Pocono Raceway adds NASCAR race to 2016 lineup

Published September 30, 2015

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) Pocono Raceway has added a race from NASCAR's Xfinity Series to its 2016 schedule.

The second-tier series will run at Pocono for the first time on June 4. It's the first time the series has held a race in Pennsylvania since 2004 at Nazareth Speedway.

Pocono is traditionally the site of two NASCAR Sprint Cup weekends. The Truck Series also is back for another year and will hold a race on July 30.

The two Cup dates at Pocono are June 5 and July 31.

The track also has held an IndyCar Series race the last three seasons. Pocono has yet to announce if the series will return in 2016.

Pocono CEO Brandon Igdalsky said Tuesday that a decision should be made within the week.

''We want five big events in five months and IndyCar is in that plan,'' he told The Associated Press. ''We just have to figure out how to make it work for everybody.''

IndyCar returned to Pocono in 2013 after a 24-year absence for the first race of a three-year contract. Ticket sales at Pocono have been soft the last two years. The race date was moved this season to August after two years around the July 4 weekend.

''We have to make it financially successful,'' Igdalsky said. ''We've got to at least cover our costs or we're in big trouble.''

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