Interest builds around possible changes to NASCAR schedule

AndyMarquisLive said:
Creative way of saying "Rockingham" ;)
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Ah, I can see how you might get that impression. Let me clarify my previous statements.

I actually meant to say "abrasive asphalt 1.017-miler, with 22-degree banking in 1 and 2, 25-degree banking in 3 and 4, and an 8-degree banked slight kink just short of the S/F line"

I hope that clears up any confusion. :D
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Only way I'm fine with Dover losing a date is if New Jersey Motorsports Park gains one.
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Dover is an awesome skill-based driver's track, and it produces awesome races, but the local market does not support two dates. I think a key objective should be for a track to create one big "event" with sizzle even if it cannot support two? Look at the success of Darlington, and yet I believe Darlington could not do nearly as well with two dates per year. Same for Fontana. Same for Watkins Glen.

PS: I love Pocono as a triangle, but I'd like to see Pocono's second date on their road course... maintaining two long straights and Turn 1 and the Tunnel Turn. Minimal investment required to upgrade the existing curvy section. This would be awesome in person and on TV.

Canada and Mexico... yes please, a top priority IMO.
 
FLRacingFan said:
Phoenix is probably one of the best tracks on the calendar today. And ISM dumping a bunch of money into it guarantees it won't go away anytime soon.
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I was looking at it from a logistics perspective. If you are going to do Phoenix twice then do a fall west coast swing with Las Vegas and either Texas or COTA, similar to the spring west swing.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Pocono is the most underrated track in NASCAR. I know long runs there can get procedural, but more often than not, it produces excellent racing and memorable moments. It's also very unique.

Pocono could produce 10 consecutive races with 50+ lead change and photofinishes and the fans would still claim it's the "worst period track period ever period."
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If they ever succeed in bring the Indycar aero package up from xfinity to cup Pocono would be one of the best races on the schedule.
 
Just say NO to COTA. The racing there is terrible even for sports cars let alone stock cars.
Dover has provided some of the best racing of the year for the past few years. I think it got a bad rap when the COT car was being used because no one could pass at all.
Ditto Phoenix.
I will say that of the 1.5 milers, Chicago has been putting on better races than most because the surface of the track is starting to eat tires. If they decide to do a repave they should just reconfigure into anything that's less than a mile.
Pocono has gotten better since their repave but the second date should be the road course.
Charlotte, Texas, Vegas, Kentucky, Kansas, should only have 1 date or else get reconfigured into anything less than a mile.
Going to Mosport would be good, but doing a race in Mexico is pointless.
 
LewTheShoe said:
Dover is an awesome skill-based driver's track, and it produces awesome races, but the local market does not support two dates. I think a key objective should be for a track to create one big "event" with sizzle even if it cannot support two? Look at the success of Darlington, and yet I believe Darlington could not do nearly as well with two dates per year. Same for Fontana. Same for Watkins Glen.

PS: I love Pocono as a triangle, but I'd like to see Pocono's second date on their road course... maintaining two long straights and Turn 1 and the Tunnel Turn. Minimal investment required to upgrade the existing curvy section. This would be awesome in person and on TV.

Canada and Mexico... yes please, a top priority IMO.
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Dover losing one date would result in it closing most likely.
 
joe h said:
charlotte, Chicago, atlanta, Kentucky, Kansas, Texas, Vegas are 100% of their problems, any solution that doesn’t reduce the number of races taking place at these tracks by a minimum of 50%, is only going to add to their problems.

Chicago, Atlanta, and Kentucky need to be reconfigured, or demolished. Texas, Vegas, and Kansas should only have one race date. Right there they’re losing 6 out of 10 cookie cutters. If they do nothing else, eliminating the three double dates, reduces the number of crap races to 7.
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LOL....Vegas and Atlanta produce good racing Kansas is also pretty good, I don't see your point here with any of these tracks, improve the car and racing will be better.
 
So I did a little research and compared the 1996 season schedule to today's season schedule.
I picked 1996 because it was the last time that North Wilkesboro was on the schedule which I know a lot of people on here are big fans of. So this is a totally cherry picked year so take it with a grain of salt. Additionally, '96 could be considered toward the beginning of NASCAR's big break out in fandom.

