Welcome to Pocono Raceway and the Verizon IndyCar ABC Supply 500 weekend.
The weekend will start with qualifying for the ABC Supply 500 at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 20. The weekend continues on Sunday, August 21 with the green flag for the ABC Supply 500 at 3:09 p.m.
Track: Pocono Raceway, a 2.5-mile triangular oval
Race distance: 200 laps / 500 miles
Twitter: @poconoraceway , @indycar , #WhatTurn4, #ABCSupply500
Firestone tire allotment: Fourteen sets for use through the weekend
Event website: www.poconoraceway.com
INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com
2015 Race Winner: Ryan Hunter-Reay, No.28 DHL Honda
MEDIA CENTER HOURS
Friday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
POCONO RACEWAY CREDENTIAL HOURS
Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday: 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Sunday: 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
INDYCAR CREDENTIAL HOURS
Friday: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday: 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Sunday: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
PHOTO MEETINGS
Mandatory photo meetings will be held Saturday at 7:45 a.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Both will take place in the Driver’s Wives’ Lounge next to the Media Center. Attention is mandatory to receive a photo vest.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Pocono Raceway would love for you to join the conversation this weekend. Be sure to follow @poconoraceway on Twitter and Instagram where we were able to acquire Instagram comments, use these official hashtags.
ABC Supply 500– #ABCSupply500
Pocono Raceway’s Official Hashtag: #WhatTurn4
POCONO RACEWAY AND VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES ANNOUNCE TWO-YEAR EXTENSION
The Verizon IndyCar Series will be returning to ‘The Tricky Triangle’ for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. The exact dates will be announced in the near future. The 2018 race will mark the sixth consecutive season that the Verizon IndyCar Series will be running at Pocono Raceway.
SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS
Pocono Raceway has added Steel And Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barriers and extended the pit wall in an effort to make the track safer for drivers, teams and fans. The pit wall has been lengthened 100 feet and 6,000 feet of SAFER barrier has been added to the track. An additional 5,100 feet of SAFER barrier is scheduled to be added by 2017 where all outside walls, including straightaways, will be covered. A mild fall and late start to cold weather allowed the project to be completed in its majority and is currently ahead of schedule.
TRACK HISTORY
Pocono Raceway was founded in 1968 Dr. Joseph Mattioli and Dr. Rose Mattioli. Since then, Pocono Raceway has hosted 77 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races and 23 INDYCAR races. The first race held at Pocono Raceway was a USAC (current INDYCAR) race on July 3, 1971, won by Mark Donohue. Three years later, the first 500-mile NASCAR race was held at ‘The Tricky Triangle’ on August 4, 1974, where “The King” Richard Petty got to the checkered in first.
INDYCAR HISTORY
The ABC Supply 500 will be the 23rd Indy car race at Pocono Raceway. Ryan Hunter-Reay won the race in 2015. Mark Donohue won the first Indy car race at Pocono in 1971.
A.J. Foyt, who fields the cars of Takuma Sato and Jack Hawksworth, is the winningest driver at Pocono Raceway with four victories (1973, 1975, 1979 and 1981).
Past winners Ryan Hunter-Reay (2015), Juan Pablo Montoya (2014) and Scott Dixon (2013) are entered this year.
BARK PARK
Pocono Raceway is excited to announce the opening of the Bark Park, the first dog park located inside a track. The Pocono Raceway Bark Park features a fenced area for big and small dogs and it is accessible to all RV and Camping guests during Pocono Raceway’s INDYCAR race weekends. The dog park features a one-of-a-kind dog tag that will give access to dogs one hour before and one hour after public hours. The Bark Park will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dog tags can be purchased at the Infield Fan Center.
PENNSYLVANIA PARTNERS
Pocono Raceway is proud to partner with these local Pennsylvania companies: Axalta (Glen Mills), Comcast (Philadelphia), Mod Space (Berwyn) Sunoco (Philadelphia), Lehigh Valley Health Networks, Unique Pretzels (Reading), Kovatch (Nesquehoning), Pocono Medical Center (East Stroudsburg), Pennsylvania Lottery, Ditech Financial (Fort Washington), Tork (Philadelphia), Kalahari Resorts and Conventions (Pocono Manor), Independent Graphics (West Wyoming), and Stock Car Racing Experience (Long Pond).
