect attendance.
As it turned out, those worries weren’t necessary.
NASCAR makes its annual stop at the so-called Tricky Triangle this weekend, and the place figures to be packed.
Pocono Raceway announced earlier this month that all 3,300 available camping sites were sold for the weekend’s three races. The same release said that grandstand tickets were available for Friday’s Craftsman Truck Series race and Saturday’s Xfinity Series race.
But limited seats remained for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race as the track is hoping for, and likely to get, a third consecutive sellout.
“I liked the July date, but NASCAR sets the schedule and we work together on that, and I think we’ve found a pretty good window here for race weekend,” Pocono Raceway president Ben May said. “The nice part is that the kids are out of school by now. As far as the kids go, and our push for families to come with free admission for kids 12 and under, I think we’re fine. Any earlier in June would have been a little tough. But this is a pretty good time of year for us.”
NASCAR has increasingly added new venues to its schedule, and there has been a reduction in races in the Northeast.
“At one point we had seven Cup races in the Northeast … two at Pocono, two at Dover, two at New Hampshire, and one at Watkins Glen, and now we have just one race at each spot,” May said. “We’re all doing great. Dover had close to a sellout last year, and New Hampshire did, and Watkins Glen always has a great crowd. So we feel good about everything that’s happening here in the Northeast.”
Since track founders, the late Dr. Joseph and Dr. Rose Mattioli, turned over leadership of the track to their grandsons, Brandon and Nick Igdalsky, in 2011, and May was promoted to president in 2017, there has been a steady stream of upgrades and improvements to the track and the raceday experience.
This year, it is the modernization of the scoreboard in Turn 2 that is the most visible to the campers inside the track.
“It was a bit dated,” May said. “It had just the six positions and was the old bulb system. Now, it’s an LED board, and I think that’s probably the glaring thing folks will notice when they get there.”
Depending on when they get there, racing fans will be treated to up to three races with the truck series race, the Xfinity race and the Cup race spread out over three days.
“I think the tripleheader is a big deal,” he said. “I think there are only 10 tracks that have all three series on a weekend. We have a 5:30 truck series race on Friday night, so if you can get out of work and get to the track, you can enjoy a top-notch race. You can have fun watching the truck series.
“At one point, we had both the Truck Series and the Xfinity Series race on Saturday. Not that there’s any such thing as too much racing, but we missed some action in the Fan Zone where the kids can have some fun and partake in the fan experience. Spreading them out to having one race Friday and another on Saturday is better for all involved.
“We’ve also got the Cup series practices and qualifying on Saturday, so you can see NASCAR’s superstars as well as the Triple-A ballplayers, if you well. And then we have a ton of those kids’ activities as well on Saturday, so it’s still a very busy day, and kudos to NASCAR for having three competitive series …”
The Cup series has been quite competitive with 10 different drivers finding Victory Lane through the first 16 races.
James Gilbert/Getty Images
Ryan Blaney celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VISITPA.com at Pocono Raceway on July 14, 2024 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
New names have emerged to replace the icons of past decades. Ryan Blaney, last year’s race winner and the 2023 Cup series champ, is one of the younger drivers who are consistently contending for race wins and championships.
“I’ve been around this sport long enough to recognize when you see a shift,” May said. “When I first got into this sport, it was Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon. And then you see Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson retiring, and it’s cyclical like any other sport. Eventually, the superstar athletes retire.
“Now we have Christopher Bell winning a bunch of races. He’s a heck of a driver, and when it comes to Pocono, it seems like the veterans are the ones who win. Ryan Blaney won last year, and he is now a veteran, and Chase Elliott has been in this sport for 10 years, and he hasn’t had a win yet this year.
“But it’s the Christopher Bells and William Byrons, the kids that are going to be the next superstars,” May added. “They have proven that they can drive a race car.”
May also likes some of the things happening off the track. He credits the Netflix series that reminds football fans of NFL Films for boosting interest. He is also excited about the addition of Amazon Prime.
There’s also an in-season tournament being introduced for the first time this year, with Pocono being the last race for seeding for the tournament.
At the core of the sport’s popularity is still the accessibility of fans to the athletes, and Pocono creates a lot of up-close and personal moments.
“It’s absolutely one of the biggest advantages we have as a sport,” May said. “The drivers will come out on raceday and they’ll do Q-and-As and they will sign autographs and they will talk to the fans.
“And then 20 minutes later, you see them do 200 miles an hour with their hair on fire. So that ability to get near them is so big. A lot of sports do a great job, but NASCAR is at the lead of that. Not a lot of folks can say they have had a Q-and-A with Saquon Barkley 30 minutes before kickoff. It just didn’t happen. That’s the beauty of our sport.”
And perhaps there is no more loyal sports fan than a NASCAR fan.
“I go back to the Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson days when Jimmie Johnson was in a Lowe’s car and Tony Stewart was in the Home Depot car,” May said. “Tony’s fans weren’t going to Lowe’s, and there was no way a Jimmie Johnson fan was going to Home Depot. The fans understand what it takes to keep their favorite driver on the track and going fast. They have a true understanding of what makes the ecosystem of NASCAR work.”
Another aspect of the weekend is the promotion of the Poconos. The Xfinity race is called the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250, and the Cup race is called the Great American Getaway presented by VisitPA.com.
“The visitors bureau of the Poconos sponsors the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250, and that’s a massive boost to the area at a time when we’re just kicking off summer here and our No. 1 business is tourism,” May said. “The support we get from that group has been terrific, and the state tourism office has been wonderful in making sure people come to Pennsylvania. You know Doc Mattioli was a Pennsylvania guy, and so was Dr. Rose. They’re from Pennsylvania and cared about the state.
“That’s why one race was called the Pennsylvania 500 and the other was called the Pocono 500 for years,” May added. “The whole family is proud to be from Pennsylvania, and we’re a family-owned and operated business. So we love highlighting the Poconos and Pennsylvania with our race weekend.”