Interest builds around possible changes to NASCAR schedule

So I found this article interesting as a schedule geek that I am, scroll down to the question about "new tracks in the next 5 years" and Ricky Craven answers that a current 1.5 mile track might run a short track race on its front stretch. Any idea who that would be? I'd actually be all for that. Also seems that Iowa is a slam dunk in 5 years
http://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/s...ng-hendrick-motorsports-martinsville-speedway
 
I'm trying to figure out which 1.5 or even 2-miler could set up a short-track configuration on the front stretch without having to reconfigure more extensively than Charlotte required for the roval. Most (all?) of the 1.5s already have a Legends track on the front, but those are way too small to hold a national touring series event. I don't see how any of them could jam a 1/2-mile circuit on the front without pushing pit road back further into the infield.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I'm trying to figure out which 1.5 or even 2-miler could set up a short-track configuration on the front stretch without having to reconfigure more extensively than Charlotte required for the roval. Most (all?) of the 1.5s already have a Legends track on the front, but those are way too small to hold a national touring series event. I don't see how any of them could jam a 1/2-mile circuit on the front without pushing pit road back further into the infield.
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yeah I was racking my brain trying to figure out too and I cant think of any. I bet if or when it happens its going to be a big surprise. I also wonder if some of the 1.5 milers would reconfigure their entire existing track to become a short track to make this prediction come true.
 
As much as I would like to see Nascar race short tracks every week I think we need to be careful about placing too much emphasis on them. For sure we need more but I think the average fan is sick and tired of many of the tracks 1 mile and over that it makes short tracks seem like the panacea (which they are for me)
 
Snappy D said:
yeah I was racking my brain trying to figure out too and I cant think of any. I bet if or when it happens its going to be a big surprise. I also wonder if some of the 1.5 milers would reconfigure their entire existing track to become a short track to make this prediction come true.
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Same here. I just can't figure out which track could/would do this.
Unless it was some sort of temporary configuration --- but I still don't see how it could work.
 
If Bruton Smith can stage a football game in Bristol's infield I am confident that someone can can take a track like MIS and turn it into a quasi Bristol north.
 
AtomicPunk55 said:
If Bruton Smith can stage a football game in Bristol's infield I am confident that someone can can take a track like MIS and turn it into a quasi Bristol north.
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Oh, I'm sure it can be done. It's a question of how much work and money it's going to take, and what the resulting layout will look like.
 
Take a race from Kansas,Pocono,Dover,Texas,Las Vegas and Phoenix and give them to either Short tracks or Road Courses.
 
Craven you half witted pot licker, Texas just spent millions out of their own pocket repaving and reconfiguring the track. hell yeah lets tear all that out. Great idea there bud. Dang, if I was Craven, I would be watching my back when Gossage was around.
 
StandOnIt said:
Craven you half witted pot licker, Texas just spent millions out of their own pocket repaving and reconfiguring the track. hell yeah lets tear all that out. Great idea there bud. Dang, if I was Craven, I would be watching my back when Gossage was around.
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I normally like Craven, but that was unhinged fantasy, and the Texas idea is idiotic. Really, there should be a track in Seattle? What a novel idea. While I would gladly support such a thing, nobody in Washington state could get a project anywhere close to funded and approved a couple decades ago when NASCAR was the next big thing. The idea that there is meaningful interest there now is laughable. Paul Allen doesn't give a fvck, Ricky.
 
Deep breaths guys as I seriously doubt a lot of the ideas tossed out by Craven and company were meant to be taken seriously. Stories like this are just meant to get the pot lickers and pot stirrers up in arms. Save your wrath for something worthwhile.
 
The Xfinity experiment worked pretty well at Indy. They are going to do it again this year. They probably have made a few tweaks to the aero stuff.
 
StandOnIt said:
The Xfinity experiment worked pretty well at Indy. They are going to do it again this year. They probably have made a few tweaks to the aero stuff.
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That's a whole lot of work to solve a problem that could be easier fixed by having the haulers exit the bypass and head west instead of east...
 
Charlie Spencer said:
That's a whole lot of work to solve a problem that could be easier fixed by having the haulers exit the bypass and head west instead of east...
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That is a matter of opinion. If they can get the racing decent, and the Xfinity was. I think the powers that be would go that way.
 
that
Charlie Spencer said:
Decent racing at IMS won't beat great racing at IRP / ORP / LRP. Heck, it wouldn't beat mediocre racing at IRP, if there was such a thing.
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seems to be the cry from many. Most don't pay any attention to the Arca race they have there every year. IRP is called Lucas Oil Raceway Park and has been called that for a number of years. The racing is very similar to Nascar racing of years past but with one exception. They lack sponsorship and crowds..sound familiar? Despite good ol short track racing there aren't any economic indicators moving down to these smaller tracks would make one bit of difference.

