One of Phoenix Raceway’s defining characteristics is the dogleg on the front stretch. Which, many drivers will use either on restarts or during regular action to make passes. However, Anthony Alfredo posed the question on social media about whether or not NASCAR should force drivers to race above the yellow line. Fans gave their thoughts both on social media and on Reddit.
Seekerblackout loves the dogleg. He believes that asking for a change just because of the Truck Series race is not viable, and he sees a legitimate trade-off between going above and below the line. In fairness the restarts are entertaining, and you do see drivers having to compensate for taking that shortcut by taking a disadvantaged entry into turn one.
SR2448 says that the dogleg is what makes Phoenix such a unique race track. There truly is no race track that has that element to it. Many tracks have a dogleg, but none are quite like Phoenix. Phoenix’s dogleg makes for interesting passing opportunities, and no track’s dogleg has this much race-able asphalt beneath it.
Nathan_116 says that the dogleg allows for there to be more passing at the race track. The dogleg does add an extra place that drivers can go to pass people, and it allows them to take a different line, which could help in terms of dirty air. Would all of the track’s passing leave with the dogleg being gone? Maybe not, but, it does add an element.
There were a lot of people who gave their thoughts against the dogleg, but RoofFlaps said that the issues with the dogleg more come down to drivers than the dogleg itself. Some drivers do get very aggressive in the dogleg, but, it seems, at the Cup level, they find a way to funnel into turn one pretty nicely. Could it be down to driver experience?
Dooldebob is someone who wants the grass back, however, he wants it back for the aesthetic more than anything. That is understandable, but, it is worth remembering that Phoenix is in the desert. Is it really practical to put a bunch of grass on the infield in a desert where it is hard to grow grass?
Jeffrey Stanton says that the racing could be better, and he points particularly to the IndyCar races that were held after the reconfiguration. He believes that getting a better exit off of turn four could provide better racing. It would do away with the crazy, multi-car wide restarts, but, it would force drivers to have more finesse through the dogleg.
VCrow says that the track would become harder to race on if they did not allow drivers to race below the line in the dogleg. He feels this has the benefit of driver skill being more prevalent, which could better the racing. Again, it would become more about finesse than it has been, but, you do lose out on the crazy restarts.
Joe Ruch says that the drivers should race on the track the way it was intended. That’s not unfair at all, and other series have strict rules for track limits. NASCAR does not have these types of rules for most tracks, however.
There are plenty of people out there who do not like the dogleg as it is, but others love it. There are reasons to be on both sides of the fence, but, it does not seem there will be any changes anytime soon. Which side do you fall on?
