Since we are at a road course this week, I thought this would be the perfect time to bring up the NASCAR road course debate. Some people, both inside and outside the sport, say they need to be eliminated from the schedule all together. I personally think we need to keep the two races we have, and add one more.
NASCAR has always been known as a circle track motorsport, but road courses have been apart of the schedule since the very beginning. Mark Aumann wrote a great piece on NASCAR.com on Wednesday about the history of the sport turning left and right. He includes a short history about each of the 12 tracks that have hosted NASCAR over the years.
I personally believe that road courses are an important part of the NASCAR season because they not only test the teams and drivers, but they also offer fans something different to watch. With the ridiculous amount of 1.5 mile tracks on the circuit, it’s nice to break things up once in a while.
The naysayers will tell you that road courses shouldn’t be part of the season because of the expense and extra effort it takes to put together specialized road racing cars. Well if that is the best they can do, we better take Daytona and Talladega off the schedule too.
If NASCAR approached me and wanted to know what I would do to better the schedule, one change I would make would be to add a third road course race, and move one of the three races into the Chase. This would add one more challenge to the final ten race Chase for the Cup and it would give teams a third race in which to use those purpose built cars.
But here is the challenge. What track should be added to the schedule? I don’t know about you, but I keep picturing 43 Cup cars squeezing down through the corkscrew at Laguna Seca. How bad ass would that be?
Let us know your thoughts on this. What do you think should happen to road racing on the NASCAR schedule? If they were to add a third race, what track should host it?
Related posts:
- Reader Question: Road Courses
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- Pit Road Explained: Rules
- New Pit Road Rules for 2008
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on Aug 7th, 2009 at 12:36 am
In addition to 1 more road course added to the schedule,how about adding a dirt track or two?
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Pacific Raceways in Seattle, WA! The road course isn’t completed yet, but will be in a few years…
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 5:08 am
Laguna Seca!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In my dreams!!!!!!!!! Wow – I would love that. Saw races there back in the mid ’70s (my claim to fame – nearly getting run over by Mario Andretti and Al Unser in a golf cart! : D A pit pass got you big time access in those days!)
It was the era of the Formula 5000 and I remember loving Mario Andretti (who didn’t?) and hating Jody Scheckter with a passion (but I can’t remember why! LOL!)
Best memory was standing about ten feet away from Tony Brise during an interview; Tony was killed not long after that (not in a race, though).
Yeah, I’d love to see the COT come down that corkscrew! : D My memory may be fuzzy, but isn’t that Turn 7?
I pulled out my old racing scapbook from then. No NASCAR, but Emerson Fitipaldi was my driver in Formula 1!!!!
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 6:13 am
I agree! I look forward to the road courses every year, and welcome the change from the parades at the 1 1/2 mile overload. Watching those big, heavy stock cars lift a tire off the pavement as they go left and right is just amazing! Wasn’t the COT supposed to eliminate the need for ‘specialized’ cars for different tracks? If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be a problem adding another road course to the schedule during the ‘chase’. Then the ‘champeen’ wouldn’t be the driver that knows how to win the race off pit road on the cookie cutters instead of the one that can run well at all types of tracks.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 7:34 am
I completely agree. I’m biased having had Sears Point as my home track but I love the road races. The perfect solution would be to ditch one Fontana race and go with Laguna Seca. That would take care of keeping 3 races in California (which NASCAR seems to want to do) but it would add some excitement to the schedule. I guarantee the attendance at Laguna Seca would be insane. It’s close enough for both NorCal and SoCal people to attend and it’s a great tourist destination.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 7:47 am
What about a NASCAR race at Sebring? The Sebring track has had world class racing for 50 years and could fit into the Chase schedule since it’s still warm in Florida in the fall.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 8:00 am
I agree that one or more road course events should be added and at least one inside the chase would be good. One or the criticisms of NASCAR is that the drivers are not very versatile and this would do a lot to answer that objection. Also, if NASCAR really wants to break into the international market they need to have more races on road courses.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 8:38 am
I was thinking the same thing: add a road course to the Chase. Personally, I enjoy the short tracks, the plate races, and the road courses. I seem to recall seeing several excellent road courses while watching the Mustang Challenge.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Yeah, I agree on having a road course in the chase (not that I like the chase itself). These are supposed to be the best drivers.
My first choice is Road America; it’s very fast with that great long front straight which offers chances to pass.
Other ideas: Indy road course, Road Atlanta, VIR. What they could put five road courses in rotation so they get some variety.
Laguna Seca: a little too extreme for Cup with the corkscrew. Also don’t think it offers enough chances for passing.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Absolutely! NASCAR sometimes bills these guys as the “best drivers in the world.” Sorry, not until they master road courses can they even begin to make that claim. My first Cup race was at Riverside in the late 70s, and I still circle road course dates for my must-watch events. (By the way, they may be the best – it’s the great ones who do master the Glen and Infineon – Stewart, Johnson, Gordon…)
Which course? Maybe Road America – 4 miles per lap!
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 10:00 am
I am with you 100%. While I would love to see the cars on my favorite track, Road Atlanta, it is not fan friendly. There are also races on east coast and west coast already. How about going to the middle, Mid Ohio.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Laguna Seca probably has the edge on demographics, but the road course they should add has to be Road America. The track and the setting are unmatched. They have been there before and need to go again.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 10:28 am
If they can fit on the corkscrew of Laguna Seca, then I think a city streets race would be fun. New York City or Long Beach.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 10:53 am
The more road courses the better. These cookie cutter tracks have been getting more boring every year. Too bad it’s all about the Money…
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 10:55 am
I agree with you on all counts. Another road race, put it in the middle of the chase, and Laugana Seca would be a great test of a driver. Keep pushing!!!!
