Pocono North – Turn by Turn

Note: All passing zone data depicted below is based on "advanced driver" rules, if you are in a different run group please consult your organization or chief instructor for passing zones that are appropriate for your run group.

• Turn 1: The most important corner on the track, leading onto the oval. Exit speed here is crucial. This corner has been flattened during the 2013 repaving and can, and should, now be taken flat out from the turn in.Brake and downshift, if needed, before the turn in point, which is the tire stack on the left. As soon as you are facing the apex, floor the throttle.Use the entire track width. Track out to within 1-2 feet of the outside wall.
• Turn 2: The Nascar turn 3, taken clockwise. This turn should be taken flat out in pretty much any car. Low and medium horsepower cars should dive for the inside edge of the track as soon as they are finished with turn 1 and follow the inside edge through the entire turn.
• Turn 3: Signature Pocono oval into infield transition. This turn is very fast with entry speeds exceeding 100 mph. In 2013 the transition is quite rough, especially for stiffly sprung cars with limited suspension travel. Cars with street suspensions, especially with novice or intermediate drivers, almost do not notice the transition.Less experienced drivers typically drive a late apex, braking on the oval parallel to the wall, rotating the car substantially at their turn in point and crossing the transition approximately 1/3 of the track width off the apex.A faster line which also happens to be vertically flatter is to do very little or no braking on the oval and turn in very gently much earlier, then put the car right on the apex and land facing the turn in point for turn 4. Brake hard in a straight line in the short straight between turns 3 and 4.
• Turn 4: A fairly fast but decreasing radius right hander. After the 2013 repaving the turn is wider but is still of decreasing radius.Because the turn is of decreasing radius, care needs to be taken to not run out of track at the exit when driving aggressively.
• Turn 5: A slow left.This turn has a somewhat earlier apex than might initially appear. Care should be taken not to enter it too late. Be sure to touch the apex curbing at some point.If you do not need the entire track width at the exit, you should typically carry more speed into this turn.
• Turn 6: A tricky right hander. This turn is faster than turn 5, but just about all cars have to brake for it. It also has a narrower exit compared to its entrance, making it similar to a decreasing radius turn. At the same time this turn leads to what is effectively a straight between turns 6 and 8, making exit speed important. The trickiness of turn 6 is absence of obvious reference points to use for braking and turn in.There is a paint mark somewhat right of center in what is the braking zone for most cars that can be used as a turn in reference point. Essentially the turn is a late apex and requires patience. Most cars do not need to enter this turn from extreme left, however it may help. Experiment.Turn 6 is also off camber, and not far from a guard rail. Going off at speed in this corner has high likelihood of putting the car into said guard rail, especially in wet conditions.
• Turn 7: A left kink that most cars with low to medium horsepower should take flat out. A late apex is required to drive through it flat out, which in turn requires proper vision and planning when exiting turn 6.The goal should be to drive the straight between turns 7 and 1 on the left side of the track as much as possible.

Turn-by-Turn Information provided by

©2018 - Oleg Pudeyev / Race & Track Driving ; with Permission.