Truck Series team hauler clobbers Pocono Raceway flag stand

What's left of the Pocono Raceway flag stand

Pocono Raceway has made several improvements in the last year, including additional SAFER barriers and updated catch fences. A new flag stand, something that was on a list of future improvements, will now be at the top of the list.

A Camping World Truck Series team hauler ran into the flag stand as the haulers were parking Thursday, track president Brandon Igdalsky said. He wouldn’t say which hauler was involved, but did say the flag stand had been heavily damaged.

“One of them got a little too close … and decided to take it out," Igdalsky said, laughing. “He just hit the flag stand and knocked it off its moorings. It bent the steel and everything. It’s junk. It’s recyclable now.

“[Getting a new one] was on the list, but not this quick."

The track will have a temporary flag stand in place by Friday morning for truck series practice, which will then be followed by Sprint Cup practice.

“We’ll have something temporary there for the weekend," Igdalsky said. “We can’t run without it. We’re working on a couple of ideas right now what we can get in there."

The frontstretch catch fence was not damaged, and none of the wiring that NASCAR uses for scoring, caution lights or the black-flag number board was damaged, Igdalsky said.

“It’s pretty bad, but the pictures make it look worse. But it was mangled. He hit it pretty good," he said. Scenedaily.com