Pocono Raceway Debuts First Kosher Food Stand in NASCAR History
by Dovid Margolin – chabad.org
In what is almost certainly a first for the 78-year-old sport, the Pocono Raceway will be introducing a kosher concession stand at the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series race this weekend.
One of the most important races on the circuit, the NASCAR Cup Series has been coming to the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Penn., for the last 53 years. “It’s as big as it gets as far as stock car racing goes,” explains Ben May, president of the Pocono Raceway. The race draws 115,000 fans over the weekend of June 12-14, with 50,000 attending Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400—160 laps on a 2.5 mile long triangle-shaped track nicknamed the Tricky Triangle. “Forty of the greatest race car drivers in the world doing close to 200 mph for three hours, with that intense focus, neck and neck. It’s an unbelievable experience.”
I know what you’re thinking. Jews? Stock car racing? Who ever heard of Jews into stock car racing?
“It is surprising to me that there are Jews who are interested in NASCAR,” admits Jeffrey S. Gurock, longtime professor of Jewish history at Yeshiva University in New York and the author of Judaism’s Encounter with American Sports, among other books. And a kosher concession stand? “It is certainly unusual.”
There’s nothing nefarious about the Jews’ historic disinterest in stock car racing, Gurock explains. The American sport first developed in rural areas of the south with small or non-existent Jewish populations, places like Martinsville, Va.; Lincoln, Ala.; Darlington, S.C.; and Bristol, Tenn. With little exposure to the sport, Jews simply never got into it.
But the times, they are a-changin’.
More and more Jewish families are attending NASCAR events, say Rabbi Mendel Bendet and Rabbi Mendel Raices of Chabad-Lubavitch of the Poconos. That’s why they first approached the Pocono Raceway with the idea of offering kosher food at their marquee event of the season. Bendet says the response was enthusiastic. “They were very happy to work with us.”
Pocono Raceway’s May didn’t grow up with racing himself, and knows all about the historic lack of Jewish NASCAR fans. But he’s also unsurprised that it’s changing. “This really is a family experience,” he says. “We’re a family-owned racetrack, we treat people like family, and our events feel like family.” Having kosher food available for fans just made sense.
In an era when the price of admission to major sporting events has climbed to eye-watering heights—as they have at a host of other attractions, from amusement parks to museums—family-friendly also means affordable. Tickets for the premier event start at $60, but children under 12 are free, parking is free, and small coolers are allowed. Besides for the fan fair, the Pocono Raceway has two playgrounds, one in the infield and the other behind the grandstand; mothers’ room; sensory rooms; and a host of other amenities. Not to mention world class racing.
The kosher stand will be located under the grandstand, says Raices, and will have a limited menu of hot dogs, drinks, and the opportunity to do a mitzvah, but they plan to expand their offerings in the future.
Gurock, the professor of Jewish history, told me that while he may be surprised that Jews are starting to follow NASCAR, kosher food becoming available is another reflection of the way American Jews can maintain their traditions while partaking in American sports.
“It’s news to me that Jews are into NASCAR,” he says. “But it’s not news to me that now that they are, Chabad is there to help.”