LEHIGH VALLEY HEALTH NETWORKS
Pocono Raceway is proud to partner with the Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) during all race weekends in 2016. LVHN provide different services at the track to keep everyone attending safe and healthy during the weekend. The have an On-Track response support staffed by LVHN Emergency Medicine Physicians and LVHN MedEvac Flight Paramedics including a Critical Care Transport Helicopter on-site for all racing activity. LVHN also sets up an in-Field Care Center staffed by LVHN Emergency Medicine Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurses, and LVHN Event Medical EMS providers.
LVHN and Pocono Raceway also partner with local ambulances and EMS providers from across Eastern PA for rapid on-track and grandstand EMS response. Fans will also benefit from the partnership as there will also be a grandstand medical station staffed with LVHN Emergency Medicine Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurses, and LVHN Event Medical EMS providers in one of LVHN’s mobile deployable field hospitals.Other benefits of the partnership is the experience emergency medicine and critical care medicine both in the infield and grandstands, a communications command unit between all on-site medical assets, and a prep-positioned mass casualty and mass decontamination assets ready for any emergent response.
POCONO WASTE REDUCTION
Pocono Raceway’s commitment to green initiatives has put the Pennsylvania racetrack on the map in the world of motorsports. It all started with the Pocono Raceway Solar Project which established the track as one of the most environmentally conscious in the world. The Solar Farm not only powers the track but the local community as well.
Pocono Raceway is striving to be a sports industry leader in sustainability and green initiatives and have set a goal of 75% waste diversion by 2018. During the June race weekend, the track generated over 600 pounds of compostable material. This program will continue to grow in 2017 to include all Pocono Raceway suites and the entire facility by 2018. In addition, we recently partnered with Rock and Wrap It Up! on a food donation program with over 2,700 pounds of prepared food being donated to Family Promise of Monroe County.
Pocono Raceway is also committed to recycling after successful partnerships with Anheuser Busch and Coca-Cola. Recycling bins can be found all around Pocono Raceway for fans and guests.
SOLAR GOLF CART
If you see Pocono Raceway President & CEO Brandon Igdalsky riding around in his golf cart, make sure he parks it in the sun. His custom golf cart is solar-powered.
POCONO RACEWAY EMOJIS
Pocono Raceway and Emoji app creator Stikoji, Inc. have teamed for a set of raceway specific emojis for ‘The Tricky Triangle’. Fans can now utilize Pocono Raceway emojis to use in Tweets and on Facebook, Instagram and SnapChat. Fans can download for free the NASCAR Emoji Garage in both the Apple and Android App Stores. You will then have access to a host of ‘The Tricky Triangle’ emojis, including the track, Pocono Raceway’s mascot Tricky The Fox, the Pocono Raceway Chevrolet pace car and much more.
ANTHEM SINGER
Robin Smith, local inspirational songwriter, will perform the national anthem prior to the ABC Supply 500 Verizon IndyCar Series race on August 21.
GRAND MARSHAL
ABC Supply employees Joseph Cox and Francis Jackson, will serve as Grand Marshals and give the “Driver Start Your Engines” command for the ABC Supply 500 Verizon IndyCar Series race on Sunday, August 21.
FASTRAX SKY DIVERS
Team FASTRAX will be performing its skydiving demonstration prior to the green flag for the ABC Supply 500 race on Sunday, August 21.
VINTAGE INDY CARS RETURNING TO POCONO RACEWAY
For the third consecutive year, the Vintage INDYCAR celebration is returning to Pocono Raceway for the ABC Supply 500 on August 21. Many of the vintage Indy Cars will be included in some of the weekends festivities and will also have a planned car show which includes race cars, street rods and classic cars. Vintage Indy Cars will load in Friday, August 19 with track exhibitions sets for Saturday and Sunday. Following Saturday’s last session, the group’s annual Awards Dinner will be held.
USAC QUARTER MIDGET NATIONALS
Pocono Raceway will host its first USAC Quarter Midget national division races during the Verizon IndyCar Series ABC Supply 500 weekend August 20-21. Sponsored by Autonation, it will be run at a temporary course constructed at Pocono Raceway near Fan Fair. This will mark Round 4 of 6 of the National Tour of the USAC .25 division. Racing will be starting at 8:00 a.m. in Fan Fair before drivers have the opportunity to lineup in Pocono Raceway’s grid and drive a lap around Pocono Raceway.
CONOR DALY TO HONOR BRYAN CLAUSON WITH #88
Dale Coyne Racing will honor the memory of Bryan Clauson by entering driver Conor Daly in the No. 88 BC Forever Honda for the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway. Pippa Man will drive Dale Coyne Racing’s second entry in the No.19 Boy Scouts of America Honda.
