*Turn 2 Blog is a regular feature on InsideCircleTrack.com. Here, site operators Michael Moats and Richard Allen take turns offering their thoughts on the NASCAR and pavement short track racing topics of the day.
What are your thoughts on Sunday night racing?
Richard: Recent races in Nashville and Atlanta have been held on NASCAR’s traditional day of the week, but rather than in the afternoon, they were contested on Sunday nights. My initial thought when I saw the timing was that it would hurt attendance. That, however, did not appear to be the case as the grandstand was full in Nashville and the crowd seemed to be pretty good in Atlanta considering it was midsummer and that track has never drawn particularly well.
To be honest, I have not looked at TV ratings for either race, and as we know, that is ultimately what drives the decision making. If Sunday night works for television then that is what will happen.
Saturday night races have not always produced the best ratings despite being popular with fans in attendance. Perhaps Sunday night might be the best answer for both sides. But to answer the question, not racing until later in the evening makes Sunday a long day, but ultimately, I’m a race fan and would watch no matter what day and time it runs on.
The Sunday night crowd in Nashville was great
Michael: I was a big proponent of moving the Nashville and Atlanta races to be night races. The biggest reason was the summer heat. It’s hard to get fans to come to the track and sit in 3-4 hours of 90-degree temps. The second Talladega race used to be held in late July and it was moved to the fall because of the heat.
The other reason I wanted those races moved was to give the viewer something to watch on Sunday night. There isn’t much to view on Sunday night TV for sports except the Sunday Night Baseball game on ESPN from the middle of June until early August when NFL preseason football starts. Why not move some races to Sunday night, have cooler temperatures for the fans, and give the TV viewers a chance to do other things on Sunday afternoons and come back to watch a race that night?!? If the ratings for these two races look strong, I think NASCAR should move a few more of their races to Sunday nights.
Should Atlanta keep two dates?
Richard: I thought of this question before Sunday night’s Quaker State 400 so that race makes it a moot point. That was a highly entertaining affair, despite the rain, so with that, there is no doubt there should be two races at Atlanta Motor Speedway. NASCAR is on a bit of a streak here with good races at Nashville, Chicago and Atlanta.
Some have voiced disdain for the new configuration of AMS but that race had everything a fan could want although I’m sure some will find a way to complain. Lots of passing, strategy, crashes, the threat of rain and more were all part of the show. It might well have been the most entertaining race of the season so far.
There are several tracks whose second date may be brought into question but it would be difficult to justify removing one from Atlanta after that race. And to tie our other two questions into this one, racing at night seemed to help as the crowd was decent. And more, I personally would rather see races at a track such as Atlanta instead of multiple street courses.
Pack racing provided thrilling competition in Atlanta
Michael: I never figured out why Atlanta got a second date before the reconfiguration. Attendance has not been strong at that track since the early 2000’s, even with one date. I was all for taking that date and moving it somewhere else.
But after watching last night’s race, I no longer feel that way. I preferred the previous AMS layout. The racing there was great until NASCAR brought out the 550 HP/high downforce package that kept the cars from sliding around, something that made Atlanta such a great racetrack.
What city should be the site of the next street race?
Richard: I am only in favor of doing this once per year if that often. My concern going into the Chicago race was that NASCAR would misread whatever positive vibes came out of that event and think they need to schedule two or three street courses per year. The Chicago race was a success but I don’t think oversaturation is the answer.
Further, I think it would be a good idea to move street races around. Use the Busch Light Clash in the L.A. Coliseum as an example. The first year for that event saw a great deal of enthusiasm and while the second attempt was good, much of the excitement level had waned.
Moving to new cities each year could be a way of keeping it fresh. Three locations I thought of were Denver, Long Beach and Boston.
Denver is a place with little exposure to NASCAR but it is a good sports town. Like Chicago, there could be a great many curiosity seekers who might come out to take a look. Some of those folks might even become long term fans.
Long Beach is accustomed to street racing having hosted the IndyCar Series many times so the infrastructure is in place. And perhaps most importantly, it could keep NASCAR’s name in the Southern California sports news cycle while the fate of the track in Fontana is being decided.
Finally, Boston is another good sports town with little exposure to NASCAR. I know there is a race in New Hampshire but that’s not exactly in the ‘Bean Town’ backyard. And as a history teacher, there would be a great many opportunities to tie racing and history together.
But of all those places, I think Long Beach makes the most sense.
Will racing with tall buildings in the background become more common? (Getty Images)
Michael: I think the L.A. market will be the next one simply because of the unknowns with the track in Fontana. That track is supposed to be downsized. But nothing has happened there yet and there have been no announcements if NASCAR can and is able to return to the 2-mile layout next season. I see a downtown L.A. or the Long Beach course to be the temporary replacement.
Since last week, I’ve seen a number of suggestions for other cities. One has been New York City. I don’t know if any of these people have ever been to New York City before, but that would be a nightmare on many levels. The roads are rough, there aren’t many areas to put in temporary bleachers, and getting haulers into and around the city would be tough. Using Central Park would be the only way to pull that off, but the roads going through the park aren’t very wide.
I’ve seen people pitch Philadelphia, Denver, and Seattle. Of those three, I’d take Denver first.
I’m with you. I don’t want multiple street courses on the schedule. I think these need to be a one-time thing to generate interest for the sport, then move on to another city. If NASCAR can use the Chicago race to get people interested into going to Chicagoland, that’s the formula they need to use.
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