Pocono 400

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

The Pocono 400 is the first of two stock car races held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule in mid-June, the other being the Pennsylvania 400, usually held in early August. The Pocono 400 replaced a 400-mile race at Texas World Speedway on NASCAR's schedule beginning with the 1982 season. It was moved to the former USAC Marlboro Championship Trail date in June, displacing the Indy cars to August.

The race was a 500 mile event from its inception in 1982, through the 2011 race. On August 10, 2011, it was announced that the race would be shortened to 400 miles, beginning in 2012.^[1]

Past winners

• 2000: Race postponed from Sunday to Monday due to rain.
• 2005 & 2010: Race extended due to a Green-white-checker finish.
• 2007: Race shortened due to rain/darkness.

Notable Races

• 1982: Dale Earnhardt flliped over Tim Richmond going into Turn 1, and suffered a neck injury that he hid until the end of the season. This can no longer be done because a driver has to be cleared by NASCAR to race.

• 1988: Bobby Allison reports a flat tire before the race, he tries to make ita lap but he didn't make it. Going into the Tunnel Turm, Allison blows the tire and slams the Outside wall, Then to make things worse, Jocko Maggiacomo T-Bone's Allison in the drivers side door, and Allison suffers "career ending injuries".

• 2000: Jeremy Mayfield, had a run on Dale Earnhardt and he intimidated Dale out of the lead giving Mayfield the win. It was a popular win among the fans and Mayfield said in his Victory Lane interview that he wanted to "rattle his cage".

• 2003: Ken Schrader, flips in Turn 1 and his car catches a fire in the rear, Schrader was uninjured. Also in the same race Jeff Green nails the opening on the Long Pond Straigtaway, Green was also uninjured.

• 2005: Carl Edwards wins in his first time at the track, only racing on video games at the track.

• 2006: Denny Hamlin becomes the first rookie to sweep at Pocono.

• 2009: Tony Stewart becomes the first owner-driver to win since Ricky Rudd at Martinsville in 1997. It was also the first race in NASCAR's history to introduce double file restarts.

• 2010: Kasey Kahne flies down the Long Pond Straightaway and becomes airborne collecting Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman and others. Denny Hamlin wins in his fourth time at Pocono.

• 2011: Jeff Gordon wins his 84th career win tying him with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for 3rd all time.

Television broadcasters

External links

• NASCAR Commentators Crews and Networks
• Ratings/Viewership For Pocono 500 Since 2000