NASCAR race at the Pocono Raceway: Here are the best routes to avoid traffic
Track president Ben May sat down with the Pocono Record during the spring to discuss this year's race preparations for the Great American Getaway 400 on June 22, including the new Amazon Prime media rights partnership to the in-season tournament.
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He also talked about the traffic issues last year, and how he and his staff assessed the situation.
What happened last year? Learn about the historic traffic issue during last year's Cup Series race.
"Any time we admittedly make a mistake, whether it's our fault or one that's derived from a weather incident like that one, it still falls on our shoulders, and we shoulder that blame," May said. 'We're never ones to say, 'Oh well, you know, it's the weather. It had nothing to do with us.' Sure, it had everything to do with everything."
Part of the challenge May alluded to is that Pocono Raceway, like a lot of NASCAR tracks, were originally built in places that were lightly populated (where land is cheapest). For most of the year, the two-lane roads that serve the community are enough.
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But for the three days NASCAR comes to town, especially for the Cup Series Sunday afternoon, it can potentially be a traffic nightmare.
May's plan to address that issue is working with a traffic engineering firm to help identify ways to control traffic patterns.
The other part of the challenge is that May and the raceway staff do have traffic plans already in place, but the route they recommend are different from what GPS route might tell someone that is traveling into town.
"You're most likely going to listen to Waze, Apple Maps and Google Maps before listening to what Pocono Raceway tells you. It's just natural," May said. "You use your phone to get around, and a lot of times, the phone will send you ways that are not ideal.
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"So, we want to continue educating folks and make sure they understand that, 'Hey, this is the best way to get to Pocono Raceway.' And while I know it's a little bit uncomfortable to trust us, we have things in place. Of course, we also hope it doesn't rain."
Pocono Raceway: What's the best route?
The recommended route to get to Pocono Raceway for most fans is to use Route 22 or Route 33 into the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 80. For those coming from the Stroudsburg area, May recommends going to the Blakeslee exit and getting on Route 115, because they can control traffic to three or four lanes, as opposed to using back roads.
May views the efficiency of traffic flow, both entering and exiting the raceway, as an integral part of the racing experience at Pocono. Because to him, a great day at the track can easily be devalued when it comes to travel issues.
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"The first touch point you're going to have with our business, for a lot of fans, is traffic, riding to the facility filled with excitement about getting to the race," May said. "It's the same thing leaving; you can have the best day of your life, but if you're sitting in traffic for five hours going home, that's the last thing you're gonna remember, not how great the day was.
"So it's important for us to logistically deliver on that part of the experience."
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Pocono Raceway best traffic routes for NASCAR race this weekend
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