 
15,000 there would look alot better than the cavernous grandstands of indy.
 
Craven made a great point about Texas, plate racing sells. It’s hard ignore the TV ratings and crowds Daytona and Talladega still pull
 
It would be easy to make a plate race out of Michigan, they hardly lift now. That race is usually a snoozer
 
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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I have no problems with watching races at Pocono... on tv. You couldn't give me free tickets to go to that track though. The sight lines are absolutely terrible and the traffic is a nightmare cause it's essentially 1 road in and out of the place.
 
You know your sport is getting killed by a conflicting business interest (ISC and SMI) when you have to put a short track in the frontstretch of your main track. Sorry but this whole "let's use the road course and every other track within this venue" is a ridiculous concept that NASCAR is somehow signing off on. Chicagoland could really just start over from scratch if they're gonna do any sort of thing like that.
And hope everybody is careful what they wish for with the plate races. The reason why they're so great is because there's only 4 out of 36.
Charlie Spencer said:
Will we remember any part of this conversation (or its predecessors) by the time 2020 rolls around?
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My guess is nothing happens with the schedule unless ISC/NASCAR is willing to lose one of their own tracks.
 
Regardless of what new tracks come onto the schedule or any the drop off, NASCAR needs to rework the schedule to have more races in warm weather climates in March. Having races in Atlanta in February and Martinsville in March is ridiculous.
 
MRM said:
Regardless of what new tracks come onto the schedule or any the drop off, NASCAR needs to rework the schedule to have more races in warm weather climates in March. Having races in Atlanta in February and Martinsville in March is ridiculous.
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Average temp this time of the year is 63 degrees in Martinsville. That's not that bad. Weather happens. We deal with it and move on. Just like we'll be doing in about 48 minutes.
 
Next race is crappy Texas, then 4 straight weeks of uniqueness, cannot wait.
 
Texas will be a better race this year than this last Martinsville. I have nothing against Clint, but there was just no battles for the lead, nothing like last year Kez and Kyle fought forever for the lead.
 
This is entirely hypothetical and has absolutely no chance of becoming reality, but this is what I would like to see for NASCAR‘s premier series when this supposed schedule revolution could take place in 2021. I am a huge advocate of a schedule that does not visit tracks more than once, that has some (but not all) shorter races, and that limits the series to 30 races (+2 non-points events). I think an exception to the one race per track rule should be made for 3 tracks: Charlotte so they can have a race on the Roval, and the 2 restrictor plate tracks so they can still have 4 of them. Here goes:

Date/Track/Distance
2/28 Daytona 500
3/14 California 300
3/21 Las Vegas 400
3/28 Circuit Of The Americas 90 laps
4/4 OFF Easter
4/11 Martinsville 500 laps
4/18 Atlanta 300
4/25 Talladega 500
5/2 Dover 300
5/8 Kentucky 300 (Night Race)
5/16 Milwaukee 300
5/23 Charlotte All Star
5/30 Charlotte 600 (Night Race)
6/10 Iowa 300 laps (Thursday Night Thunder)
6/20 Pocono 400
6/27 Sonoma 110 laps
7/4 Daytona 400 (Night Race)
7/15 Gateway 300 (Thursday Night Thunder)
7/25 Michigan 400
8/1 Watkins Glen 90 laps
8/8 Chicago 300
8/19 Bristol 500 laps (Thursday Night Thunder)

Chase Round of 16
8/29 New Hampshire 300
9/5 Darlington 500 (Sunday Night)
9/12 Indianapolis 400

Chase Round of 12
9/19 Richmond 400 laps (Saturday Night)
9/25 Kansas 300
10/3 Talladega 400

Chase Round of 8
10/17 Charlotte Roval 300
10/24 Texas 400
10/31 Phoenix 300

Chase Championship 4
11/7 Homestead 400

This schedule allows for a little more time off over the course of the season, and adds 3 mid-week events. The summer Daytona race would move back to the tradition of always being in July 4th, which happens to fall on a Sunday in 2021. The race at COTA will be held on the 2.3 mile “National Circuit” course. It also attempts to avoid running many races in the same area back-to-back weeks. The “Thursday Night Thunder” races would feature 3 events, 1 each month during the summer held at a short track on a Thursday night. Maybe some kind of bonus could be offered for winning those races.

Track Breakdown:
2 Quad-Oval/Tri-Oval 2.5 mile speedway races
4 Super Speedway/restrictor plate races
4 Road course races
4 Short track (less than 1 mile) races
6 Intermediate track (1-less than 1.5 mile) races
10 1.5-2 mile speedway races
 
I wouldn't mind the current races on the schedule just getting rotated around to some different times of the season... but then comes the economics aspect where NASCAR tries to help the teams by having the west coast races together and things of that nature.

I'd like to see more Saturday night races.

I really feel like the beginning of the season could use a night race at California or Phoenix...
 
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