Interest builds around possible changes to NASCAR schedule

Told the gf when we were in Atlanta for the race that they needed to do this and just place the Atlanta race after the July Daytona race. Logistically it's just as good as going from Daytona to Kentucky, and you could have a late afternoon race that ends under the lights, which is prime for that racing surface.

 
AdoubleU24 said:
Told the gf when we were in Atlanta for the race that they needed to do this and just place the Atlanta race after the July Daytona race. Logistically it's just as good as going from Daytona to Kentucky, and you could have a late afternoon race that ends under the lights, which is prime for that racing surface
Click to expand...
I like that idea, but I raise you a Saturday night Martinsville race the week after Daytona, and Atlanta takes the spring Martinsville race's spot. That would be an epic two weeks.
 
I totally understand the idea of Nascar reducing race lengths and slashing race dates as the series needs some serious right sizing. IDK what the purpose of changing the 36 event race schedule around next year unless it is a cost saving measure. I can’t see the moves helping or hurting attendance or ratings.
 
Larsonfan1995 said:
I like that idea, but I raise you a Saturday night Martinsville race the week after Daytona, and Atlanta takes the spring Martinsville race's spot. That would be an epic two weeks.
Click to expand...

Just by chance, what were the nighttime temperatures on February 23rd in Martinsville this year? AND, I know that you guys don't want to believe it, but running Martinsville at night will screw the race up just as it has screwed up Darlington. One of the KEY ingredients in good racing at both of those tracks is when they get hot and slippery. Racing at night, ESPECIALLY in the early spring and late fall is NOT the way to go, but I'm sure that's another argument that will just fall on deaf ears.
 
Formerjackman said:
Just by chance, what were the nighttime temperatures on February 23rd in Martinsville this year? AND, I know that you guys don't want to believe it, but running Martinsville at night will screw the race up just as it has screwed up Darlington. One of the KEY ingredients in good racing at both of those tracks is when they get hot and slippery. Racing at night, ESPECIALLY in the early spring and late fall is NOT the way to go, but I'm sure that's another argument that will just fall on deaf ears.
Click to expand...

The weather would make it impossible. The early Atlanta, Martinsville and Bristol dates are the worst on the schedule and have been for years. At one point, many moons ago, Martinsville was at the end of April which was far better. The snowout last year was a mess. Bristol faced similar issues a few weeks later. The sleet made for a wonder east Tennessee afternoon.

IMO, they should head west after Daytona, be Southeast centric in the spring then do more of a national schedule (Pocono, Michigan, Chicago, Kentucky, Sears Point, Daytona, New Hampshire, Watkins Glen, Indy) in the summer travel months then have a southern-centric chase. The schedule is actually set up a bit like this but could use some tweaking due to weather.
 
Honestly there's too much racing around here in the early part of the year anyways that it'd be way better for me personally to have Atlanta moved back a few months. I always want to go back up there but I don't want to travel and spend a bunch of money all at once.

Plus that 2015 I went to was just miserable weather-wise and made me rethink going to Atlanta while it's that early in the calendar anyways.
 
Formerjackman said:
Just by chance, what were the nighttime temperatures on February 23rd in Martinsville this year? AND, I know that you guys don't want to believe it, but running Martinsville at night will screw the race up just as it has screwed up Darlington. One of the KEY ingredients in good racing at both of those tracks is when they get hot and slippery. Racing at night, ESPECIALLY in the early spring and late fall is NOT the way to go, but I'm sure that's another argument that will just fall on deaf ears.
Click to expand...
July Daytona. The original post I quoted suggested putting Atlanta after July Daytona, so I said put Martinsville there and move Atlanta to March instead of February.

Edit: and bulldoze Kentucky.
 
Last edited:
Larsonfan1995 said:
July Daytona. The original post I quoted suggested putting Atlanta after July Daytona, so I said put Martinsville there and move Atlanta to March instead of February.

