The Frontstretch Newsletter: Rain Alters Friday Pocono Schedule

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THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER

Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Jun. 3, 2016

Volume X, Edition LXXXVII

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What to Watch: Friday

- Today, the Sprint Cup Series is scheduled to practice and qualify at Pocono Raceway for Sunday's Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400.  Weather permitting, of course.  The ARCA Racing Series is also scheduled to race 200 miles at 5:45 p.m.

FOLLOW THE FRONTSTRETCH THIS WEEKEND AT POCONO THROUGH OUR COLLEAGUES:

 

Tom Bowles (@NASCARBowles)

Zach Catanzareti (@ZachRacing)

Joseph Wolkin (@JosephNASCAR)

  

and our own Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates!

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This weekend's TV Schedule can be found here.

Top News
by The Frontstretch Staff

Sprint Cup Practice Halted Due To Weather After Just 15 Minutes

Carl Edwards led an abbreviated practice session at Pocono Raceway for the Sprint Cup Series. Edwards, who came close to cracking the 180 mph barrier for average speed was one of only 28 drivers who hit the track before a rain shower cut short the session. With weather threatening to wash out the rest of on-track activity NASCAR has decided this practice was "not enough" and will set the field for Sunday according to owner points and attempts as lined out in the NASCAR rule book should qualifying also get rained out. Read more

 

Joe Gibbs Racing Sweeps XFINITY Series Practice Sessions at Pocono

Thursday, the XFINITY Series held two practices to acclimatize teams to the 2.5-mile scalene triangle.  Despite the new venue, the Joe Gibbs Racing trio continues to dominate as they have during a stretch of recent races.  Kyle Busch was fastest in the first session, while Erik Jones was fastest in the second.  Read more

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Frontstretch Folio: Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400

by Phil Allaway

This weekend, the Sprint Cup Series returns to Northeastern Pennsylvania for their first visit of the year to Pocono Raceway.  Coverage of the Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 can be seen on FOX Sports 1 starting at 11:30 a.m. ET Sunday while the green flag is scheduled to fly around 1:20.  Don't be surprised if that time is moved up or back due to weather; currently, the forecast calls for a 100% chance of rain in the area.  The race can be heard on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Records and facts

In last year's Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400, Martin Truex, Jr. dominated much of the race.  He led 97 laps, including 66 of the final 67 circuits to win his third career Sprint Cup Series race.  His margin of victory was 1.346 seconds over Kevin Harvick in second.  Jimmie Johnson was third, followed by Joey Logano and Kurt Busch.

Among active drivers, Denny Hamlin has the most victories at Pocono with four.  They include a sweep during his rookie year in 2006.  Bobby Labonte and Jimmie Johnson are tied with three apiece, but Labonte is not entered this weekend.  Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch each have a pair of Pocono wins.

All-time, Jeff Gordon stands alone with six career wins at Pocono for the most all-time.  Bill Elliott has five wins, then you have Hamlin, Darrell Waltrip and Tim Richmond with four each.  Johnson, Bobby Labonte, Geoff Bodine and Bobby Allison have three each.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 2.5-mile tri-oval, 160 laps (400 laps)
Banking: 14 degrees in Turn 1, 8 degrees in Turn 2, 6 degrees in Turn 3.
Frontstretch: 3,740 ft., flat

Long Pond Straightaway: 3,055 ft., flat

North Straight: 1,780 ft., flat

Grandstand Seating: 70,000
Pit Road Speed: 55 mph
Pace Car Speed: 65 mph
Opened: 1971 (first Cup race in 1974)

Website: http://www.poconoraceway.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/poconoraceway

Twitter: http://twitter.com/poconoraceway

Pre-Race Schedule:

Practice No. 1: Friday, June 3, 11 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. on FOX Sports 1

Qualifying: Friday, June 3 at 4:15 p.m. on FOX Sports 1

Happy Hour: Saturday, May 28, 1 - 1:50 p.m. on FOX Sports 1

Say What?!

"I haven’t raced at Pocono a lot. I’ve run just a couple of ARCA races there. I’m looking forward to getting back there though. It’s been a few years since I’ve run at that track. It’s a neat place and very unique. It’s nothing like you see anywhere else with the three turns. I think getting there will be a big refresher. I’m looking forward to getting back and getting in that swing." - Chase Elliott

"I think the track probably still has a lot of grip because it’s so recently paved, but the low-downforce package has been fun everywhere we’ve gone so far, so I anticipate it being even more enjoyable. We just want the cars to be slicker, harder to drive and slower with more off-throttle time. When we get there for the Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400, it’ll be interesting to see how much the track has changed in the last year because of how harsh the winters are there." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

"I just love driving at Pocono. I love shifting through the corners. I love the area – it’s beautiful. They bring such a good crowd. The fans in the northeast are just really avid race fans. I just really look forward to going to Pocono... it's hard to pick a corner to focus on. For passing cars, you want to get off of turn 3 really well. And I feel like for speed and just making good time over the course of a run, it just seems to be really beneficial to get off of turn 2 well. That ‘tunnel turn’ is just such a momentum corner. And it’s hard to pass into turn 3, but if you have a really good car off of turn 2, it makes it a lot easier to pass someone on that part of the track." - Landon Cassill

Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com.  He can be reached via e-mail at ashl...@mail.com.

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TODAY ON FRONTSTRETCH:

 

4 Burning Questions: How Important Are Pocono’s Safety Improvements?

by Zach Catanzareti

 

Tech Talk: Matt McCall Talks Tires, Fuel Strategy & Rule Adaptations

by Mike Neff

Holding a Pretty Wheel: Seeing the (Day)Light

by Amy Henderson

 

Friday Faceoff: Are the Toyotas Peaking Too Soon?
by the Frontstretch Staff

 

NASCAR 101: 3 Old School Owner-Drivers
by Kevin Rutherford

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: The Verizon IndyCar Series is due to race the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway in August.  It will be their fourth race at the facility.  CART raced at Pocono, but left after 1989.  Why?

Check back tomorrow for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!

Thursday's Answer:

Q: Here's an easy one. Which famous Hall of Fame NASCAR driver saw his career come to an end at Pocono with a vicious crash during the 1988 Cup season?

A: Sadly, that was Bobby Allison.  On the first lap of the 1988 Miller High Life 500, Allison felt that he had a tire going down.  His plan was to drive carefully back to the pits and pull in at the end of the first lap for a change.  Approaching the Tunnel Turn, the tire blew, sending Allison spinning through the grass.  He then came back across the track at high speed and was hit in the drivers' door by Jocko Maggiacomo.  The race was aired on pay-per-view at the time, but footage from an episode of Speedweek on ESPN and CNN Sports Tonight can be seen here.

Allison suffered multiple injuries in the crash and spent 80 days in the hospital.  Once that was complete, he had to essentially re-learn how to live.  Recovery was a multi-year process for the then 50-year-old racer.  He never raced again, but also never officially retired.

Also of note, former Frontstretch writer Brock Beard posted a look at the situation from Maggiacomo's point of view earlier this week.  While this wasn't Maggiacomo's last start in Winston Cup, he never raced in Cup beyond 1988.

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COMING MONDAY

In The Frontstretch Newsletter:

We'll have recaps of the Sprint Cup and XFINITY series events from Pocono Raceway.  There will also be an update on the points and any other news that breaks.

On Frontstretch.com:

We'll have a series of post-race commentaries analyzing this weekend's action in Pocono and Detroit.

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