NASCAR stages road course test at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Formerjackman said:
That turf and pot holes are a well deserved penalty for getting off track. I think this track design sucks for stock cars and this new chicane only makes it worse. I think most people are going to be sadly disappointed when they actually see a race there.
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I am all for punishment for going off track but in this case synthetic probably works better because grass just tears these cars apart. Sports cars have more ground clearance so it's not as devastating. It's not like they have acres of runoff room to work with, at least.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
I think many on here already have their mind made up that this race will be a failure, regardless of its outcome. Personally I think this is a huge step in the right direction to buck the norm. It's obvious that the stagnant schedule is a detriment to the sport. NASCAR/Charlotte is trying to do something to generate interest. That's a win for everyone IMO. I'm hard pressed to think of a memorable fall Charlotte race without looking back at stats. Next falls race there is something that I'm looking forward to. That isn't something that I would have said should the race have remained under its current configuration.
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yeah I agree, but they are "experts" that have never watched or designed a road race at Charlotte but they just know it isn't going to be a decent race. By the same token they would be (shocked, deathbedded, with or without cuss words and calling for Brian's head on a stick) after the front end's start exploding when cup cars hits regular grass and dirt. Much harder to anticipate what can happen (design) than to squawk about it afterwards.
 
All I'm saying is I've been following sports car and Indy car road racing since the mid-80's. Tracks like Charlotte, Michigan, Pocono, Phoenix, Homestead, Indy, have had sports car races over the years, and almost to a person, the driver's hated them, and the FANS hated them. If a roval sucks for a sports car, it will suck for a stock car X3. Daytona ONLY works, (if you can call it that) because the infield is so big and the race is loaded with history and prestige. Otherwise, it stinks as a racecourse nearly as much as the others. Ever watch an IROC race on the Daytona road course? Zzzzzzzzzz.
 
Formerjackman said:
All I'm saying is I've been following sports car and Indy car road racing since the mid-80's. Tracks like Charlotte, Michigan, Pocono, Phoenix, Homestead, Indy, have had sports car races over the years, and almost to a person, the driver's hated them, and the FANS hated them. If a roval sucks for a sports car, it will suck for a stock car X3. Daytona ONLY works, (if you can call it that) because the infield is so big and the race is loaded with history and prestige. Otherwise, it stinks as a racecourse nearly as much as the others. Ever watch an IROC race on the Daytona road course? Zzzzzzzzzz.
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Road America, Road Atlanta, Montreal, Laguna Seca, all could of hosted a Road course race, but no they decided a Roval is the way to go
 
downnice said:
Road America, Road Atlanta, Montreal, Laguna Seca, all could of hosted a Road course race, but no they decided a Roval is the way to go
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You're missing the legal requirement to remain at Charlotte. Would you rather see another race on the Charlotte oval or have them try the Charlotte roval?

And yes, those ARE your only two choices. Moving a date to another track won't be legally possible for several more years.
 
For the record, I never suggested a race somewhere else because of the reality of the situation. That being said, I think trying a half-assed option may be worse than just staying with the status quo. A LOT of NASCAR fans are still lukewarm at best about road courses, and running a lousy one instead of waiting for a good one may do more harm to the cause than good. Also for the record, I said from DAY ONE that taking ISC and SMI public was a HUGE mistake for the sport, because now you have pesky little devils called stock holders that have legal rights to expect certain things instead of Lesa France Kennedy and or Bruton Smith just unilaterally deciding to do what is best for the sport. The sport is severely hamstrung by being beholden to the stock holders. Try to take anything away from either company revenue wise, even if for the best of reasons, and you are inviting a lawsuit. This is what happens when you get people that are seduced by dollar signs to the point that they gloss over the details. It's likely too late now, but if Brian France had any brains, he should have either bought ALL the tracks and kept them private, or sold them ALL and just became a customer who could take his business wherever he pleases. As for the "experts" remark, I don't claim to be an expert, but I have eyes and I have perspective. As I keep saying, if sportscars can't put on a good show at these tracks, what makes you think a far less capable Cup car can? As for the real experts, how many modern race tracks designed by computers and "experts" have had to be modified several times because they got it wrong? Homestead was modified how many times and then totally rebuilt? The Indy road course is on about it's third track layout, Las Vegas, Texas, shall I go on?
 
Official reveal of the Charlotte Roval.
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http://www.racer.com/nascar/item/144776-charlotte-motor-speedway-road-course-unveiled
 
New synthetic turf has been layed down near the chicane on the front stretch, according to the article. It should be interesting to see how that stuff holds up once the splitter digs in.
 
