Over the past few months or years we've all felt it, but no one seems to want to address the elephant in the room: NASCAR has flatlined. Quite frankly, the perfect storm has arisen and now we, as NASCAR fans, are left to fell the effects of a shake-up in making.
Within the next year, The Big Three will be whittled down to the Big Two (at least), field sizes will shrink along with attendance, and sponsors will be a privilege, not a guarantee. So what is NASCAR to do? In the words of future President Obama: "change".
Let me preface this by saying most, if not all, of these proposed changes will never come to fruition, but they are worth throwing out there.
As our country continues its slow descent from recession to depression, something needs to be done to ensure the health of the sport. No, NASCAR will not die off, but it can be crippled, maimed, paralyzed, whatever you want to call it. The first thing NASCAR needs to do is retain the long-term fanbase. How can they accomplish that?
Cut back the schedule.
The current Sprint Cup schedule has 36 races, ten of which are in the chase. Although NASCAR, along with the respective track owners would argue, it is apparent the schedule is bloated and the racing has become watered-down and stale.
With the All-Star race and Speedweeks teams are at the track 38 weeks a year, not including testing. This is simply too much. The Chase cut-off point comes after the first 26 races. What kind of number is that? NFL teams play 16 regular-season games, followed by four weeks of playoffs (including the Super Bowl). This is perfect: the playoffs are one-fourth the normal schedule.
NASCAR should follow that lead. Quickly changing lanes, it is at this point NASCAR should decide whether or not road racing has a legitimate case for being on the schedule. Currently, there are two road races a year. If NASCAR is intent of keeping right-hand turns, they must add one more. If not, get rid of them entirely.
Now, back to the model set by the NFL. While adding races is not the best of ideas, NASCAR must decide to either reduce the schedule by six races or add four races. This way, the Chase (assuming the length is still ten races) is either one-fourth the season (in a 40-race schedule) or one-third the season (in a 30-race schedule).
Cutting six races off the schedule seems to be the way to go here. Again, it is at this point NASCAR must look itself in the face and make some hard decisions, realizing some markets (at this point in time) either can't support or are not yet ready for NASCAR racing.
For the sake of argument here, let's say NASCAR has decided road racing is worthy of the schedule, requiring an add-on of one road race. Hence, seven races must be cut (one extra to accommodate for the additional road race).
These markets are either struggling or do not have the quality of racing to maintain two Cup dates, and thus will be cut from our schedule:
New Hampshire twice, Pocono twice, Auto Club Speedway (California), Michigan, and Atlanta. Although New Hampshire will never lose both races, in this scenario there is simply no other track to cut a race from, and the North-East has plenty of other races. Perhaps Pocono and New Hampshire take on-again, off-again turns with two other tracks for dates every-other year.
Writers note: Whittling down the schedule for me, sitting here writing this, took nearly twenty minutes. (Seriously, look at the schedule-this is why NASCAR will never shorten the schedule. That, and the money.) Atlanta (great racing) and Michigan (home track, great racing) also were hard for this writer to cut. It should also be noted that, no matter how empty the grandstands seem to get, NASCAR is dedicated to running two races at California.
13 comments Last one added 6 months ago — Leave a Comment
Mary Jo Buchanan 7 months ago
Interesting read Justin. I do think you're right about the perfect storm and NASCAR being caught up in it. I just don't see them being very proactive about it all. Not sure what the right answers are but you have raised some good points from shortening the season to changing up the chase.
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Duncan Scott 7 months ago
Over in the F1 section I'm arguing for more races, looks like you could spare us a few. Reading on, you are proposing the abandonment of the whole spec series idea, more-or-less equal cars for all competitors, and no way would Mr France go for that!
Wouldn't a Charger devour a Fusion every week? And wouldn't any Ferrari make a Charger look pedestrian? Further, is a car designed for stock racing really what the mass-market wants?
Justin, you throw out a shower of crazy ideas like a deranged catherine wheel, and I like you a lot. You have my Pick.
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Justin Romain 7 months ago
First off, thanks to both of you for your reads and your comments.