1996 - general facts
31 official races
1 Busch Clash
Twin Gatorade 125's
Winston Open, Winston Select (All-Star races)
Suzuka Thunder Special exhibition in Japan

Rockingham North Wilkesboro, old configuration of Atlanta, Darlington, NHMS had 2 dates
Phoenix had 1 date.
Bristol had not been reconfigured yet.
Texas, Chicago, Kentucky, Kansas, Vegas, Homestead, AutoClub had 0 dates.

By my count, that is 16 races on tracks 1 mile or less (I include Darlington, Phoenix, and Rockingham even though they are slightly more than a mile)
So 16/31 = 51.6% of the official schedule was held on tracks of less than a mile.
Only 4 races on 1.5 mile "cookie cutters" This includes Atlanta which at the time was actually the old configuration.
4 races at superspeedways
2 at road courses
5 at Pocono, Michigan, IMS

2018 - general facts
36 official races
Advance Auto Parts Clash
Can-Am Duels
Typical All star weekend

Texas, Chicago, Kentucky, Kansas, Vegas, Homestead have 1 or more dates.
Gone are Rockingham and North Wilkesboro.

By my count, there are 12 races on tracks 1 mile or less (including Darlington and Phoenix).
12/36 = 33% on 1 mile or less
10/36 = 27% on cookie cutters (Charlotte only counts as 1 this year but Vegas has 2 dates now, and Atlanta is now a cookie cutter.)
4 superspeedway races
3 road course races
7 races at Pocono, Michigan, AutoClub, IMS, Homestead



I have to say i'm surprised that we have only lost 4 dates to tracks 1 mile or less, but we have added 6 dates to cookie cutters.
Not bad for a 22 year look into the past.
Sure wish we still had the old Bristol, Rock, and Atlanta.
The addition of AutoClub and Homestead seems to be working out well though.
 
I agree about with everything posted on this thread.
I think they need to work backwards. Give one date to the current tracks,
then make new additions from there. Heck , include a fan pole on who are the 3 or 4 tracks
that should get a second date.
This really is a long time coming if they get serious with this.
 
FLRacingFan said:
Phoenix is probably one of the best tracks on the calendar today. And ISM dumping a bunch of money into it guarantees it won't go away anytime soon.
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They better worry about pleasing the fans then .... the last race pissed some folks off. The midway was almost bare, Bud light was scarce and there were few vendors ....... and they ran out of food. Tickets prices and pit passes will be going WAY up as well. Sometimes messing with a good thing is not a good thing
 
kyle18fan said:
They better worry about pleasing the fans then .... the last race pissed some folks off. The midway was almost bare, Bud light was scarce and there were few vendors ....... and they ran out of food. Tickets prices and pit passes will be going WAY up as well. Sometimes messing with a good thing is not a good thing
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I noticed the same thing. The first program stand didn’t even have programs, and the second one didn’t have the little car. And if you had $100 in your pocket, you could have easily bought out the combined RCR/petty hauler of all their Wallace gear. Kinda of sad, 3 years ago I was calling it my second favorite track, and next year I’m waiting until the last second to buy a cheap ticket on stubhub.
 
DIDIT said:
I was looking at it from a logistics perspective. If you are going to do Phoenix twice then do a fall west coast swing with Las Vegas and either Texas or COTA, similar to the spring west swing.
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I agree with this and it would make so much sense for NASCAR to make Texas a part of the WC swing just from the logistics stand point.
 
joe h said:
I noticed the same thing. The first program stand didn’t even have programs, and the second one didn’t have the little car. And if you had $100 in your pocket, you could have easily bought out the combined RCR/petty hauler of all their Wallace gear. Kinda of sad, 3 years ago I was calling it my second favorite track, and next year I’m waiting until the last second to buy a cheap ticket on stubhub.
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The programs with the cars ran out before the race on Saturday o_O:confused: I hope it was just transitional teething problems ... but it might be the shape of the future. The midway looked like a ghost town .. none of the cool stuff they used to have was there. We checked on the future ticket prices and pit pass prices too ........ I was shocked.
 
kyle18fan said:
They better worry about pleasing the fans then .... the last race pissed some folks off. The midway was almost bare, Bud light was scarce and there were few vendors ....... and they ran out of food. Tickets prices and pit passes will be going WAY up as well. Sometimes messing with a good thing is not a good thing
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Do what I did years ago when Texas first opened --- I wrote letters after EVERY race. Wrote 3 pages to Eddie Gossage enumerating the things I found
wrong/missing, that needed attention. Wrote one to the sheriff of the county thanking one of his deputies and pointing out things that could have helped the traffic after the race. Mr. Gossage answered and so did the sheriff.
I kept up the letters to Mr. Gossage after every race for 10 years ---- I kept hammering away on things that the ordinary fan saw that maybe he or his team didn't. Some of the things I pointed out were changed and some suggestions were actually implemented.
 