Speedbowl14 said:
I did the math on lap times when this was announced under the original configuration...

With lap times at a tick over the 1:30 mark this will be a very long race...more like an endurance battle. Watkins Glen lap time is 1:10 and the race is 90 laps. A good Sonoma lap time is 1:15 and that race is 110 laps. So with 1:30 lap times and a 130 lap race... it's a loooong one. The Charlotte oval is a 28 second lap. Let's say 30 seconds for easy math. 1.5 minute laps on the Roval multiplied by 130= 390 laps on the Charlotte oval (3:1) ratio. It's the Coke 600 of NASCAR road courses, the 4 Hours of Charlotte.
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So with that added chicane, which looks pretty severe, there's probably a 6-10 second laptime increase, as you're eliminating the fastest part of the track by making it the slowest. So the longest race of the season will get even longer!!!
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So now that they're adding ANOTHER chicane to increase laptimes EVEN MORE...the longest race of the season which had gotten longer will now be even longer!
 
And now that they're measuring the track as 2.42 miles instead of 2.4 the race should be 128 laps instead of 130 as originally advertised...most of you don't care but when your "home" NASCAR track measures 1.058 miles (NOT ONE MILE) you get kinda picky with those pesky decimals...:mad::rolleyes:

BTW I bet there's A LOT of race shop guys who are in charge of brakes heading to the Charlotte bars right now....
 
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Speedbowl14 said:
So now that they're adding ANOTHER chicane to increase laptimes EVEN MORE...the longest race of the season which had gotten longer will now be even longer!
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You’re really worried about lap times and race length?

Everything I see when I look at that layout makes me smile. Can’t wait for this event myself. Sucks to see the rate the race ratings out so soon though.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
You’re really worried about lap times and race length?

Everything I see when I look at that layout makes me smile. Can’t wait for this event myself. Sucks to see the rate the race ratings out so soon though.
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No no not worried...I love it...it's an actual endurance event. I will be down there for this next October 80% sure.
 
LouieLouie said:
Official reveal of the Charlotte Roval.
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http://www.racer.com/nascar/item/144776-charlotte-motor-speedway-road-course-unveiled
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You'd think they could have cleaned the graphic up to get rid of those grandstands that no longer exist in 1 and 2. Regardless, I'd still like to have that on a T-shirt.

In the mean time they can jam in a few more chicanes, maybe between 4 and 5.

Can you travel at pit road speed between 15 and 3 faster than you can run the track with 16, 17, and 18 in your way? :p
 
Speedbowl14 said:
No no not worried...I love it...it's an actual endurance event. I will be down there for this next October 80% sure.
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My bad. I guess I misread. Seems most on here are against this idea from the start to the point it’s become ridiculous. I love racing. I love different venues and configurations. I can’t relate to all the negative remarks on this change.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
You're missing the legal requirement to remain at Charlotte. Would you rather see another race on the Charlotte oval or have them try the Charlotte roval?

And yes, those ARE your only two choices. Moving a date to another track won't be legally possible for several more years.
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Two Charlotte oval races wouldn't be as bad if the All-Star Race weren't there too. If they ran that somewhere else and ran the Kansas roval instead that'd probably be better.
 
This is the "Home Track" for cup. Would have been appropriate at ANY other track. Charlotte was the OG mile and a half. Remember Atlanta used to be 1.45. Woulda been fine with it @ kansas, texas, kentucky, homestead, atlanta, vegas anywhere else but Nascar's home base.
 
sky said:
This is the "Home Track" for cup. Would have been appropriate at ANY other track. Charlotte was the OG mile and a half. Remember Atlanta used to be 1.45. Woulda been fine with it @ kansas, texas, kentucky, homestead, atlanta, vegas anywhere else but Nascar's home base.
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'OG'?

What makes it inappropriate? As FLRacingfan pointed out, Charlotte has three weekends. The other tracks you named only have two or less. It makes sense to use one of those weekends to experiment with.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
'OG'?

What makes it inappropriate? As FLRacingfan pointed out, Charlotte has three weekends. The other tracks you named only have two or less. It makes sense to use one of those weekends to experiment with.
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I'm just saying that CMS had its original layout 25 years before all these copycat venues started poppin up.
 
FLRacingFan said:
Two Charlotte oval races wouldn't be as bad if the All-Star Race weren't there too. If they ran that somewhere else and ran the Kansas roval instead that'd probably be better.
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that might be why they are having a road course race ya think? Fans have been saying that for years, so they did something about it. But nah they don't listen to fans right?
 