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 11:16 am
I like Chad Knaus’ reasoning: road courses require special cars, and if the teams have to go through all the trouble of building these cars, that effort should be worthwhile. Even for restrictor plate cars there’s 4 races on the schedule each year. The same should be true for road course cars.
If there was another track (and NASCAR doesn’t want to come back to an existing track, even if the market supports it), it would be awesome to see an actual converted street course run somewhere. I think the atmosphere would add a whole new dimension to the NASCAR. I don’t think it’s feasible, though – the IRL can do it because their cars can turn on a dime and the cars are light (relatively speaking). NASCAR might be in the wall at every single turn that doesn’t have a runoff. And that would be… all of the turns
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Add VIR to the list! Virginia International Raceway (VIR) has 4 different configs, ranging from 1.1 miles to 3.27 miles. Plus, the Cup teams already do some of thier road course testing for Infineon and The Glen there.. Seating isn’t that great right now, but the facility is wide open, and could very easily accomadate close to the same numbers as IR or WG. Never hurts to try!
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Montreal is the most logical road course for Cup to go to – expands the series into Canada, has the infrastructure required for a Cup race, and we know stock cars can run effectively on it.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
How about the road corse at indy? they should be able to sell that one out, and make it part of the chase.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
put the daytona road course into the chase.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
What about Montreal, same course that the Nationwide boys race?
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
You DON’T want Laguna Seca!!! It’s incredilbly narrow and hard to pass. Acually, for road courses, Road America is the best, wider and considered one of the better US road courses. THe best lineup I can see is at least 4 road courses, drop Infenion, add Road America, Cleveland Airport Cuircit, and Portland(Oregon)
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Sebring would be good, thought.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
In my dreams Nascar dumps Sears Point and adds Laguna Seca AND Road America.
The Glen, Laguna Seca and Road America are the crown jewels of USA road courses, and are in three distinct geographic regions.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
How about Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland? Good viewing for a road course and it’s plenty wide for Cup cars. Mid-Ohio would be great, but there’s not enough room. I love Laguna, but there’s not much passing room. Maybe the Portland road course?
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Most street courses are too tight for NASCAR. I have been to the Long Beach race and there would be perhaps one pass every two years on that course. The Cleveland airport circuit is wide and can be made as wide as you want, but for some reason it’s just too flat for my taste. Road America is just so gorgeous, it’s hard to think of any other.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
There’s only place. Mt. Panorama in Bathhurst NSW. Look this up on Wikipedia and then on Google Maps. With the exception Spa in Belgium there is no better road course in the WORLD and the Aussie speak our language, well short of!
Maybe one of the reporters will ask Marcus Ambross about this track.
Thinking out of the box, that’s something VERY un Nascar like.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
i think the easiest way for NASCAR to add road courses is to make a double-header weekend at some of the tracks with infield courses. a thursday night daytona road race before the 500 would be cool. they could add that date to the beginning of the schedule, maybe make sonoma a chase date and then do it again at daytona in july and have 4 road races. i think laguna seca would be amazing, but i doubt they add another race just a few hundred miles from sonoma. i think the only shot we have is if it’s at an ISC track where they already have a fan base like daytona. there’s already tons of fans in daytona in feb on the thursday before the 500 so that makes the most sense to me.
on Aug 7th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
All very good suggestions, but David #20 has echoed my suggestions from an earlier post. Move the Daytona July race from July to September (Chase inclusive) and run the full 24 hr course.
Fans can see the whole track. Run 250 miles. Run 1/2 before sunset and 1/2 in darkness under the lights. And if you really want to make teams build special cars, peel those lame healight decals away and install working beams.
Sometime in the 80′s Road Atlanta hosted a Busch series race. That was fun to witness. Although that was before the mickey mouse turn 10A and B complex, when it took big kahunas to carry speed under the bridge.
VIR, Road America, Laguna, Montreal, Mid Ohio would all be fun. Just imagine 43 cup car on the tiny 1.7 mile Lime Rock coaster?
Indy road course is not flowing enough for stock cars. That’s is why street circuits would not be good for stockers. While Sears Point is fun to watch, a road course w/ “several” hairpins would only breed a zillion banzai dive bomb moves and nobody left to the finish.
I vote add Daytona or Road Atlanta (original).
on Aug 8th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
i think the all time best road course would be monza. but that’s just a dream.
on Aug 9th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Us “naysayers” don’t want to watch road course racing because it’s uninteresting. There’s too much strung-out, single-file boredom. The double-file restarts have helped a lot with this, but it’s still boring to watch, less raciness.
on Aug 9th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
I have said it before that no track should have 2 dates (in the same configuration). With all of the tracks fighting for space on the circuit it just confuses me. I agree move the 2nd Daytona race into the Chase and use the road circuit. Eliminate the 2nd AutoClub speedway date and replace it with a different Cali road race.
on Sep 16th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
they need to add a night road course to the cup schedule that would be awesome
on Oct 21st, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Road America in Sheboygan!
on Oct 22nd, 2009 at 8:28 am
I suggest Asher Hammermann’s back yard race track
on Dec 20th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
I agree, but I also think there should be more than three, I would totally get into nascar if we had ALOT more road courses, I think since its pretty much like CART with fenders, it needs a more diverse schedule. I like the personalities in NASCAR but just can’t get into the oval racing every weekend, yes half the schedule is fine because it is broken up with road courses and the ovals would not get old and boring. Also, I think Road America would be the first choice obviously but they need to get garages built and work on some seating to host a Nascar weekend, I think Nascar would boom even more that it has because you would bring in all the road race fans as well. Can you imagine 200,000 fans at ELkhart Lake again? It would be a site especially with the stars of Nascar there.