Edit: and bulldoze Kentucky.
Click to expand...
Kentucky hasn't been too bad the last couple of years. I'd take Indy off the schedule first, but for some reason the Powers That Be consider it important. Funny, you never hear the IRL guys saying that series needs to run Daytona...
 
FLRacingFan said:
Honestly there's too much racing around here in the early part of the year anyways that it'd be way better for me personally to have Atlanta moved back a few months. I always want to go back up there but I don't want to travel and spend a bunch of money all at once.

Plus that 2015 I went to was just miserable weather-wise and made me rethink going to Atlanta while it's that early in the calendar anyways.
Click to expand...
Yup. The schedule is so front loaded for us down here. Gotten lucky with the weather in ATL the last couple of years but in addition to that, it really would help out the ol' wallet a bit. It's arguably my favorite track to attend so I try not to miss it if I can help it.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Kentucky hasn't been too bad the last couple of years. I'd take Indy off the schedule first, but for some reason the Powers That Be consider it important. Funny, you never hear the IRL guys saying that series needs to run Daytona...
Click to expand...
Indy is going to be another curiosity this year with the areo package they are going to race with there. If it is as good as the Xfinity has been it should be pretty good
 
StandOnIt said:
Indy is going to be another curiosity this year with the areo package they are going to race with there. If it is as good as the Xfinity has been it should be pretty good
Click to expand...
I personally can't wait to see what happens at all the 2.5 mile tracks with this package. Especially Daytona and Talladega.
 
Larsonfan1995 said:
July Daytona. The original post I quoted suggested putting Atlanta after July Daytona, so I said put Martinsville there and move Atlanta to March instead of February.

Edit: and bulldoze Kentucky.
Click to expand...

Fair enough, you're off the hook for that one, but I STILL don't want the race to be at night. Yes it would be neat, but I think the racing really suffers. Even Richmond is better in the daytime. Bristol, especially since it's concrete doesn't really matter. As for Kentucky, I really LIKE the facility, but the track layout is boring and uninspired. My first thought would be to try to make a neat 3/4 mile out of it, but boy it would be an expensive project.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Kentucky hasn't been too bad the last couple of years. I'd take Indy off the schedule first, but for some reason the Powers That Be consider it important. Funny, you never hear the IRL guys saying that series needs to run Daytona...
Click to expand...

I think the Indycar bunch knows running Daytona is not very practical, and they have a limited fan base down there. On the other hand, even though you wouldn't know it from recent years attendance, Indy and the surrounding area probably has the biggest NASCAR fan base outside of the traditional south with the possible exception of Texas, and that may just be a function of size and population as much as anything.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Kentucky hasn't been too bad the last couple of years. I'd take Indy off the schedule first, but for some reason the Powers That Be consider it important. Funny, you never hear the IRL guys saying that series needs to run Daytona...
Click to expand...

"For some reason", such as it typically being the most or second most watched race of the second half of the season. There is no other race more valuable to NBC's portion of the schedule.
 
gnomesayin said:
"For some reason", such as it typically being the most or second most watched race of the second half of the season. There is no other race more valuable to NBC's portion of the schedule.
Click to expand...
Demonstrating that people who don't know what they're watching will watch anything. Hopefully the new package will result in something that doesn't suck like a catfish with asthma.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Demonstrating that people who don't know what they're watching will watch anything.
Click to expand...
There is a competing theory... that people who don't know what they're watching generally prefer short tracks... because the "action" is more overt, more obvious... jus' sayin'.

Indy is an intriguing race that I always anticipate eagerly. As a contest of skill, the degree of difficulty is among the highest on the schedule. Those four flat corners connected to long straights separate the contenders from the pretenders. Indy is a unique and daunting challenge on the Cup schedule. (Indy is ideally suited to high horsepower and low downforce, so it remains to be seen whether the new rules castrate the beauty of it.) In addition, the history and traditions of IMS add to the importance of the Brickyard 400.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Kentucky hasn't been too bad the last couple of years. I'd take Indy off the schedule first, but for some reason the Powers That Be consider it important. Funny, you never hear the IRL guys saying that series needs to run Daytona...
Click to expand...
Indianapolis is pretty frequently a highly-rated NASCAR TV market. Top 5 sometimes, Top 10 most of the time. For a market of that size it's pretty key to NASCAR and the networks. And the Speedway will always be more important to that region than IRP (even though I do think NASCAR should return to IRP below the Cup series in some capacity).
 