Duncan, under the 'race real cars' proposal, there would still be rules and limitations-the 4 Manufacturers would still be the only ones eligible to race, but they could race other cars still under the banner. For example, if Jeff Gordon wanted to race a Pontiac, it would be allowed.
This is not to say every vehicle made by said manufacturers would be allowed-I don't think Kurt Busch trying to race a Viper would go over very well-but I do believe it would be a good move to make.
As previously stated, no factory support would be required, and teams could switch cars at their leisure, just like in the old days, when Team A would show up in a Dodge Daytona one week and Plymouth Superbird the next.
Obviously there would be drive-train, weight, engine, etc restrictions, but it would show off each cars uniqueness-the Charger has more torque and overall horsepower than the Fusion, but perhaps the Fusion is more aerodynamic, etc.
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Duncan Scott 7 months ago
I'm getting the feeling that the Ford Fusion you see in the US in no relation to the Ford Fusion (wardrobe on wheels) marketed over here.
To permit a range of cars, would you have more road circuits? Another thing, road cars just aren't as fast as current spec NASCAR, would audiences react to lower speeds?
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Justin Romain 7 months ago
Well, back in the '60s and '70s when NASCAR used (for the most part) stock-cars the cars reached speeds that are close to todays...and with the "Car of Tomorrow", the speeds have slowed down anyway, so it (theoretically) wouldn't be that big of a deal.
Again, some cars would go faster than others, but there would be some that could go farther on fuel, handle better, etc.
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D-Boy 7 months ago
In the 60s and 70s the cars were not stock. They were built out of the road-going equivalents, but were heavily modified. NASCAR hasn't run with truly STOCK cars since the 50s.
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D-Boy 7 months ago
The only change I think is NECESSARY for the Chase is to include a road course. Either in place of New Hampshire or Dover(I don't find Dover as entertaining as you do, apparently). The problem is that NASCAR's formula doesn't really work well on road courses, so you need a damn good road course to make it worthwhile, and there are too few of them around. The only two I can think of that REALLY suit NASCAR are Watkins Glen and Road America, both of which are in an area you may not prefer to be racing in at about the time of year the Chase is going on.
There is another option, of course, that kind of goes hand-in-hand with one of your other ideas. The idea just plains works good, but I'm not so sure if its a suitable road course for NASCAR.... The infield road course at Daytona. The infield section are a little narrow for stock cars, and that's why I'm unsure of it. However, start at Daytona, end at Daytona, would appeal to fans(except the ones who are actually brainless enough to think road course racing is EASY) just as much if you ended on the road course.
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L.J. Burgess 7 months ago
It wouldn't be Dover, DIS is one of the most unique and difficult tracks on the circuit while NHIS is...bleh.
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L.J. Burgess 7 months ago
There's nothing wrong with stock car racing that a sound, confident economy wouldn't fix immediately...and handicapping the #48 severely...our NASCAR could hire Knaus...other than those adjustments, NASCAR is just fine.
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Saraswathi Siriginia 7 months ago
I am pretty bearish on everything these days, and sports does not make money
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Tom Myers 7 months ago
Nascars Chase needs to be sent out to pasture. No other racing series from motocycle racing to F-1 has a format like Nascar because they no its a novelty act.
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D-Boy 7 months ago
So NHRA doesn't count, then?
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Richard Deveau 6 months ago
Great article, I loved it! But I disagree 100% that the schedule needs to be shorter. I know the off season is only two months but I'm bored out of my mind on weekends, I need racing! It's why I watch more NASCAR than anything else, because their season is long. It was depressing to see Indycars end in the first weekend of September, a week before the NASCAR Chase even started! And what's wrong with New Hampshire? I enjoy that track. I was there in September for the first Chase race, the racing was great! A great battle between the Biff and Johnson at the end and watching Kyle Busch screw up bad. The Truck race was intense and we saw a fight in the pits. Watching modifieds at New Hampshire is like watching the Daytona 500. I know it sounds crazy but it's their biggest track and all they do is draft and swap the lead lap after lap. And there's more bump drafting that you could ever imagine!
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