Increased Driver Safety Top Priority
Long Pond, PA. (November 30, 2010)… On June 4th of this year, Pocono Raceway officials announced, safety improvements were to be in place for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at the Pennsylvania Superspeedway. Work on those improvements: the installation of a SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barrier in the infield and a catch fence along the back stretch started in mid October and is expected to be completed by the year end.
The ‘new generation’ SAFER barrier, designed by Dr. Dean Sicking and his team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Midwest Roadside Safety Facility and approved by NASCAR, will run on the entire length of the inside of the track from the exit of turn # 1 to the entrance of turn # 3, a total of 5,516 feet. Pocono Raceway already has SAFER barriers in place in each of the three turns that make up the ‘Tricky Triangle.’
The new catch fence will run from the end of the front stretch and connect with the existing catch fence in turn # 2, a total of 6,155 feet. A catch fence will now surround the entire 2.5 mile length of the race track.
“These improvements are aimed at increased driver safety,” stated Brandon Igdalsky, Pocono Raceway President. “We had these projects in the planning stages, before the 2010 Pocono NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events took place.”
The Pocono 500 kicks off the 2011 Pocono Raceway NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season on Sunday, June 12 followed by the Pennsylvania 500 on Sunday, August 7. Practice and qualifying will be held on the Friday prior to each NASCAR event. A 200 mile ARCA Racing Series event will be run on Saturday, June 11. The second annual Pocono Mountains 125, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event and the ARCA 125 will headline the action on Saturday August, 6.
Ticket information is available on line at www.poconoraceway.com or by calling the Raceway Ticket Office at 1-800-RACEWAY (1-800-722-3929)
