"A 2.5-mile triangle in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains with three turns, each modeled on a different track, and the place where Denny Hamlin won his first Cup race and, 20 years later, his record eighth there."
Location: Long Pond, Pennsylvania Track Type: Paved tri-oval with three turns Length: 2.5 miles Surface: Asphalt Turns: Three, each inspired by a different famous track: Turn 1 on Trenton Speedway, Turn 2 on Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Turn 3 on the Milwaukee Mile Opened: 1971 (first race on the 2.5-mile track) First NASCAR Cup Series Race: August 4, 1974
Quick Answers
Why is Pocono called the Tricky Triangle? The 2.5-mile track has only three turns, and each one was inspired by a different famous track: Turn 1 on Trenton Speedway, Turn 2 on Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Turn 3 on the Milwaukee Mile. It is the only track on the Cup Series schedule with three turns.
Where is Pocono Raceway? In Long Pond, Pennsylvania, in the Pocono Mountains.
Who has won the most Cup races at Pocono? Denny Hamlin, with eight, two more than Jeff Gordon's six. Hamlin's eighth came on June 14, 2026.
Who won at Pocono in 2026? Justin Allgaier won the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race on June 13, and Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race on June 14. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series did not race at Pocono in 2026.
When does NASCAR race at Pocono in 2027? June 11 to 13, with all three national series, including the Truck Series. Full dates are below.
Pocono Raceway Schedule: 2027 NASCAR Dates
| Date | Day | Series |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 11 | Friday | NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series |
| Jun 12 | Saturday | NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series |
| Jun 13 | Sunday | NASCAR Cup Series |
Dates are from NASCAR's 2027 national series schedule. Start times have not been announced. Confirm at poconoraceway.com before you travel.
Overview
Pocono Raceway is a 2.5-mile paved track in Long Pond, in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains. It is shaped like a triangle, with three turns that each have a different character, which is where the nickname the Tricky Triangle comes from. Its frontstretch is one of the longest straightaways in NASCAR.
No driver has been better here than Denny Hamlin. He won his first career Cup race at Pocono in June 2006 and won there again the next month. Twenty years later, in June 2026, he won his eighth Pocono race, two more than anyone else, as part of the first three-race winning streak of his career.
The big track opened in 1971, and the Cup Series first raced there in 1974. The O'Reilly Series and the Cup Series both raced at Pocono in 2026. The Truck Series did not, and returns in 2027, when the track again hosts all three national series on one weekend.
History
Pocono Raceway was built by Joseph and Rose Mattioli, Philadelphia doctors (he a dentist, she a podiatrist) who invested in the project and became its majority owners. Without the money for a superspeedway at first, they built a three-quarter-mile oval, finished in 1968. The first race on the 2.5-mile track was an Indy car race in 1971.
Richard Petty won the first Cup race at Pocono on August 4, 1974.
The track was repaved in the fall of 2011. In 2017 it added 6,600 feet of SAFER barrier, the energy-absorbing wall system, including the entire frontstretch.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1968 | Three-quarter-mile oval completed |
| 1971 | First race on the 2.5-mile track, an Indy car race |
| 1974 | Richard Petty wins the first Cup race at Pocono, August 4 |
| 2006 | Denny Hamlin wins both Pocono Cup races, the first of them his first career Cup win |
| 2011 | Track repaved |
| 2017 | SAFER barrier added along the frontstretch and between Turns 2 and 3 |
| 2026 | Hamlin wins his eighth Pocono Cup race, the most of any driver; no Truck Series race at the track |
| 2027 | Truck Series returns, joining the O'Reilly and Cup Series June 11 to 13 |
Key Drivers
Denny Hamlin, eight Cup wins, the most at the track. His first career Cup win came at Pocono in June 2006, and he won both Pocono races that year.
Jeff Gordon, six Cup wins.
Bill Elliott, five Cup wins.
Richard Petty, winner of the first Cup race at Pocono in 1974.
Chase Briscoe, winner in 2025, his first win with Joe Gibbs Racing.
2026 at Pocono Raceway
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, MillerTech Battery 250 presented by KOA (Saturday, June 13): Justin Allgaier won in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, 0.607 seconds ahead of Brent Crews, a first-year O'Reilly Series driver, for his 33rd career O'Reilly Series win. William Byron was third.
NASCAR Cup Series, The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA (Sunday, June 14): Denny Hamlin started first, on the pole, and won in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 1.678 seconds ahead of Tyler Reddick, for his eighth Pocono win, the most of any driver, and his 64th career Cup win. He had won the two Cup races before it, at Nashville and Michigan, so it was his third straight win, the first three-race winning streak of his career. William Byron was third. The result cut Reddick's lead in the Cup points standings to 19 points over Hamlin.