LONG POND Jeff Burton was giving someone a ride around Pocono Raceway in a rental car Tuesday morning. As the veteran NASCAR driver passed through Turn 2, he could tell something was different, but couldn't quite figure out what.

"I went through there and thought, 'What the hell is different over here?' " Burton said.During the offseason, Pocono removed the curbing that was in the turn and paved over the grass in that area, creating a 15-foot apron. A number of Sprint Cup Series drivers got their first look at it during a test session in preparation for the upcoming Pocono 400 weekend June 6-8.Known as the "Tunnel Turn" because that is the part of the track that goes over the infield access tunnel, Turn 2 at Pocono Raceway was already one of - if not the toughest - corners in NASCAR.It just got a little more interesting thanks to the changes."I think it's definitely going to enhance the racing through the tunnel turn," Pocono Raceway President and Chief Executive Officer Brandon Igdalsky said.There are two reasons for removing the curb, according to Nick Igdalsky, Pocono executive vice president and chief operating officer. Safety is the main factor, he said, citing that drivers often would hit the curb, causing their cars to shoot up the track into traffic and toward the outside wall. The other reason is that it will allow drivers to run a little faster through the turn and feel more comfortable doing so."What that all translates to is that it keeps the field a little tighter in (turn) two, which was a choke point," Nick Igdalsky said. "Hopefully that translates to closer, more consistent finishes down the front straightaway."Whatever the reasons, drivers are glad the curb is gone."I hated that curb," Clint Bowyer said. "You're carry so much speed back there and you were literally right there on it. It was only about (eight) inches, but it felt like it was two foot (high). I hit it once in qualifying and it destroyed the front of my car. I never got close to it again after that.""The turn is a little more forgiving now," Jamie McMurray said.Burton added that it gives drivers an escape option in case there's any trouble. Ryan Newman agreed."It gives you the opportunity to go down low to try to avoid something whereas before you were probably going to hit the splitter and probably cause an accident," Newman said.Immediately, the drivers tried to figure out how to use the apron to their advantage. They seemed to think it will come into play on restarts, when the field, sometimes four-and five-wide, would previously have to quickly funnel into line heading into Turn 2."Restarts at Pocono are insane getting into the tunnel turn," Burton said. "If people get bottled up, I think you might see some people try to use it (the apron)."You can also believe a driver will use the apron late in the race if he thinks it gives him a shot at victory.Practice and qualifying for the Pocono 400 is scheduled for Friday, June 6. Final Sprint Cup Series practice, as well as the ARCA Series Pocono 200, will take place Saturday, June 7. The Pocono 400 will get the green flag Sunday, June 8, at 1 p.m.