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The NASCAR schedule has seen a lot of changes in the past few years. The schedule went from being plagued with generic one-and-a-half mile tracks, to now thriving with unique track types and layouts such as road courses and short tracks. That being said, fans have different opinions on the NASCAR schedule. Should there be more changes? Should some tracks make their returns to the schedule? Here are some of hottest hot takes on the NASCAR schedule straight from the fans.
One popular idea is that every track should only receive one date per year on the schedule. Currently the following tracks have two dates: Daytona, Talladega, Atlanta, Martinsville, Bristol, Richmond, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Kansas, Darlington, and Charlotte.
CobberSad6055 believes that some track don’t need double dates. He points out tickets sales and the advantage some tracks give teams as their second date is in the playoffs.
BeardedGirlDad takes this a step further saying no track should have more than one date. Not even fan favorites such as Daytona and Talladega! He mentions that same tracks but different configurations are fine, such as the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval and roval.
One race per track does have its benefits. It would open the schedule to allow more tracks to join the schedule, allowing for more diversity to NASCAR. It would also make each race more exclusive per season, as fans would only have one date out of the year they can go to their favorite track.
The problem could lie in some of the venues. Can you really see Daytona, Bristol, or Talladega only having one race per year? That would be sacrilegious for lots of hardcore NASCAR fans. In addition, many tracks thrive on multiple races per year. The summer Daytona race fills almost as much as the Daytona 500, while Talladega always fills the grandstands for both events.
CobberSad6055 has a second hot take. The season is too long. This can go hand in hand with the previous hot take as tracks with one date can allow for a shorter schedule. Some fans agreed with his take.
Medemey thinks the schedule should be 26 to 28 races, with the season ending in mid October. He mentions the long grind that is the NASCAR schedule, which currently goes from February to November, leaving just about three months of rest for the industy.
Some fans disagree. Btbam2929 says 36 races is the perfect amount. He’s not the only one either. Check out some other fans who are okay with the current 36 races.
This one has been discussed since around the turn of the decade. On one hand, who doesn’t love more racing? More races equals more of what race fans enjoy week in and week out. Race fans at the end of November can rest easy knowing they only have to wait three months before racing is back.
On the other hand, it is a long season. The long year takes a toll on the crew members of the race teams. The hauler drivers, crew members, and even the broadcast crews can all benefit from some extra rest with a shorten schedule. NASCAR also has the longest schedule in professional sports. A shorten schedule would also ensure that the sport would not have to compete with the NFL, which in turn to allow for more fans to stay tuned to the sport.
This one is very interesting. Here is discussed on what tracks should return or stay on the schedule and even what types of tracks the schedule should consist of.
Smokeshow618 says that NASCAR needs an oval in Canada. With NASCAR in talks with Canada to brings the series up north, would an oval hook fans better than the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve?
DevinBookersSon wants the Cup Series to return to the dirt scene. He also wants better representation in the Maine/New Hampshire area with a second date in Loudon.
Zestyclose_Worth_232 doesn’t limit himself to just the Cup Series. He talks what he wants for the Truck and Xfinity Series. Its always important to give the other national series’ some love when it comes to schedule talks.
Libsoutherner likes having 6-8 road courses per year. He like the balance it brings to the schedule with the other types of race tracks that currently make up the schedule.
Track diversity is always important when creating a schedule. Fans want to see drivers tested to their limits and not endure the same challenges week after week. That is where having multiple different track and multiple different layouts come in, where you don’t know who will excel at one kind of style versus another.
Having a dirt track back on the schedule will bring that. It added an extra flavor to the sport that you don’t see in other series such as IndyCar and Formula 1. It also brought out some fantastic moments such as the finish to the 2022 Bristol Dirt Race.
The con is finding a dirt track that can fit the Cup Series. Most dirt tracks fit 15,000 to 25,000 people at max. A track would need at least 50,000 seats if it wanted to host a Cup Series race, which not many dirt tracks do.
An oval in Canada would be more in tune with NASCAR’s identity. Fans love oval racing and what better way to bring NASCAR to its fans up the border than with racing that is in line with NASCAR’s identity. However, where would the track be built? Who would pay for the high costs of building a race track. And what kind of oval would be built? A short track or an intermediate?
It’s always fun to discuss what the NASCAR schedule should consist of. Should there be more or less races? Which tracks should make up the NASCAR schedule? Should tracks have more than one date?
