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actually i lied, short of the tippy top where the spotters sit, this is probably the best seat in the house. maybe 4 years back, we managed to convince some kid checking tickets that we were allowed into the 'victory club'. it's maybe a 4 story building with seating at victory lane. we had weird tickets that we got for free from a vendor that just had a big ass A on them and nothing else. no one staffing wise knew what it meant (we did, it was just a general admission ticket). so that kid let us in like whatever. so that was cool. shaded area up close, open bar, free food. then we saw a stairway that said 'media only'. naturally, we tried to sneak up. got denied. that guy had to run down for some security thing, so we ran up quick. no one bothered us, private bathroom, fuckin FOX camera crew all that. it was the most amazing thing ever. and i got a pic with richard childress. the other randos were dudes that also snuck up, there was only a handful of other people. we were all beyond hype. we also found out that they had some truly fuckin bizarre velvet room at the bottom of the building. we were hammered and just started opening doors and walked in. a couple people were in there like uhhhhh. we were like uhhhh. then some pit crew member ran in to use the bathroom. we did a 180 and went home.

i'll let yall know how it goes. still trying to sort out the ticket situation since it's really, really weird this year. 100 level sold out and there's next to nothing decent for $95 retail further up near start finish. i don't know if scalpers will be out in force like usual. normally i'd drive up around 9, find two rando tickets for $40/pair, be back home by 10, start party rockin and getting ready, then head up around 11/12. we'd just sit anywhere, the tix were just to get in. that might not be an option this time around with the crowds and limited supply of cheap tix. im freaking out a tiny bit at the thought of having to pay $200 for two 'meh' seats.

We're headed out to Lyman Run / cherry springs. thankfully it'll be much cooler there but if it rains and is cloudy at night (per the forecast) I'm gonna lose my shit. Going to cherry springs without seeing the stars is like going to Snowbird and skiing the learning area.

True but 100pct chance of drinking

good god, this weekends weather looks horrible. When they break out the red thermostat, you know its just no good. @Schif dont be going and playing with the thermostat. leave it alone.

Both times i went to Dover, traffic down and back were horrible. The worst was leaving Sunday, we figured lets fire up the grill and wait a while for everyone to leave. It looked like a great big staring contest, cause everybody had the same idea, then we got fucked with Shore traffic coming home. We did park in one of the event lots. Pocono usually makes 115 going to the track one way in the morning, and then leaving they make it 2 lane again heading out. this is what fucks up everybody that lives near there, they cant get to the walmart easily. 1 day of the year. (now). Everytime i left pocono it was easy breezy. but we did stay after the race both times. One time i stayed in a camper in the infield. i dont remember shit from that weekend.

Wow BenM even brought his famous coozy

Thats really all that matters. plus hearing some vroom vroom noises. Dover is a great race to go to, and there are even smaller tracks that i am sure will provide an even better view. Standing basically on the fence at Dover, watching 40 cars go into turn 1, i was like, "there is no fucking way everybody is coming out in one piece after that turn." Its nuts. Probably why the pay scale is fairly high. Pocono has traffic figured out, Dover traffic blows.

years back i went to the June race, it was like 50 degrees the week of, then 90 and brutal sun on Sunday. everybody got burnt to a crisp. It wasnt the best time, but im a huge pussy about being hot. We sat kinda low, (my friend bought the tickets) but we were real close to pit road so that was cool. But yeah, its really not the most spectacular race to go to. Like if you had one race to go to in your life, and choose Pocono, you would have made a bad decision. there are alot of other tracks that are waaaaay better to watch. Every race is a big tailgate, but tailgating at Pocono is equal to the race.

Can we talk quickly about how they let you bring in your own beer at the track? If there is any place in the world that embodies leaving money on the table it's them.

no red thermostat! that's a win!

Funny you says that about the rain... My cousin and I went 3 summers ago. It was a very similar day at 95+ degrees but overall a beautiful day minus the heat. About 2/3rds thru the race it starting drizzling out of nowhere! They put the race under yellow but kept the cars on pace laps. The rain lasted 5-10 minutes and once the rain was over the track "dried" almost instantly because it was so damn hot. It was awesome for the fans because it allowed us to cool off a little bit.

That heat would be fierce up there. It's always hot to begin with, and I'm sure it will rain on turn two and nowhere else.

Good thing I decided not to go to Pocono this weekend.

Yes, but you need a Mountain Activity Pass, free to season pass holders, a charge otherwise for the pass. Allows hiking, disc golf. Not sure of cost, on the website. Can get it at the Mountain Activity Center (the ski shop). The pool is available to the public on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday at Trails End for free. The concerts are open to the public (Music Under the Stars).

Rolled into the lot at 9:25 this morning for the 10th hike of the season. Blue sky, not humid yet, mild breeze. Hiked the #1 trail to the top, then 4, 5, 1, 6 and 1. No bugs, nice breeze through most of the hike. 3 1/2 miles, a little bit of mud from the rain. Trails all nicely open with no overgrowth or downed trees. Finished with lunch and beers at Trails End. All in all, JADIP.

I was at an outdoor party on Sunday and in addition to a live band and even a Congo line was a very sweaty GSS and it was like 85 and humid that day. My mom always wants to dine outside when it’s hot like this. For some reason I thought you brought your own beer at Steelstacks.

Its refreshing to see how many tickets theyve sold and the new car needs to perform well at this track and create good racing. And I think it will. Many people are NOT fans of Pocono. So if the car doesnt perform and they sell less tickets in the next couple years I would be shocked to see them leave Pocono altogether.