Raceway's NASCAR weekend wins award from Pa. Restaurant and Lodging Association

Pocono Raceway was won a statewide award for Event of the Year.

The Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association awarded the honor to Pocono Raceway for the July 2023 NASCAR Cup race weekend during the PRLA's annual Conference and Awards Gala last week.

“We’re honored to be recognized by our peers, especially as a hospitality and tourism space,” said Pocono Raceway President Ben May. “We take a ton of pride in delivering for our partners and for our fans and for the community. And for this group of hospitality professionals to honor the raceway and the work we did this past summer, it’s humbling, it’s amazing. We’re so happy to be a part of this community. We’ve been here for 50 plus years, so to be recognized is a big deal for our team.”

“We were thrilled because we are very close partners with the Pocono Raceway, worked closely with them for many years, and we get to see first-hand the dedication they have to putting on quality world-class events. And we were thrilled that this event was recognized as really what it is,” said Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau President and CEO Chris Barrett. “It drives people from all over the United States, all over the world and it, in a very real way, puts the Pocono Mountains brand front and center in a way that it really normally wouldn’t be. So it was great for Pocono Raceway, that recognition, it was a real win for the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania and nationally, so we’re thrilled.”

According to a press release, a 2014 independent study at East Stroudsburg University valued the economic impact the raceway annually brings to the Poconos at $257.5 million, or $308.5 million in 2022 money.

In July, the raceway hosted its biggest crowd since 2010.

“We filled out our grandstands, we sold out our suites, we sold out all of our camping spots. As our operations team joked, ‘We couldn’t fit another person, car, or RV on our property,’” said May when asked why the Pocono Raceway won Event of the Year. “So the culmination of that hype, the spectacular racing product that NASCAR has now, we had three amazing races that weekend. So really it’s just kind of the whole package for us, the sold-out atmosphere, the great weather, the good energy, the spectacular racing, it really put us on the map this year and people took notice so it’s really quite special.”

“It validates the fact that the Pocono Mountains is a destination of choice for events that people are interested in, and this event is so unique, there aren’t a lot of racetracks across the United States and in the world. And I think the other point, which is very important, is the care that Pocono Raceway takes in any event that it undertakes to present,” said Barrett before further praising the raceway’s crew for the work and care they put into their events as top-notch. “So we’re just very happy that they were recognized for that with this award.”

NASCAR will return to Pocono Raceway July 12-14, 2024, with the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Craftsman Truck Series races taking place on the Tricky Triangle.

More: Pocono Raceway to host NASCAR races a weekend earlier

“Our goal here is to continue to provide a spectacular event in northeast Pennsylvania, bring in the tourism, bring the folks from out of state that come to visit the raceway and really just repeat our success,” said May.

“As we continue, you’ll see Pocono Raceway continue to promote events like this, and of course, promote NASCAR, which they do very very well,” said Barrett, adding that the PMVB is very thankful that the raceway is located within the Pocono Mountains. “It’s a huge plus for the destination, for everybody who lives here as well, from a quality-of-life standpoint, to have that type of attraction in their backyard. But for the whole state, and for the Pocono Mountains, it’s a win.”

Max Auguliaro is the public safety and government watchdog reporter at the Pocono Record. Reach him at MAugugliaro@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Pocono Raceway's NASCAR weekend honored by hospitality association