Car racing, whether it be F1 or NASCAR, seems to spark debate as whether it’s a sport (I can accept that) and whether it’s practitioners are athletes (not so sure on that).
Even if one were to concede that the strategy and tactical aspects make it a challenge akin to chess, how to take the news that going from an oval to a three-cornered track poses a “puzzle” for the teams.
roval: n. The Pocono Triangle — Typically referred to as a “roval,” Pocono Raceway is one of the most unique tracks that the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series travels to. With its long straights and three distinct corners, Pocono Raceway is a puzzle for most teams and crew chiefs. — “Pocono II: Robby Gordon preview” Motorsport.com July 18, 2006. Categories: English, Automotive, Sports — More information about roval and related words at Double-Tongued Word Wrester.
And it’s not like the turns come all that close together:
Pocono Raceway has long been recognized as one of NASCAR’s most competitive speedways. Pocono’s unique 2.5-mile track features three turns, each with its own degree of banking (Turn 1 – 675 ft., 14 degrees, Turn 2 – 750 ft., 8 degrees, Turn 3 – 800 ft., 6 degrees) and three straights (Main Straight – 3,740 ft. (or 7/10ths of a mile), Long Pond Straight-3,055 ft. and the North Straight – 1,780 ft. (or 1/3 of a mile).
Granted the cars are going 200 mph meaning the turns come up pretty fast, but still, does a track with one fewer turn and one fewer straight bit really pose that much of a challenge? Is the issue that Pocono is different or that all other tracks are unchallengingly dull?
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