Denny Hamlin picked up his record eighth win at Pocono Raceway on Sunday at the Great American Getaway 400 on Sunday.
That’s 160 laps of the 2.5-mile triangular track for 400 miles and 480 corners completed during the race. Or is it 800 corners? Social media was ablaze this year with a discussion about how many turns the Tricky Triangle really has. It might seem obvious, but not if you know its history.
When two-time Indy 500 winner Rodger Ward designed the track in the 1960s he took inspiration from three other tracks. The high banks of Turn 1 was modeled after the now-defunct Trenton Speedway, the 90-degree sweeper of turn two after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway while Turn 3 was borrowed from the Milwaukee Mile. None are perfect replicas of the originals, but are an attempt to capture their essence.
The thing is, ovals with continuous curves typically give each two turn numbers one for entry and one for exit. With that in mind, Turn 1 and Turn 3 at Pocono should each be doubled, while the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is very much considered a four-corner track.
That would bring Pocono’s grand total to five, which is where the debate comes from. So how many are there? We went to Pocono to ask a few of the NASCAR Cup Series drivers who actually have to steer through them what they think.
We’re sorry to say that it didn’t settle anything, but you can hear how they count things and why in the video below.
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Regardless of the finally tally of turns, the poses a unique challenge to drivers and teams. 2012 race winner Joey Logano talked us through the nuances of the track and what it takes to put together a fast lap.