LewTheShoe said:
There is a competing theory... that people who don't know what they're watching generally prefer short tracks... because the "action" is more overt, more obvious... jus' sayin'.

Indy is an intriguing race that I always anticipate eagerly. As a contest of skill, the degree of difficulty is among the highest on the schedule. Those four flat corners connected to long straights separate the contenders from the pretenders. Indy is a unique and daunting challenge on the Cup schedule. (Indy is ideally suited to high horsepower and low downforce, so it remains to be seen whether the new rules castrate the beauty of it.) In addition, the history and traditions of IMS add to the importance of the Brickyard 400.
Click to expand...
The fact that it has a very Champion predictor rate - nine of twenty-five Brickyard winners went on to win the Cup - and, at least as of a few years ago, had the lowest variance from a driver's average finish everywhere else are great indications of how much of a test IMS is. It's really one of the last tracks we should want to bastardize, but I'm in the wrong thread for that discussion.

 
I am confused at the notion of 28 races. Maybe I've missed RaceHub or writers talking about it, where has that been gaining steam? I might be alright with 32, but going completely down to 28 would almost be as bad as adding a Chase or Playoff.
 
I echo the sentiments of others that would like to see trucks and X at IRP as it is a great track I have had the privilege of attending. I also understand why some people really like IMS and the skill set it takes to successfully navigate the track. IDK what the 2019 Brickyard will be like but I would expect a slowed down sucked down spectacle.
 
IanMcVittie said:
I echo the sentiments of others that would like to see trucks and X at IRP as it is a great track I have had the privilege of attending. I also understand why some people really like IMS and the skill set it takes to successfully navigate the track. IDK what the 2019 Brickyard will be like but I would expect a slowed down sucked down spectacle.
Click to expand...
The only race I could not care one bit to miss. I probably won't but I sure wouldn't feel cheated if they never broadcast it.
 
IanMcVittie said:
I echo the sentiments of others that would like to see trucks and X at IRP as it is a great track I have had the privilege of attending. I also understand why some people really like IMS and the skill set it takes to successfully navigate the track. IDK what the 2019 Brickyard will be like but I would expect a slowed down sucked down spectacle.
Click to expand...

I would also love to see Xfinity and Trucks return to IRP, as it's EXACTLY the kind of venue these series need to be going to more often, and it was almost always a good show in the past. That was a classic example of NASCAR following the money "at the moment" at the expensive of substituting two GOOD races for one mediocre one at best, failing to realize the importance of the product itself. I still contend that if you put out a great product, most of your other problems cure themselves. I will concede though that with the high downforce cars in Xfinity there the last two years, the racing has at least been interesting, where as the earlier Xfinity races there were unwatchable. I turned down free tickets to those races on a couple of occasions.
 
AuzGrams said:
I am confused at the notion of 28 races. Maybe I've missed RaceHub or writers talking about it, where has that been gaining steam? I might be alright with 32, but going completely down to 28 would almost be as bad as adding a Chase or Playoff.
Click to expand...

I could be completely wrong but I'll hedge my bets and say it's not going to be 28. I think somewhere in the 32 range will be how things play out.
 
KodiakRusty89 said:
I could be completely wrong but I'll hedge my bets and say it's not going to be 28. I think somewhere in the 32 range will be how things play out.
Click to expand...
I'd be okay with that number personally. The tricky part is I wonder what tracks or races they end up cutting out to get to that number.
 
I love Indy, its probably my 2nd or 3rd favorite race of the year behind the Southern 500. Its a good predicator too on who will win that year's Championship or at least in the running for it. If I myself had been a driver seeing as I am from the midwest , The Brickyard 400 would mean more to me than the Daytona 500. The history, tradition and pageantry of that place I am a sucker for. I hope it never leaves the schedule. Saying that Trucks and Xfinity need to go back to IRP yesterday.
 
