The unique 2.5-mile tri-oval at Pocono International Raceway, with its long straightaways between three very different corners, has fascinated Michael Waltrip since he first saw it in 1986.
“When I was about 21 years old, I remember watching the drivers go into Turn 1, and they went in there for what seemed like forever,” Waltrip said. “The drivers were wide open all the way into the middle of the corner. It was a learning experience watching.
“I went on to try it. When I finally caught my breath about an inch away from the wall, I thought to myself how different sound travels. The sound was a little bit delayed. …
“As for the front straightaway, it is pretty impressive too. There comes a point when you start looking down at your gauges and your engine because that thing is screaming. It has you wondering if your engine can make it the whole way down there. It feels like it is going to fly apart.”
Sunday will be his 44th NASCAR Sprint Cup start at the Pennsylvania track and Waltrip, who has finished as high as second there, is still finding it a challenging place to race.
“It is so fun to drive,” he said. “I like the challenge.
“The crews also have a challenge because each corner is a little bit different. The driver has a challenge because he has to understand that he has a setup that is going to be the same one in all three corners so he is going to have to drive the car a little bit different to make it work.”
And, as long as the Pocono track has been around, there always seems to be something different about it.
“Recently, they put a patch in Turn 3,” Waltrip said. “I went jogging around the track before we tested (last week). I figured everyone was going to drive along that patch because it is a car-width wide. It is way out of the groove, but it is fresh pavement.
“Sure enough, we all ended up running around that fresh pavement up high. I think when you see the race on Sunday you are going to see an interesting line off of Turn 3. Drivers will be trying to get on the patch and they will try and go under the patch. It is going to be fun to see how it is going to work out.”
One of Waltrip’s former teammates see it a little different.
“We had a good test, but I feel that the track needs to be repaved,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has 16 starts at Pocono. “It’s real, real rough, and you are just bouncing all over the place in the car. They paved this little strip in Turn 3 in the third groove, and we’re all running around on it and it had a lot of grip. They need to do the entire track over.
“It’s a tough track,” he added. “You carry a ton of speed into the corner in Turn 1. It’s like you’re going 205 mph and have to brake for a 90-degree turn. … I think it will be a long race, like normal at Pocono — not many cautions and single-car lines.”
DIFFERENT RESULTS, SAME GOAL: Last year, Jeff Gordon dominated the “regular season” in Cup — the 26 races that determine the 12 drivers eligible for the 10-race Chase for the championship. Once the Chase began, Gordon’s 312-point lead was wiped away and, in the end, he finished second to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson.
The four-time Cup champion won the June Pocono race last year, his fourth of six wins in 2007, and was well ahead in the points by then. So far this season, Gordon has no wins and goes into the Pocono race sixth in the standings. He insists he isn’t worried.
“Our goal each year is to be in the Chase,” Gordon said. “We’ve had an up-and-down season so far, but we’ve had a string of good finishes recently and we need to keep building on that.
“While we were focused on the championship battle last year, the competition was able to focus on 2008, and that allowed them to get ahead of us a little bit. But with the Chase, you can be a little off right now and still be a threat for the championship.
“We’ve run well at some races this year like Darlington and Dover, but we still have some work to do,” Gordon added. “We just need to consistently run in the top five and keep making gains with 13 races remaining before the start of the Chase.”
He also could use some wins, since the Chase drivers are seeded, with 10 extra points for each victory during the regular season.
SPECIAL START: Jamie McMurray began his Cup career in October 2002, filling in for injured Sterling Marlin. On Sunday, he will make his 200th career start, and it caught him by surprise.
“It’s hard to believe that I’m making my 200th Cup start this weekend at Pocono,” McMurray said. “What’s harder to believe is there are guys like Ricky Rudd who have made over 900 Cup starts. I feel like I have been racing for a long time in the Sprint Cup series, but when you look at guys like him and Rusty (Wallace) it makes you realize that you haven’t been doing it for that long.”
McMurray, now driving for Roush Fenway Racing, has two wins in his first 199 Cup starts. The first win came in his second start in 2002, while win No. 2 didn’t happen until last July at Daytona — his 168th race.
“I’d have to say that to this point, the win last summer at Daytona would be the biggest highlight of my career,” McMurray said. “I can remember going to Daytona when I was a kid to race go-karts. Daytona is like Indy, it’s a place where every driver wants to win.”
STAT OF THE WEEK: Last week at Dover, Toyota swept all three NASCAR races for the first time in its brief history in stock cars and trucks.
Kyle Busch earned his fourth Cup victory of the season and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin won the Nationwide Series race. Rookie Tundra driver Scott Speed also won the Craftsman Truck Series event on the Monster Mile.
It is only the seventh time in NASCAR history that a manufacturer has earned wins in all three series at the same track in the same race week.
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