Pocono Raceway to charge $20 for re-entry at IndyCar race

Fans attending the Pocono IndyCar race will be charged $20 to re-enter.

Dear AR1:

I live in Pennsylvania and regularly attend events at Pocono Raceway. I was at both the NASCAR races earlier this summer and encountered a new track policy, which does not allow re-entry for fans once they have entered the track. Only if fans pay a $20 fee can they re-enter the infield or grandstand area.

I spoke with Pocono 2 different times and their response was the policy is in place for the safety of the fans. They claimed they wanted to deter people from bringing guns and alcohol into the track, yet they don't seem to have adequate measures in place to deter fans from doing this the first time they enter. When I pressed them further, they simply said, "this is our policy."

Anyway, I was hoping you guys could post something informing your readers of this. I was also at Watkins Glen where they had 135,000 people and not once was there a safety concern with fans re-entering. It seems like a ridiculous price-gouging tactic to me. Can you imagine a family of four? This is of particular interest on Saturday for the IndyCar weekend, where there is so little going on, I imagine people will not want to stay locked into the track all day.

Because I don't want people to think I'm trying to deter fans from attending, can my name be withheld? However, I feel this is something other IndyCar fans should know about. Name withheld by request

(Editor's note: Dear reader, thank you for writing in. There are AR1 readers we know who are going to Pocono who will appreciate this note. Personally, I've never heard of such a policy. It seems ridiculous that the track would do this, and that both NASCAR and INDYCAR would be complicit with it. Brian C.)