TexasRaceLady said:
Do what I did years ago when Texas first opened --- I wrote letters after EVERY race. Wrote 3 pages to Eddie Gossage enumerating the things I found
wrong/missing, that needed attention. Wrote one to the sheriff of the county thanking one of his deputies and pointing out things that could have helped the traffic after the race. Mr. Gossage answered and so did the sheriff.
I kept up the letters to Mr. Gossage after every race for 10 years ---- I kept hammering away on things that the ordinary fan saw that maybe he or his team didn't. Some of the things I pointed out were changed and some suggestions were actually implemented.
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We have expressed our opinions to the track ...... I hope they listen. PIR is a real special place to me, I hate to see the magic disappear
 
They need a variety of tracks. As the cars have evolved the racing has changed at the tracks. We got a lot of 1.5 mile tracks because at the time Charlotte was producing some of the best racing. Who knows how the cars will change in 10-20 years and what tracks might produce the best racing. My favorite tracks have changed over the years.
 
hidesert cowboy said:
hey I like pocono, I think the races there are a way than say kansas, new hampshire and quite a few other tracks. Why they had to run out and repave texas I don't know. I think they need to just patch up many of these tracks rather than complete repaves. michigan was another track that has never came in all the way since the repave. I never thought that track needed repave either.
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They had to repave Texas because the track's drainage system was all screwed up and the track was like a sponge. Their spring race date is during Texas' monsoon season.
 
As NASCAR fans we've been rebuilding the schedule since 1949. We've never had one that we've all been satisfied with and we never will. I do think NASCAR does pay attention though. The fact that they are going to try the Charlotte Roval tells us that. They know they've got to do something to gain interest in this sport. A complete revamp of the schedule would certainly peak the interest of the existing fan but it's going to take a lot more than that to grab the new fan. I hope they don't think that the schedule change will solve all their problems.

Remember the days when you could take a friend to the track and create a new fan for life? I wish we could get back to those days but I'm afraid they're long gone.
 
Mopardh9 said:
LOL....Vegas and Atlanta produce good racing Kansas is also pretty good, I don't see your point here with any of these tracks, improve the car and racing will be better.
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Bingo! People like to bitch about 1.5 milers because that's what the hive mind thinks. Yet most of them produce either some of the best racing, or best attendances. My home track is Texas, but that is still 7 hours from my house. I don't mind it losing a date, but only as long as it's to another track closer or around the same distance. I know people are harping on COTA being a poor choice for stock car racing, but I bet with a little bit of a reconfig it'll be great. I'd keep TMS in the fall, and take their spring date and give it to COTA. Then I'd move that spring date up some where it was either at the start or end of spring break. That would put it around the end of the west coast swing, but would also put it during SXSW which is huge in Austin every year. It could really help draw a crowd to the track.
 
joe h said:
I noticed the same thing. The first program stand didn’t even have programs, and the second one didn’t have the little car. And if you had $100 in your pocket, you could have easily bought out the combined RCR/petty hauler of all their Wallace gear. Kinda of sad, 3 years ago I was calling it my second favorite track, and next year I’m waiting until the last second to buy a cheap ticket on stubhub.
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The RCR/Petty merch issue is more than likely on RCR and Petty. I bet they didn't figure in the demand for Bubba gear when they packed everything for the West Coast Swing.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Dover losing one date would probably be that track's demise sadly, which is why I hope they keep two dates. Fun track which produces great racing and has some fantastic facilities. Location is excellent too.

I could see NASCAR eventually ending the Indianapolis experiment. That could result in a second Kentucky race but I seriously hope not. Obviously, Iowa's due for a Cup race.

