Rookie Memories: Pocono Raceway Through the Eyes of First-Time Fans

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Yesterday 17:40

Everyone remembers their first race. Whether it was back in 1989, 2005, 2010—or just this season—there’s something truly unforgettable about experiencing your very first NASCAR race at Pocono Raceway. The “Tricky Triangle” offers a unique blend of high-speed action and a vibrant atmosphere that hooks fans for life.

We asked fans to share what brought them to Pocono, who they came with, and what made their inaugural visit so special. From lifelong memories to new traditions, here are some of their incredible stories.

Ryan Stull – Belleville, PA

First Race at Pocono: 2021
Why I Came: It was my first NASCAR race EVER!
Who I Came With: My friend Michael Sole
Winner That Year: Alex Bowman won the first race, and Kyle Busch won the second—it was a doubleheader!
Favorite Part of the Experience: Seeing my favorite drivers race.
Favorite Driver: Chase Elliott
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Enjoy the experience and grab some great merchandise!

DJ Boop– Mifflinburg, PA

First Race at Pocono: 2001
Where My Seats Were: Section 129
Why I Came: 2001 was the first year I watched NASCAR, and Pocono was the closest track to go to.
Who I Came With: My parents and sister
Winner That Year: Bobby Labonte
Favorite Part of the Experience: The battle between Dale Jr. and Bobby Labonte at the end.
Favorite Driver: Chase Elliott
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Get there early and enjoy the whole experience. There’s no other track like Pocono!

Chuck Taft – Hawley, PA

First Race at Pocono: 2005
Where My Seats Were: Infield, 2nd row, top of the short shoot, next to family camping.
Why I Came: It was my first experience of infield camping.
Who I Came With: My son
Winner That Year: Not sure, but Mark Martin was 2nd in the #6 car.
Favorite Part of the Experience: The roar of the engines on the start!
Favorite Driver: Kyle Larson
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Focus on making new friends.

Cassie Hunter – Levittown, PA

First Race at Pocono: 2023
Where My Seats Were: 100 section
Why I Came: I grew up with NASCAR through my dad, who was a Dale Sr. fan. Now our friends have been going to Pocono.

Chris Connor – Poughkeepsie, NY

First Race at Pocono: 2009
Where My Seats Were: Donohue Tower
Why I Came: My grandma bought us tickets for Christmas.
Who I Came With: My dad
Winner That Year: Denny Hamlin
Favorite Driver: Ryan Blaney
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Get there early and tailgate for a bit, then head into the fan zone to see what they have.

Anita Costa – Oakland, NJ

First Race at Pocono: 2017
Where My Seats Were: Grandstands, 100 level, near the start/finish line.
Why I Came: My now-husband and I were dating, and he enjoyed NASCAR. For Father’s Day, I bought us two tickets for the race.
Who I Came With: My boyfriend at the time, now my husband.
Winner That Year: Ryan Blaney
Favorite Part of the Experience: The fans were amazing. I enjoyed myself so much that we now make it a yearly tradition. This race also got me to start following NASCAR!
Favorite Driver: Ryan Blaney
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Get there early so you can experience everything the raceway has to offer.

Josh Hummel – Lancaster, PA

First Race at Pocono: 2025
Where My Seats Were: Front straight, toward Turn 3
Why I Came: Free tickets!

Scotty Moyer – Berks County Area

First Race at Pocono: 2023
Where My Seats Were: 200 level
Why I Came: I love stock car racing and had never been to Pocono Raceway.
Who I Came With: My wife and two relatives
Winner That Year: Denny Hamlin
Favorite Part of the Experience: Everything!
Favorite Driver: Ty Gibbs
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Leave early to get there.

Devan Renaud – Frenchville, PA

First Race at Pocono: 2025
Where My Seats Were: Section 327
Why I Came: I always wanted to go to a race. This was the closest track, and I was gifted the tickets.
Who I Came With: My girlfriend
Winner That Year: Connor Zilisch & Chase Briscoe
Favorite Part of the Experience: Just seeing everything and how a NASCAR race operates at the track.
Favorite Driver: Ryan Blaney
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Go early to beat traffic.

Paul Druckenmiller – Northampton, PA

First Race at Pocono: 1996
Where My Seats Were: 100 level, last row
Why I Came: Love NASCAR, and friends had tickets.
Who I Came With: 5 friends
Winner That Year: Jeff Gordon
Favorite Part of the Experience: Tailgating!
Favorite Driver: Ryan Blaney
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Arrive early to the parking lot, have fun tailgating, and get to your seats early.

