NASCAR wrapped up a two day test at Pocono Raceway Thursday as the Sprint Cup Series prepares for Sunday’s Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR. The overwhelming theme can be summed up in one word; fast. The newly repaved 2.5 mile triangle shaped track was expected to be fast, and that was the case.
Kasey Kahne put down the fastest lap of the entire test at 179.490 mph during Thursday’s afternoon session. A.J. Allmendinger set the pace in the morning session at 177.190 mph – well ahead of the 175.380 mph fast lap Mark Martin recorded on Wednesday. A total of 41 cars tested Thursday; up from the 36 cars on track Wednesday.
“It’s been really smooth,” Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition said. ”All in all it’s been really positive in the garage area. [The track is] definitely faster but with the amount of grip that’s here, you’ll see the grooves widen out. With the 400 mile race and the outstanding job Goodyear did with these tires, I think we’re in for an exceptional weekend.”MORE>>>
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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