Pocono Raceway Track Info, History and Predictions for 2022 M&Ms Fan Appreciation 400

Pocono Raceway will once again play host to NASCAR festivities this weekend as the M&Ms Fan Appreciation 400 prepares to get underway. The sport's top drivers will tackle this renowned course for the second time this season as they look to gain ground in the standings.

Here's everything you need to know about Pocono Raceway before NASCAR's M&M Fan Appreciation 400 in 2022 .

Where Is Pocono Raceway?

Pocono Raceway is located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. For fans not familiar with the area, that's about 95 miles north of Philadelphia.

Pocono Raceway Track Info: Lap Length, Capacity, History

Pocono Raceway broke ground in 1969 and opened in 1971. The track was originally known as the Pocono International Raceway until 1996, when the name was shortened down to "Pocono Raceway." The track is nicknamed "The Tricky Triangle."

The track's debut came with four USAC races from 1971 to 1974, with NASCAR first racing at Pocono on Aug. 4 1974.

Pocono Raceway is known for its triangular shape, and asphalt surface. The track length is 2.5 miles, making the entire 160-lap race 400 miles.

Pocono has a full seated capacity of 76,812.

Pocono Raceway Past Winners

Richard Petty won the inaugural Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway in August 1974. Kyle Busch most recently took home the checkered flag in 2021.

• 1971: Butch Hartman*
• 1972: Roger McCluskey*
• 1973: Richard Petty*
• 1974: Ron Keselowski*
• 1974: Richard Petty
• 1975: David Pearson
• 1976: Richard Petty
• 1977: Benny Parsons
• 1978: Darrell Waltrip
• 1979: Cale Yarbrough
• 1980: Neil Bonnett
• 1981: Darrell Waltrip
• 1982: Bobby Allison
• 1983: Tim Richmond
• 1984: Harry Grant
• 1985: Bill Elliott
• 1986: Tim Richmond
• 1987: Dale Earnhardt
• 1988: Bill Elliott
• 1989: Bill Elliott
• 1990: Geoffrey Bodine
• 1991: Rusty Wallace
• 1992: Darrell Waltrip
• 1993: Dale Earnhardt
• 1994: Geoffrey Bodine
• 1995: Dale Jarrett
• 1996: Rusty Wallace
• 1997: Dale Jarrett
• 1998: Jeff Gordon
• 1999: Bobby Labonte
• 2000: Rusty Wallace
• 2001: Bobby Labonte
• 2002: Bill Elliott
• 2003: Ryan Newman
• 2004: Jimmie Johnson
• 2005: Kurt Busch
• 2006: Denny Hamlin
• 2007: Kurt Busch
• 2008: Carl Edwards
• 2009: Denny Hamlin
• 2010: Greg Biffle
• 2011: Brad Keselowski
• 2012: Jeff Gordon
• 2013: Kasey Kahne
• 2014: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
• 2015: Matt Kenseth
• 2016: Chris Buescher
• 2017: Kyle Busch
• 2018: Kyle Busch
• 2019: Denny Hamlin
• 2020: Denny Hamlin
• 2021: Kyle Busch

* - USAC race

Most Wins at Pocono Raceway

Two drivers are tied for the most career wins: Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin have each taken six checkered flags at Pocono.

Hamlin's wins at Pocono came in 2006 (twice), 2009 (twice), 2019 and 2020. Gordon's wins came in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2011 and 2012.

Why Is Pocono Called "the Tricky Triangle"?

The "triangle" part of Pocono's nickname is obvious — with only three turns instead of four, the track forms a triangle instead of an oval. It is deemed "tricky" because of its unique design, with no other NASCAR tracks really racing the same way that Pocono does.

The triangle features the longest straightaway on the current NASCAR schedule, and all three turns on the course are distinctly different.

Pocono Predictions

Denny Hamlin is looking to earn his seventh win at Pocono to break his tie with Jeff Gordon this week, but he's not the only racer to target due to his impressive track history.

Kyle Busch has four wins at Pocono, all of which have come since 2017. In fact, Busch has won four of the last nine NASCAR races at the Tricky Triangle, while we have to go back 25 races to get Hamlin up to four.

Busch and Hamlin are the only drivers to win the M&Ms Fan Appreciation 400 over the last five years, and it's easy to like either one at +700 (Busch) or +800 (Hamlin) in FanDuel Sportsbook's NASCAR odds this week.