Drew McCracken – Grassflat, PA

First Race at Pocono: 2013
Where My Seats Were: Left side of the start/finish line, 5 or 6 rows up from the track.
Why I Came: Pocono has always been one of my favorite tracks, and since I lived in PA, I decided to go!
Who I Came With: A friend
Winner That Year: I believe Jimmie Johnson won.
Favorite Part of the Experience: Finally getting to see my favorite sport up close, pit passes, pit road access, and seeing Jeff Gordon race in person and hearing the cars.
Favorite Driver: Kyle Larson
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Bring lots of water! Either sit as close to the track as you can for a great sense of power/speed or way up high to see everything. Lots of water again! Get pit passes and get there early!

Lorraine Scudder – Commack, NY

First Race at Pocono: 1994
Where My Seats Were: Right behind the start/finish line.
Why I Came: We owned a Citgo Gas Station, and our gas supplier gave us tickets.
Who I Came With: My husband John, his business partner, and his partner’s son.
Winner That Year: Rusty Wallace
Favorite Part of the Experience: When all 40+ 700+ HP cars came down the front stretch, and you could feel the power coming up from your feet.
Favorite Driver: Ryan Blaney
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Pack some food for dinner, sit back, and enjoy the parade of transporters as they leave the track heading back to Charlotte.

CJ Meunier – Verona, NJ

First Race at Pocono: 1998
Where My Seats Were: Lower level grandstands, by the entrance to pit road and exit of Turn 3.
Why I Came: The commercial! “1-800-Raceway. It’s fun, [NASCAR noises] it’s fast [NASCAR noises] it’s Pocono Raceway!!”
Who I Came With: My uncle, his friends, my grandfather, and my father.
Winner That Year: Jeremy Mayfield
Favorite Part of the Experience: The sights, the sounds, the atmosphere—it was all breathtaking. Because of that first experience in ’98, I’m the diehard NASCAR fan I am today.
Favorite Driver: Alex Bowman
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Be prepared to become a race fan, even if you’ve never cared about racing before. Pocono Raceway is the premier experience in racing.

Bryanna Decker – Port Jervis, NY

First Race at Pocono: 2021
Where My Seats Were: Grandview
Why I Came: Friends
Who I Came With: Friends, fiancé
Winner That Year: Denny Hamlin (but got disqualified, so Chase Elliott got the win).
Favorite Part of the Experience: The Fan Fair and the live race.
Favorite Driver: William Byron
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Bring sunscreen and don’t let rain disappoint you!

Alexis Keiper – Levittown, PA

First Race at Pocono: 2025
Where My Seats Were: In the 200 section bucket seats.
Why I Came: My fiancé had no friends to go with, so I told him I would go with him.
Who I Came With: My fiancé, Erik
Winner That Year: Chase Briscoe! Go #19!
Favorite Part of the Experience: Even with the rain, we still made it to the infield. My favorite part was using our RE scanners.
Favorite Driver: Erik likes Denny Hamlin, so I do too!
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Get there early and tailgate to avoid any traffic.

John Dunn – Stanhope, NJ

First Race at Pocono: June 26, 2021
Where My Seats Were: Section 134
Why I Came: The idea of attending a NASCAR race in person for the first time ever.
Who I Came With: My mom and my brother.
Winner That Year: Alex Bowman in the #48.
Favorite Part of the Experience: Just being there in person, period.
Favorite Driver: Chase Elliott
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Make sure to bring sunscreen, a small cooler full of water, and a passion for NASCAR.

Joseph Wendt – Jefferson Twp, NJ

First Race at Pocono: 2007
Where My Seats Were: Section 211, Row 43, Seat 14
Why I Came: My family got me tickets for my 10th birthday.
Who I Came With: My family.
Winner That Year: Kurt Busch.
Favorite Part of the Experience: Overall, it brought me into an experience I now partake in every year.
Favorite Driver: Zane Smith.
Tip for First-Time Visitors: It’s highly worth going and experiencing for everyone of all ages.

Bob Boyle – Tamaqua, PA

First Race at Pocono: 1972 Indy Cars.
Where My Seats Were: Grandstand
Why I Came: Indy Car Race
Who I Came With: My dad and brother. I was 10, my brother was 8.
Winner That Year: Not sure. We got autographs from Al and Bobby Unser, Mario Andretti, and Mark Donahue.
Favorite Part of the Experience: Watching the race.
Favorite Driver: Dale Earnhardt… always will be.
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Spend the weekend, watch all the races, qualifying, and practice.

