LONG POND, Pa. — AJ Allmendinger, who had the fastest lap in the Thursday morning session (177.190 mph) at Pocono, said the average speed didn’t hold a candle to the pace entering Turn 1.
“I think on data it’s 211 (mph),” Allmendinger said. “The speed’s easy down the straightaway. The problem is you’ve got to turn at the end.”
And the problem with turning is that, for now, Pocono is a one-groove racetrack. Over the course of the weekend, drivers expect it to widen out as the new asphalt takes on more rubber. That should make both lanes viable for restarts during the race.
“At Phoenix last year, we all thought the same thing when it got repaved, that starting on the outside was going to be brutal, and you’re just going to be hung out to dry,” Allmendinger said. “By the end of the race, you could argue that being on the outside of every row was actually a little bit better, because you get a run off the corner.
“The track will eventually widen out, because we’ll have to restart the race double-file; we’ll have to start the race double-file; you’ll have an ARCA race (Saturday) that will have to start double-file. So the track will widen out. It’s just not going to do it until people start racing.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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