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SPEED Quotes: Darrell Waltrip Discusses Inaugural Truck Series Race At Pocono

Former NASCAR Cup champion Darrell Waltrip, now an analyst for FOX Sports and SPEED, talks Truck Series racing at Pocono...

Megan Englehart | Posted July 29, 2010 Charlotte, NC

Eighteen finalists are in the running for the 2010 Mario Andretti Trophy. (Image: SPEED)

***SPEED™ QUOTES***

DARRELL WALTRIP DISCUSSES INAUGURAL NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES RACE AT POCONO

Waltrip: “I really believe Pocono will be the toughest challenge the Truck drivers face all year”

Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Darrell Waltrip will help call the action in Saturday’s inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway (Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda at 12:30 p.m. ET). Waltrip, now an analyst for FOX Sports and SPEED, has four Cup wins at Pocono and three pole positions. Below he shares his perspective on the challenges the Truck Series teams will face in their first visit to Pocono.

SPEED: Since the Truck Series never has visited Pocono, will the veterans have an advantage by virtue of their experience, or will the younger drivers enjoy a more level playing field this weekend?

Waltrip: “Pocono is a tricky track – the ‘Tricky Triangle.’ I call it a ‘roval’ because it’s a little bit of a road course and an oval. I think the guys who have laps around the joint – Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler and Denny Hamlin - those guys that have raced there a lot in the past will have a huge advantage going in, but once they get into the race and start to pick up the track – its uniqueness and how you get around there, it might even out a bit. Maybe by the race’s end, there will be some guys who figure it out and are able to race with the more experienced drivers there. You’ve got to go with experience at Pocono.”

SPEED: What are the biggest challenges facing drivers and teams in their first laps at Pocono Friday?
Waltrip: “Even if you’ve been there before, Pocono is just different and you have to approach all three turns differently. All three turns were designed by taking turns from different race tracks and incorporating them into one. This track has a lot of challenges to it and you attack it a lot like a road course for that very reason because you don’t get into a rhythm there – you’re constantly being challenged by the three different turns you face.”

SPEED: How does Pocono rank as far as challenges these Truck drivers will face this season?
Waltrip: “I really believe Pocono will be the toughest challenge the Truck drivers face all year. I think when the race is over with, there will be a lot of guys who say, ‘I can’t wait to come back again because I learned so much today.’ I do think this race will be a real learning experience for the majority of the drivers. Certainly having a fast truck will help. Austin Dillon probably will run pretty good because he has a fast truck and will have the help of his grandfather, Richard Childress, and the three Cup drivers (at RCR). Having the engine package he has will be a big advantage because you need some steam under the hood and need to be able to drive down those straightaways, so that could be a big plus for him. I look for him, as a rookie, to do pretty darn good. If you’ve got an exceptionally good truck and you’re on a good team, you could surprise me as to how you run there. But I really think it will be a challenge for anyone who hasn’t raced there before.”

SPEED: How do you expect the race to unfold?
Waltrip: “You can get yourself in so much trouble at Pocono – we saw that at the end of the Cup race there in June. On those long straightaways, you actually get a pretty big draft with the trucks. The closing rate is pretty fast and the tunnel turn is almost single file. You’ve got to be really careful. I think guys won’t realize how difficult that track is until they actually get into the race. Then they’re going to find out those long straightaways and those tight turns cause them a lot of headache.”

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