KodiakRusty89 said:
I could be completely wrong but I'll hedge my bets and say it's not going to be 28. I think somewhere in the 32 range will be how things play out.
Click to expand...

I agree as 8 races seems like drastic surgery and 4 races seems like right sizing. I think that unless you were a super diehard fan you wouldn’t even miss 4 races from the schedule.

Trimming 4 races would be so easy to do as tracks line Pocono and MIS seem obvious due to the proximity of the dates. I don’t think a lot of people would lament Loudon or Kentucky losing its last date or Dover, Kansas, Chicago or Texas losing one date. Maybe they should chop 6 dates and call it a day.
 
If we're taking 4 away, take Indy, 1 Texas, 1 Kansas, and 1 Richmond or Kentucky. I've never cared for Richmond.

Then you're faced with the problem of adding new tracks which is a top priority it seems for NASCAR. That would require pulling even more races from existing venues. Because of that, I think we stay at 36.
 
Snappy D said:
I love Indy, its probably my 2nd or 3rd favorite race of the year behind the Southern 500. Its a good predicator too on who will win that year's Championship or at least in the running for it. If I myself had been a driver seeing as I am from the midwest , The Brickyard 400 would mean more to me than the Daytona 500. The history, tradition and pageantry of that place I am a sucker for. I hope it never leaves the schedule. Saying that Trucks and Xfinity need to go back to IRP yesterday.
Click to expand...
The year Menard won it wasn't much of an idicator.
 
StandOnIt said:
Roger Penske: NASCAR must have Gen 7 by 2021; wants doubleheaders
https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2019/0...-must-have-gen-7-by-2021-wants-doubleheaders/
Click to expand...
Very interesting and candid comments by The Captain, and very scary to me. He seems to be holding out the spec IndyCar as the model for Nascar's Gen 7 car. Making changes “that don’t hurt the show” sounds good, but I've seen that rationale used many times in my career to justify cost reductions that wind up homogenizing the final product.

I admit that I'm a purist regarding racing (and several other industries as well), so maybe that places me among a small minority...:idunno: But to me, a Hendrick racecar is not the same as a Childress or Ganassi... and all of those are unlike a Penske or an SHR. And the spec Indycar, where a Penske entry really *is* just like one from Ganassi, is one reason (among several) why I have much less interest in IndyCar racing.

I'm also a financial & business realist. I know cost control is important for Nascar. But it's a slippery slope, those cost reductions “that don’t hurt the show,” so I hope Nascar is careful and smart about it.
 
LewTheShoe said:
Very interesting and candid comments by The Captain, and very scary to me. He seems to be holding out the spec IndyCar as the model for Nascar's Gen 7 car. Making changes “that don’t hurt the show” sounds good, but I've seen that rationale used many times in my career to justify cost reductions that wind up homogenizing the final product.

I admit that I'm a purist regarding racing (and several other industries as well), so maybe that places me among a small minority...:idunno: But to me, a Hendrick racecar is not the same as a Childress or Ganassi... and all of those are unlike a Penske or an SHR. And the spec Indycar, where a Penske entry really *is* just like one from Ganassi, is one reason (among several) why I have much less interest in IndyCar racing.

I'm also a financial & business realist. I know cost control is important for Nascar. But it's a slippery slope, those cost reductions “that don’t hurt the show,” so I hope Nascar is careful and smart about it.
Click to expand...
So true. I was listening to an older Dale Jr podcast from last year with Kyle Busch, and they were talking about the spring 07 Texas race when Kyle in the 5 crashed out and left the track. Well the 5 bunch fixed up the car and couldn’t find Kyle so Jr had a couple of buddies on the 5 team and they asked him to finish the race as he was out of it for some reason. Jr said he was excited to drive a Hendrick car and compare it to what he had at DEI. I hope NASCAR keeps some semblance of different cars from different teams
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom