Pocono: Round 14 preview

Like no other: Pocono Raceway one-of-a-kind driving challenge

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 7, 2005) -- There's nothing quite like Pocono Raceway on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series schedule, which is, of course, one of the track's strengths.

Pocono's 2.5-mile, triangular course in Eastern Pennsylvania challenges with three very different turns, three very different straightaways and nowhere to cruise. It keeps drivers chasing the perfect line, and teams pushing a car's limits.

"If there's a guy who can get all three of those corners right, then that's the guy who's going to win the race," said Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet), who has one Pocono victory, in the spring of 2003.

The most mentioned of Pocono's three turns is Turn 2, or "the tunnel turn." It boasts the tightest fit of all three turns, which are unique in their own right: Pocono is the only track on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule with three turns of different radius and degrees of banking.

"You're never going to be perfect at Pocono, but you always try," said Kyle Petty (No. 45 Brawny/Georgia-Pacific Dodge), another Pocono winner (spring of 1993) "It's like that Rubik's Cube you played with when you were a kid. You might get three or four sides right, but no matter how hard you tried you just couldn't get it perfect. That's a lot of what you feel at Pocono."

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