As I made my way through the long green flag runs at Dover...watching the field stretch out, I was reminded how happy I am that Dover is no longer 500-miles long.
I'm sure I'm going to feel the same way this week at Pocono.
The day and age of a race having to be 500-miles to be big time is long gone. The fact is; you most likely got a much better finish with a 400-miler than yo would have had the race gone 500. You certainly got mlore racing.
The simple truth is that, in molst 500-mile races, at least 40% (and maybe half) of the race is spent with drivers just clicking off laps. If you like to listen to the scanners, you won't hear chatter during those stretches...just some last minute feedback right before a pit stop.
Before you start pining for the good old days, here are some numbers: the last 10 500-mile races at Dover ended with an average of just over 6 cars on the lead lap.
Last fall, there were 6 cars on the lead lap...the only time in the most recent 10 races at Dover, that the cars on the lead lap has totaled fewer than 16.
So, keep that in mind as you take in Pocono this week. And, an added bonus, with the weather problems that plague Pocono frequentlhy...halfway comes 20 laps sooner.