SCDA Pocono Raceway High Performance Driving Experience

Pocono Raceway (Mega-Course Counter-Clockwise) – Turn by Turn Track Guide

3.51 Mile Lap

NASCAR 1 (SCDA 1) – When crossing the Start/Finish line, the car should be positioned up close to the wall on the right hand side. Approaching the turn, we want to draw our attention overhead to the cones hanging on the fence, driver’s right. They are marked just like brake number boards, beginning with a row of 3 cones, then 2, then 1, then at the (0) board is a traffic light. The amount of braking is highly car dependent, but ensure speed adjustment is completed by the time we turn in. Halfway between the 1 cone and the traffic light is a reference for turn in, slowly and smoothly bending the car down towards the inside of the banking.

NASCAR 2 (SCDA 1) – As we bend the car down to the inside of the banking, we will notice white squares painted onto the asphalt. Position the car so that we are straddling these squares. Big stretch of the eyes here, looking far ahead and out of the very top left hand portion of the windshield. Be very smooth with any throttle adjustments here as the car is heavily loaded on the side and traveling at a good speed. 

T2 – Approaching this corner, continue to run over the last white square and that will help you open up steering to position the car mostly driver’s right. We do not need to be alongside the wall here, a couple car widths is preferred. We will shoot for a fairly hard brake as we straighten the wheel, and will gradually trail the brakes smoothly into the corner as we turn in proportionally. Aim to be off of the brakes at the transition from oval to infield, there is a bit of a bump here. Smoothly squeeze throttle once we can straighten steering out of the turn.

T3 & 4 – Turn 3 is a subtle jog to the left, but the brake zone for T4 comes during. The apex of T3 is really just the left side of the road, and we want to position the car tight left by the time we pass the curbing. We will brake fairly hard here but we want our steering wheel straight as we crest the hill halfway through our brake zone for T4. This means we do not want to continue to hold left as we crest the hill, we want to prioritize a straight steering wheel which means the car may arrive 3/4ths left by the time we turn in for T4. We do not need to use all the road on the entry here. Getting the eyes up and to the right, we will smoothly trail off the brakes and get tight, not on top of, the apex curbing. Gradually squeeze power once the eyes tell the hands they can straighten out of the turn. 

T5 – After tracking fully left out of T4, bring the car back over to 3/4ths right, aiming for a slightly late apex in anticipation of having the car fully left and fully settled for the brake point of T6. Usually a slight lift here is appropriate, but keep any throttle adjustments smooth.

T6 – For this corner, we are using a late apex strategy and not tracking out fully in preparation for T7. We can brake reasonably late & hard, as it’s important to “load” the front of the car. The turn in here is roughly halfway down the length of the entry curb on driver’s left, aiming to apex at the very end of the curbing. Delay initially throttle just slightly to keep load over the front, continuing to change direction and only tracking out to passenger side tires on the center seam of the road. This will make it easier to get the car fully back to the right to set up for T7. 

T7 – For this turn, the car must be positioned all the way to the right by the time we turn in. It’s ok to brake at a slight diagonal towards the right side edge of the road, as we aren’t much past the track out of T6 at this point. This is a great corner to practice trail braking. Aim for a later apex, and a good turn of the steering wheel. Good slower speed corner to practice making “big inputs” in a lower consequence area. Practice a smooth release of the brake, and a smooth squeeze of throttle once the eyes show that steering can unwind. 

T8/9/10 – This is a very rewarding corner sequence when you get it right. Exiting T7, hustle the car back over left aiming towards the entry curb. At about the ½ mark down the curb you should be turning in. This will put you about mid track as the entry curb disappears from the peripheral driver’s left. This means you are about 2 car widths wide of the apex. Get the eyes up early, and aim for one turn of the steering wheel, one radius around T9+10. The “turn in” for 9 is when the car is next to the access road on driver’s left, but the “one radius” philosophy begins after the turn in of T8. Approaching the curb at T10, the angle of your car should be such that you can open up steering, unloading the left side suspension allowing the left side tires to drive over the curbing. The feet should remain smooth here, and acceleration only occurs once steering is gradually unwound. 

T11&12  – Approaching T11 is a great corner to practice threshold braking, or braking at a 10/10ths pedal to see how well your car can slow down. The car should be positioned fully alongside the right hand edge of the track. Finding a braking reference here is challenging. The turn is a car length or so before you get to the curbing on the right, and this will aim you towards a traditional apex driver’s left. The trick here is this apex is where two perpendicular sections of track join, with no curbing. As such, it’s easy and tempting to “shortcut” the track by driving the left side tires through the grass. Keep all 4 tires on the pavement. Exiting T11, use the full width on driver’s right and begin a smooth throttle squeeze. Getting closer to T12, there is a transition (from infield course to oval) so hold a maintenance throttle until after the car “lands” from going over this bump. 

T13 – This corner is much like NASCAR 1&2 and is the oval section of track. Most of your speed adjustment should be done in a straight line here. At turn in, the car should be just about a car width from the wall on driver’s right. Smoothly bend the car in, once again aiming to run over the white squares which are down about 7/8ths of the way towards the inside. 

T14 – Approaching the brake point of T14, we can use the traffic light on the fence as a reference for braking. Much like T11, good, strong threshold brake here. Bend the car in as you smoothly ease off the brakes. There is a transition bump here at the apex, so we always hold no more than a maintenance throttle until after this bump. Once the car settles over the bump at the apex, throttle can be squeezed smoothly as steering is reduced. You only need to track out 7/8s left here, as we will need to get back over left for T15

T15 – Approaching T15, the car should be positioned 7/8ths left, aiming for a turn in point a tough before the end of the entry curb on driver’s left. There typically is a light brake here, soft and smooth on and smooth off. We are aiming for an apex at the end of the apex curb. This is a great corner for practicing using the full width of the road at exit. Pick up the eyes, unwind the hands to bring you right to the edge of the road. 

T16 – On the approach to this turn, the car should be fully alongside the right hand side of the road. The brake required here is a medium pressure for a medium duration. A good reference for braking is around when the gravel road appears on the right. Think of slow hands turning in, aiming for a later apex. 

T17 – Oddly enough, this corner is a mirror image of the advice for T15. The only difference being, we don’t want to fully track out, we need to position the car for T18 so leave a couple car widths at the track out. 

T18&19 – This corner is a great corner to practice high eyes. Extremely high eyes. It’s easy to get disoriented here as the width of the track changes, getting wider. Typically a slight, smooth throttle lift is appropriate here, with steady hands as well. Keep the eyes up and the hands slow. Once the outside wall is within sight, focus on understanding that you need to be parallel to it going down the front straight. This is what orients you.

Author: Jonathan Goring

Pro Driver Coach
www.jonathangoring.com

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