Interest builds around possible changes to NASCAR schedule

Charlie Spencer said:
Same place it's been for a decade, languishing. Did anybody really expect this outfit to revive racing? Getting the track back in shape was the easy part; that was just money and grunt labor. Their concert showed everyone they had little clue as to how to execute an event. We haven't heard from them since.
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To be fair, that is apples and oranges but your point is valid
 
2 Sweet said:
Can we kick Loudon off the schedule? I have no idea how they fare as far as attendance is concerned, but I've always thought it was the worst track on the Cup circuit by a huge margin.
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Racing is hit or miss. Attendance is still on-par with most places, probably the 40-50k range. SMI just put in a big dirt track in the parking lot for motorcycle racing so it's not going anywhere. Also there's club racing, bicycle racing, Legends cars, and a couple non-Cup NASCAR events on the big track each season. From April-October there's something happening 3-4 days a week on-track. They have a track setup that can be made conducive for any racing series.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Same place it's been for a decade, languishing. Did anybody really expect this outfit to revive racing? Getting the track back in shape was the easy part; that was just money and grunt labor. Their concert showed everyone they had little clue as to how to execute an event. We haven't heard from them since.
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I had a glimmer of hope, they sure have been quiet since that concert. Almost like they disappeared
 
Snappy D said:
I had a glimmer of hope, they sure have been quiet since that concert. Almost like they disappeared
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Silence is usually deafening in the worst possible manner, but silence in business can be deafening in the best possible manner too. I guarantee there are discussions behind the scenes trying to bring NASCAR back to The Rock and the news of 1-year contracts gives me hope.
 
RacerrecaR said:
Silence is usually deafening in the worst possible manner, but silence in business can be deafening in the best possible manner too. I guarantee there are discussions behind the scenes trying to bring NASCAR back to The Rock and the news of 1-year contracts gives me hope.
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Again, call me when the tickets go on sale. I refuse to allow myself to get excited over anything less.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Again, call me when the tickets go on sale. I refuse to allow myself to get excited over anything less.
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I will call you if I have your number. But in all seriousness, if Cup returns to The Rock I will be spending my vacation money on it and will gladly buy you a beer or 20 if you are there too
 
RacerrecaR said:
I will call you if I have your number. But in all seriousness, if Cup returns to The Rock I will be spending my vacation money on it and will gladly buy you a beer or 20 if you are there too
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I’ll be buying a minimum of four seats, regardless of series. One will be yours, and I recall promising one to @AndyMarquisLive (although he’d probably be working). But right now I see nothing worth cashing in the War Bonds.
 
NHIS is a great presence in New England and Eastern Canada. I can't see it going away completely. Dover, Michigan, Pocono, Texas, Kansas seem like tracks off the top of my head that will either have a double-header deal going forward or one date. I still think Michigan and Pocono are prime candidates for either a strictly NASCAR or an IndyCar/NASCAR double-header so long as safety concerns are reduced. Texas also has a strong history with IndyCar and would make a solid option too.

Bristol would probably be better with the night race only. The spring race has become an awkward undercard. I think demand and prestige for the night race would go up if it was flying solo. However, there's just no other track like Bristol. It's history/impact on NASCAR can't be argued.

While I get one year deals I still would have liked maybe a 3 year setup that includes a reshuffling of chase dates. I would reduce several tracks to one date with the caveat they'll get a chase date within the 3 year contract. This would give track staff an opportunity to market the hell out of a "unique" second date well in advance. It would help keep the chase different each year and help the track's bottom line. It would also be a way to work some new tracks into the schedule.
 
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Charlie Spencer said:
"Your call is important to us; please remain on the line. Currently there are at least two existing, functional SMI tracks on hold."
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I cracked up at this lmao. I want to get excited about this I really do, but I dont think anything will come of it.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
25 years. Move on, people. At this point it would be cheaper to start from scratch, and SMI isn't doing that between Charlotte and Bristol.
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yea IF SMI wanted to bring a race back the track would have to undergo a Daytona-like renovation I would imagine. I think the track could serve a purpose as a standalone Truck and Xfinity weekend and maybe an occasional Cup All Star race but the question is would the ROI be worth it? I am not sure and I'd lean towards no unfortunately.
 
StandOnIt said:
One thing about it, it won't be a warm up race for the Daytona 500 by the top teams and nobody gets a preview of how the next Gen is going to race at Daytona.
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The one year a little extra data for a new car (with a big evolutionary leap) roll-out would help -- and its booted to the road course. Perhaps they don't want Logano junking a bunch of freshly minted NextGen cars at Superspeedway speeds too early in the Speedweek...
 
I wonder if NASCAR will consider letting some tracks keep a second date on alternate years. Just as an example, in '21 Dover gets two dates and NH one, then in '22 NH gets two and Dover one.

Random thoughts while running on five hours of sleep.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I wonder if NASCAR will consider letting some tracks keep a second date on alternate years. Just as an example, in '21 Dover gets two dates and NH one, then in '22 NH gets two and Dover one.

Random thoughts while running on five hours of sleep.
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I've been onboard with something like this. However, I would still use the chase as a way to ensure tracks get a quality second date every other year or so.
 
StandOnIt said:
(hasn't figured out who pays the majority of the bills)
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First off, if this race was worth a damn, the ratings and attendance numbers would be just fine on Sunday afternoon. And yes, I know TV is paying the bills and they are paying it whether anybody watches it or not, which they mostly won't.
 
Formerjackman said:
First off, if this race was worth a damn, the ratings and attendance numbers would be just fine on Sunday afternoon. And yes, I know TV is paying the bills and they are paying it whether anybody watches it or not, which they mostly won't.
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(hopefully you will keep that in the frontal lobe of your brain pan) It's all about the ratings, not what you or I think about the race.
 
Formerjackman said:
First off, if this race was worth a damn, the ratings and attendance numbers would be just fine on Sunday afternoon. And yes, I know TV is paying the bills and they are paying it whether anybody watches it or not, which they mostly won't.
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The ratings increased this year and it was the most watched on cable since 2014. I was not a fan of the demo derby itself, and I like the switch to the road course. But the main impetus is that NASCAR is intent on shortening the length of the season by a few weeks.
 
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