Does Pocono Deserve a NASCAR Race?

Being only forty minutes away from Pocono Raceway, you would think I would be excited when NASCAR goes in for the Pocono 500—Wrong!

Pocono 500 and the Pennsylvania 500 are long, boring races. I have been to Pocono once for qualifying and couldn't wait to go home.

What is it about Pocono that makes it so boring?

That's a good question. If you look at the track, it has three—not four—but three very different turns that create a challenge for even the best in NASCAR.

The start/finish line is the biggest and widest of all NASCAR tracks. It is normal for drivers to go four or five wide when they cross that line—but they better line up before going into turn one before they take out the field.

It's a unique race track and can be a nightmare for drivers and crew chiefs. So what makes it boring?

Everything!

The track is just to big. It's 2.5 miles and takes almost a full minute to complete a lap, under green! Only one or two drivers will hit the setup just right on their car, and will take off.

In the past few years, Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch found the setup and dominated the Pocono races. Even some of NASCAR's biggest stars, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, took a couple slams against the track.

The last exciting thing that happened at Pocono was Jeremy Mayfield's win there—when he bumped Dale Earnhardt, NASCA'sR most aggressive driver—and that was almost nine years ago.

Since then, the races have been boring.  Since there are lot of tracks that want a Sprint Cup date, Pocono should give up one or both of its races.