July 6, 2011
The ultimate fantasy re-make of the NASCAR schedule.
By Peter M. De Lorenzo
Detroit. Since I've been talking of late about how NASCAR would be well-served by adding more road races to their schedule, every once in a while I just have to go one step further and do a fresh look at the entire season. Based on what I see as a critical need for NASCAR - a shortened schedule - combined with more road races, more "off" dates and more "traditional" track dates, I figured the following fantasy re-make of the NASCAR schedule would be fun to play with during a week in which a lot of people will be off. So, without further ado...
Pre-Schedule races in February: Yes, I'd keep the Bud Shootout and the twin Daytona Duel qualifying races. Why not?
Race 1: The Daytona 500. Along with Indy, Monaco and Le Mans, one of the world's great races stays right where it is.
Off: A break is needed after Daytona.
Race 2: Phoenix International Raceway. Not my favorite, but it's too cold to go anywhere else this time of year. And it's only on the schedule once.
Race 3: Laguna Seca (Mazda Raceway). The visit to Fontana is out. And if the boys and girls have to use rain tires at Laguna, so be it.
Off: Yes, another week off here.
Race 4: Bristol Motor Speedway. This track deserves two dates, no "ifs," "ands," or "buts."
Race 5: Martinsville Speedway. You just gotta go here twice a season.
Race 6: Texas Motor Speedway. It works here.
Race 7: Talladega Super Speedway. Chaotic, ridiculous and flat-out crazy, it still merits two visits.
Race 8: Atlanta Motor Speedway. But only once.
Race 9: Richmond International Raceway. It fits here too.
Off: Dover only gets one event in the fall.
Race 10: Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Coca-Cola 600 (plus all of the pre-race festivities and special event races) stays right where it is.
Race 11: Kansas Speedway. What, do you think that casino will pay for itself?
Race 12: Pocono Raceway. But this is the only time it appears on the schedule.
Race 13: Michigan International Speedway. Ditto, only one time for MIS too.
Race 14: Sears Point (Infineon). Road race No. 2 in California.
Race 15: Daytona International Speedway. It will always be the Firecracker 400 to me.
Race 16: Kentucky Speedway. It's okay here.
Race 17: New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Another one-timer.
Race 18: Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Brickyard stays right where it is.
Off. 2nd visit to Pocono is out.
Race 19: Watkins Glen International Raceway. Absolutely stays right where it is.
Off. 2nd visit to MIS is out.
Race 20: Bristol Motor Speedway. The night race? Oh yes.
Race 21: Darlington Raceway. The Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend, back where it belongs.
Race 22: Richmond International Raceway. It's too good a track not to get a second date. And it starts The Chase.
Race 23: Dover International Speedway. Kansas goes back to one date.
Race 24: Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The most beautiful natural-terrain road racing circuit in the U.S. deserves to be in The Chase.
Race 25: Road Atlanta. Back-to-back road course races in The Chase? Yes.
Race 26: Chicagoland Speedway. Just far enough away from Elkhart Lake and a totally different track configuration.
Race 27: Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR's "home" track deserves to be in The Chase too.
Race 28: Talladega Super Speedway. For the same reasons listed previously above.
Race 29: Martinsville Speedway. This short track belongs in The Chase.
Race 30: Texas Motor Speedway. On the way to the finale in Las Vegas, they might as well stop here.
Race 31: Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Forget Homestead because The Chase will end here, right where it should.
So, there you have it. Fewer races even with the addition of three more road races (for a total of five) to the schedule, more off weeks, fewer double visits to tracks and for my money a cleaner schedule. And the other advantage? Fewer races makes each one a real event and that much more special and desirable to attend in person.
But, I could go further too. Next time I do this I'm going to take the season down to a 25-race schedule, which I believe is right where NASCAR should be.
Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD
(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Daytona Beach, Florida, 1956. Driver and mechanic Vern Houle (left), and owner and team manager Bill Stroppe (right) of Bill Stroppe Racing, looking at the race-prepared engine in one of Stroppe's factory-backed Mercurys during NASCAR's Speed Weeks on the sand at Daytona. Stroppe bored and stroked a Lincoln V8 to 391 cu. in., added Hilborn fuel-injection, and stuffed it into the Mercury. Known as "Thumper," the hot-rodded Mercury ran 152 mph in the Factory Experimental class with Houle at the wheel.
Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD
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