This is an example of what a road course should look like. One of the best in the world IMO, VIR
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elevation changes and a scenic setting, purpose built. Think this is what we all wanted. Many more like this all over the states.
 
sky said:
This is an example of what a road course should look like. One of the best in the world IMO, VIRView attachment 29575 elevation changes and a scenic setting, purpose built. Think this is what we all wanted. Many more like this all over the states.
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What we all want and what is contractually possible are two different things. Want it all you wish, but accept that it won't happen for several years (assuming VIR wants a Cup race in the first place).
 
Charlie Spencer said:
What we all want and what is contractually possible are two different things. Want it all you wish, but accept that it won't happen for several years (assuming VIR wants a Cup race in the first place).
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I hear ya nascar has to play the hand they themselves dealt. Everyone in the big brass will continue to wonder why attendance will continue to dwindle and why fans will continue to leave. I applaud their effort for trying but it's like sticking a bandaid over knife wound.
 
sky said:
This is an example of what a road course should look like. One of the best in the world IMO, VIRView attachment 29575 elevation changes and a scenic setting, purpose built. Think this is what we all wanted. Many more like this all over the states.
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LOVE VIR. The only real problem with it is it's kind of in the middle of nowhere. When attendance wasn't a problem, it didn't matter where the tracks were. Now it just might.
 
I know someone mentioned adding dirt tracks, Eldora is probably the only viable option bc of its banking
 
sky said:
This is an example of what a road course should look like. One of the best in the world IMO, VIRView attachment 29575 elevation changes and a scenic setting, purpose built. Think this is what we all wanted. Many more like this all over the states.
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Still have this year’s IMSA Weathertech Race lurking on the DVR , never seen a race from there. But it looks better than a Roval.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
I think many on here already have their mind made up that this race will be a failure, regardless of its outcome. Personally I think this is a huge step in the right direction to buck the norm. It's obvious that the stagnant schedule is a detriment to the sport. NASCAR/Charlotte is trying to do something to generate interest. That's a win for everyone IMO. I'm hard pressed to think of a memorable fall Charlotte race without looking back at stats. Next falls race there is something that I'm looking forward to. That isn't something that I would have said should the race have remained under its current configuration.
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From what I have read some folks feel the track has not maximized the layout which could lead to an awful race and what is the point with replacing one awful race on the 1.5 layout with another awful one of a roval?

I agree with you that trying something different is a good idea but Nascar and the tracks are way past the point of doing something they hope will be better as they need a guaranteed result. If the roval is as bad or worse than the 1.5 mile course it damages things even more as it shows that the powers that be cannot even improve on a turd of a race and that ain't good.
 
Anybody heard if the Oct. '18 Xfinity race will be on the oval or the road course? If the roval, what's the over / under on how many Cup drivers will be entered? Plenty of practice time available. The X drivers might stand a competitive chance; they run more road courses than the Buschwackers do.
 
Skoalbandit33 said:
From what I have read some folks feel the track has not maximized the layout which could lead to an awful race and what is the point with replacing one awful race on the 1.5 layout with another awful one of a roval?

I agree with you that trying something different is a good idea but Nascar and the tracks are way past the point of doing something they hope will be better as they need a guaranteed result. If the roval is as bad or worse than the 1.5 mile course it damages things even more as it shows that the powers that be cannot even improve on a turd of a race and that ain't good.
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No guarantees in NASCAR. Even Bristol produces lousy racing at times. Many on here have already formed their opinion that this will never work. So much so that I'm sure they wouldn't even change their opinion should it be successful.

I'm waiting on the checkered flag to form an opinion has to how good of an idea it was. And that may not even be after the first race under that configuration. It may take time or two to see how this all plays out.

Maximized the layout? How many track designers post on this forum? I guess we're all experts in our own minds round these parts.

We're a year away from this happening. I'm already looking more forward to the race next year than I am the race this weekend.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Anybody heard if the Oct. '18 Xfinity race will be on the oval or the road course? If the roval, what's the over / under on how many Cup drivers will be entered? Plenty of practice time available. The X drivers might stand a competitive chance; they run more road courses than the Buschwackers do.
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Roval, but no Cup drivers at all since they can't run the playoffs next year regardless of experience.
 
hope they continue to get some one race road race ringers like they have at the other road racing tracks. Should be a good track in the rain with the slower speeds.
 
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