Bethany Barrow – Fairhaven, MA

First Race at Pocono: 2024
Where My Seats Were: Handicap section.
Why I Came: My son wanted to get us away from home as I was having a rough time.
Who I Came With: My son, David.
Winner That Year: Ryan Blaney won!
Favorite Part of the Experience: We were in a tent in the Geico Campground. I can remember everything about that time because I enjoyed every minute I was there. I even took some grass (Pocono Tufts, as I call it) home; I still have them. The sunsets were epic! Everything smelled clean. Everyone who worked there was friendly and helpful. My son and I decided before the weekend was even over that we would return in 2025, and that Pocono Raceway is our home track. Even if we live in Massachusetts and drive to and from Pocono Raceway, it is worth it! I cried when I got there and cried when we left.
Favorite Driver: Ross Chastain
Tip for First-Time Visitors: GO! You won’t regret it! I am already looking forward to 2026 and got my tickets. Pocono Raceway is my happy place! Thank you!

Brian Cullather – Schuylkill Haven, PA

First Race at Pocono: 1974
Where My Seats Were: Probably had the old infield pit bleachers, but I was a 15-year-old kid that just roamed around a lot. I practiced that skill starting in ’71 at Indy and USAC Stock races.
Why I Came: Dad ushered and covered the race as media; I came along.
Who I Came With: My dad.
Winner That Year: Richard Petty
Favorite Part of the Experience: Loud cars, famous racers.
Tip for First-Time Visitors: I suggest going Saturday first if you can. It’s a more laid-back day; you get the lay of the land as to what to see and when/where to see it.

Kathryn Greene – Pine Plains, NY

First Race at Pocono: 2009
Where My Seats Were: 100 section by the start/finish line.
Why I Came: Wanted to see Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson race. It was rained out on Sunday, so I drove down on Monday.
Who I Came With: I was by myself.
Winner That Year: Denny Hamlin
Favorite Part of the Experience: The burnout and watching victory lane celebrations.
Favorite Driver: Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Bring good walking shoes. There are a lot of fan fair experiences and a ton of driver experiences.

Jeremy Tsonton – Long Valley, NJ

First Race at Pocono: 2016
Where My Seats Were: Section 216
Why I Came: My best friend’s birthday. I never went to a race prior, but he wanted to introduce me to the sport, and since then, I was hooked.
Who I Came With: My best friend, David.
Winner That Year: Chris Buescher (via calling the race for fog).
Favorite Part of the Experience: Realizing how close the track was to my hometown, knowing it was barely a trip.
Favorite Driver: Denny Hamlin
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Head there early and give yourself time to walk the grounds. It’s massive and should be enjoyed thoroughly!

Logan Martini – Rising Sun, MD

First Race at Pocono: 2018
Where My Seats Were: A little after the start/finish line… I don’t remember the exact number.
Why I Came: It was close to my grandmother’s house, and my step-grandfather knew an ARCA driver who was racing at the time, so we went for the whole weekend.
Who I Came With: My dad went with me.
Winner That Year: My favorite driver, Kyle Busch.
Favorite Part of the Experience: Just getting to experience all the racing feels in person for the first time.
Favorite Driver: Kyle Busch
Tip for First-Time Visitors: SUNSCREEN! LOTS AND LOTS OF SUNSCREEN!

David Bryan – West Grove, PA

First Race at Pocono: July 1991
Where My Seats Were: 200 level, below start/finish (I think… it’s been a while).
Why I Came: I attended the Indy Car races with a college buddy in 1988 and 1989. I wanted to see a stock car race and convinced him to go with me in July 1991. I was immediately hooked!
Who I Came With: A college buddy.
Winner That Year: Rusty Wallace in a rain-shortened race.
Favorite Part of the Experience: The race itself! Seeing and hearing those cars in person was amazing.
Favorite Driver: Chase Elliott
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Arrive early, wander around the fanzone, and be in your seats before driver introductions.

Glenn Zabransky – Hillsdale, NJ

First Race at Pocono: 1992
Where My Seats Were: 100 section
Why I Came: Friends of ours lived near the track and always went. They invited us to join them. Our family was long-time race fans but had never attended a NASCAR race.
Who I Came With: About 14 friends.
Winner That Year: Champion Spark Plug 500 – Alan Kulwicki
Favorite Part of the Experience: I just remember the place being packed and the excitement of all the other fans.
Favorite Driver: Kyle Larson
Tip for First-Time Visitors: Get there early and enjoy everything the track has to offer.

What’s Your Pocono Story?

Your first race is just the beginning. From the roar of the engines to the energy of the crowd, it’s clear that Pocono Raceway has left a lasting impression on so many fans. Whether you came for the thrill, the tradition, or just to try something new, these stories remind us why race day at the Tricky Triangle is so special.

Thank you to everyone who shared their first-race memories! We loved hearing them. If you haven’t yet, we’d love to hear yours, too! What made your first Pocono race unforgettable? Complete the form at this link to share your First Time Fan Story: https://bit.ly/4l5lzfb

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