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Guest Column: Journalist Kyle Magda on His Memories of the ARCA Menards Series at Pocono

www.arcaracing.com May 29, 2019

I began following the ARCA Menards Series more closely mid-2006. My first-ever race was an ARCA event at Pocono Raceway in June 2002. Frank Kimmel dominated it until a flat tire with two laps to go derailed his chances at winning and handed the victory to Damon Lusk. I didn’t attend another ARCA race until June 2007 at the Tricky Triangle when my mom got me a buy one, get one free Saturday ticket.

And then, the streak began. Friday’s General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 will be my 25th consecutive ARCA race at Pocono, a streak I didn’t know would last this long. This weekend will also mark the first time I haven’t covered a Pocono weekend in five years. In a way, it’s bittersweet for how far I’ve come while I write this.

There have been a lot of twists and turns at the Tricky Triangle in my last 24 ARCA events there. Most notably for me was the August 2007 event when it appeared no one wanted to win the race. Hendrick Motorsports development driver Landon Cassill blew a tire while leading and Bobby Gerhart had a terrible head-on crash in the Tunnel Turn that sidelined him for the rest of the season. Jeremy Clements was a few hundred yards away from capturing his first ARCA win until the fuel tank ran dry.

I always chuckled about the final lap because moments before that happened, Michael McDowell passed Josh Wise for second and it ultimately ended up being the pass for the win. It was heartbreaking for Clements, but he won the next week at Nashville.

I’ve seen a lot of drivers get their feet wet in the ARCA race at Pocono: Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Ty Dillon, Chase Elliott and Corey LaJoie, all of now who race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

For the longest time, the ARCA race at Pocono featured Cup rookies getting extra track time and a majority of the time ended up in victory lane.

A race I missed was the 2003 Pennsylvania 200, an event where Kyle Busch’s qualifying speed was faster than the Cup pole that weekend. Casey Mears completed the double by sweeping both races that weekend.

Pocono’s ARCA races have provided a lot of excitement the last few years. The epic battle between teammates Zane Smith and Sheldon Creed last July stands out in recent memory.

As I look back on it, 25 in a row is a pretty impressive streak. My favorite for Friday’s race is Harrison Burton. He’s the defending winner of the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 and Venturini Motorsports has good history at Pocono. I’d also keep an eye on championship point leader Michael Self. He’s coming off a strong run at Charlotte and finished third at Pocono two years ago after starting in the rear. The No. 25 is synonymous with Pocono as Brennan Poole still holds the most dominant performance at the track, leading 77 of 80 laps in June 2012.

There have been 26 different winners in as many Pocono races. Will the streak stretch to 27, or will we see a repeat winner?