On the lower schedules, I think Gateway's lobbying for an XFINITY race. They're invested in this. Maybe they'll go after a Cup race when these contracts are restructured. Not my favorite track but it would be a great market for one.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Trucks went back to Memphis International Raceway soon. And I know New Jersey Motorsports Park is lobbying for a Truck Series race which is part of why they got a K&N race. I would not be surprised if they eventually get one. They've hosted ARCA and the old Grand-Am series before.
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I don't see how IMS is making any money off the Brickyard weekend.
 
I keep hearing 2020 will be a big year. New track announcements and some "retirings" aka fired.
Bubba hardly had anything at Daytona.
 
Zerkfitting said:
They need a variety of tracks. As the cars have evolved the racing has changed at the tracks. We got a lot of 1.5 mile tracks because at the time Charlotte was producing some of the best racing. Who knows how the cars will change in 10-20 years and what tracks might produce the best racing. My favorite tracks have changed over the years.
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Agree we need a variety of tracks, however, we got a lot of 1.5 mile tracks because indycar was somewhat popular at the time and they thought they could bring in more revenue by having dates for NASCAR and Indycar. The racing at Charlotte has always been a bit of a snooze fest in my mind, but I am only one opinion so take it with a grain of salt.
Agree the cars need to be fixed and I think we have learned over the past few years that greater speeds and more aerodynamic cars makes it extremely difficult for cars to pass, especially the larger tracks. i.e. take the front splitter off and raise the heights of the cars or else slow them down, i.e. smaller tracks.
 
TexasRaceLady said:
Do what I did years ago when Texas first opened --- I wrote letters after EVERY race. Wrote 3 pages to Eddie Gossage enumerating the things I found
wrong/missing, that needed attention. Wrote one to the sheriff of the county thanking one of his deputies and pointing out things that could have helped the traffic after the race. Mr. Gossage answered and so did the sheriff.
I kept up the letters to Mr. Gossage after every race for 10 years ---- I kept hammering away on things that the ordinary fan saw that maybe he or his team didn't. Some of the things I pointed out were changed and some suggestions were actually implemented.
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That's because Eddie Gossage is a promoter. Not saying other tracks wouldn't listen at all, just that Gossage takes a very different approach to things and it works. I really wish this sport, on every level (Cup and grassroots) had more promoters like him.
 
Mopardh9 said:
LOL....Vegas and Atlanta produce good racing Kansas is also pretty good, I don't see your point here with any of these tracks, improve the car and racing will be better.
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Been going to Vegas and Kansas off and on since the first day they opened their doors, and the only thing memorable about these two tracks, is Vegas is the first race I ever attended, and Kansas has a knack for severely injuring good drivers. Leaving the Kansas race last fall, my brother told me to never buy him a ticket again. Took my younger cousin to the Daytona 500 last year, as a graduation present, and he still talks about it, and will likely be a fan for a little while longer, but I’m scared taking him to Kansas or Chicago will ruin the experience he had at Daytona. My dad took his buddy to his first race in Vegas a few years back, and he hated it, and has been to only one since. Even my dad has all but given up thanks to last years Truex dominating performance, and Junior’s 20% effort. We still had fun at Daytona’s July race and a couple days in key west after the Miami race. But I’m starting to feel like I’m on an island here.
 
joe h said:
Been going to Vegas and Kansas off and on since the first day they opened their doors, and the only thing memorable about these two tracks, is Vegas is the first race I ever attended, and Kansas has a knack for severely injuring good drivers. Leaving the Kansas race last fall, my brother told me to never buy him a ticket again. Took my younger cousin to the Daytona 500 last year, as a graduation present, and he still talks about it, and will likely be a fan for a little while longer, but I’m scared taking him to Kansas or Chicago will ruin the experience he had at Daytona. My dad took his buddy to his first race in Vegas a few years back, and he hated it, and has been to only one since. Even my dad has all but given up thanks to last years Truex dominating performance, and Junior’s 20% effort. We still had fun at Daytona’s July race and a couple days in key west after the Miami race. But I’m starting to feel like I’m on an island here.
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I had great times the 7 races i went to Vegas, guess it depends on your experience.
 
Vegas is a nice facility. I think it's a lot better of a track to have multiple oval races than Texas or Charlotte.
 
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