Pennsylvania 500 race weekend, Fri., July 30-Sun., Aug. 1, Pocono Raceway, Long Pond. Tickets: Varied. Info: 1.800.RACEWAY, www.poconoraceway.com
You’re standing on top of a homemade, wooden platform on a Dodge Ram 2500 waiting to hear the most famous words in NASCAR: “Gentlemen, start your engines!”
It’s these words that give anxious, diehard NASCAR fans goose bumps as they jump to their feet to see their driver make his way around the track. The entire infield erupts in cheers as the sound of revving engines fill the air. Behind the pace car’s flashing lights are 43 of the best drivers in the world of motorsports, all craving victory lane.
True NASCAR fans know the drivers, the teams, the rivalries and everything in between. They know it’s much more than a bunch of guys driving in a circle for 500 miles. For anyone who doesn’t appreciate that we have a nationally televised sport, with race fans coming from far and wide, right in our backyard you’re missing out on an incredible experience and, of course, the biggest party of the summer.
A POCONO PARTY
There’s a reason NASCAR has an official beer. One of the well-known elements of a weekend at Pocono Raceway is indeed the parties. This isn’t your typical Saturday night out. This is a 24-hour-straight, no-holds-barred party with a few thousand of your closest friends. In fact, Pocono Raceway Vice President Bob Pleban states, “Pocono Raceway becomes the third largest city (population wise) in the state of Pennsylvania on race day.”
It isn’t just one afternoon of festivities either; a weekend at Pocono can last up to four days for some.
“Unlike other sporting events, a NASCAR race consists of three days of racing action (practice and qualifying on Friday, additional practice and races on Saturday and then the big 500 mile NASCAR race on Sunday) and race fans who enjoy camping will begin filling Pocono Raceway’s expansive infield beginning Thursday afternoon,” says Pleban.
To really appreciate what it’s like at Pocono, you have to hear it from the fans who never miss a race.
“Going to Pocono Raceway is always a good time, rain or shine,” says local race fan Ashley VonStorch. “Spending the weekend on the infield is a constant party. People have cookouts, drink, get naked and have mud fights.”
Lifelong fan Randy Llewellyn has enjoyed motorsports for 44 years. He says, “Of all the tracks I’ve been to, it is the only place where entertainment isn’t limited to the track. The fans are nuts, and the fun continues long after the race ends. Some places have tailgate parties in the parking lots before the race; Pocono is a tailgate party mixed with horsepower, thrills and spills!” In comparison to other tracks, he says, “Richmond, Martinsville, Dover, etc. cram you into child-size seats that cramp you for the duration of the event. Pocono offers the comfort of an infield perfect for the festival, where you can watch the race and socialize with your group simultaneously. You can’t do that (at) other places.”
A COMMUNITY OF FANS
Pocono Raceway gives new meaning to the phrase “party crasher.” In typical social situations you could get bounced out the door for showing up uninvited, whereas this is the standard on race weekend. This concept makes NASCAR fans so unique. No one cares who you are or where you’ve been; fans welcome anyone to join and celebrate the sport they love.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. fanatic Paul Pavloski knows a thing or two about the Pocono experience. “Sure, beer is heavily involved, but who cares,” he says. “Having fun with complete strangers you never met before, playing a friendly game of horseshoes or laughing at a guy who ran aimlessly across the track the morning of the June race is what it’s all about.”
When the NASCAR nation converges at Pocono, it claims the infield as its homeland. Pleban adds, “They head for their favorite spot and meet up with friends they have not seen since the last race. They share stories and experiences that have transpired since last they met. They set up their grills, chairs and games and enjoy each other’s company as well as their favorite food and beverages. It’s almost like a family reunion.”
EXPLOSIVE ACTION
It isn’t all about the partying though; even the most intoxicated race fan will tell you that. The action on the track is what really makes the sport.
“I always get the chills when that pace car drives past for the last time,” Pavloski says. “You know what’s going to happen as thousands of people around you are screaming for their driver. Then 43 cars doing 150 mph, bumper-to-bumper come into turn one, just 100 yards away. You can feel the rumble of the engines in your chest.”
Pocono sees its fair share of heated racing that fans are dying to see. In the last 50 laps of last month’s Pocono 500, Kasey Kahne went for a wild ride across the track, damaging eight cars, all while Kevin Harvick’s racing antics enraged driver Joey Logano, causing him to spew a few choice words at the No. 29 driver. Logano’s now-famous quote regarding who wears the fire suit in Harvick’s camp was quickly made into a merchandising tool, being printed on T-shirts. This feud, ignited at Pocono, is still a hot topic in the sport.
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