As we bid adieu to the round of 16, the anticipation is soaring as we gear up for the impending elimination for the playoffs round of 8, with only three races left on the calendar. First up? Texas is a track that has seen its fair share of ups and downs. Ever since its ill-fated reconfiguration into a 1.5-mile track back in 2017, Texas has struggled to capture the hearts of viewers. With a history spanning 42 races, the speedway has struggled since its reconfiguration.

Despite efforts by track management, it remains plagued by issues, leading some, like Kyle Larson, to call for a complete overhaul. In his words, “Demolish this place, first. Then, start over from scratch.” Joining hands with the Hendrick Motorsports speedster, Denny Hamlin has now voiced his concerns about the situation. While he offers a kind of solution, it’s clear that the issues at the Fort Worth track are in dire need of evaluation.

First 2022 and now 2023 Texas: Chaos continues to reign with caution flags and controversy

The year 2022 witnessed one of the most disastrous races in recent memory, marred by a rain delay and chaos lap by lap. The event was plagued by a staggering 16 cautions and 7 DNFs, turning it into a blame game with fingers pointing in every direction. The blame game that followed was as intense as the race itself. Goodyear, the tire supplier, faced the wrath of many for tire failures that sent cars spinning out of control.

However, they were quick to point fingers at the teams, accusing them of disregarding air pressure guidance. The track, too, didn’t escape scrutiny, as its questionable reconstruction efforts led to cars wobbling around dangerously on the treacherous outer lane.

In 2023, NASCAR returned to the Lone Star State, and Hamlin shared his insights on the ongoing Texas drama. He weighed in on the future of the Speedway, addressing the rumors of potential changes to the track for next year. When asked about the possibility of moving the race to March or April and its impact on the playoffs, Hamlin compared it to other mile-and-a-half tracks, highlighting that the next-gen cars excel on such tracks, except for Texas. “I mean, it’s interesting because, a mile and a half really is what the next-gen is excelling at, except for this track.”

He attributed this to the chemicals applied to the surface, which he believed had a detrimental effect. He pondered whether there might be a solution, suggesting, “I think this track just when they put the chemicals down on the track, it really hurt the surface. I’m wondering if there’s some sort of agent that they can put down to eat off that old stuff that, essentially has kind of ruined one lane near the track. You would think that there’s something out there that can, a Degreaser that can get rid of the stuff on the racetrack.”

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“Certainly if this track was multi-lane, you would see fantastic racing like we have at all the other mile-and-a-halfs. But, it’s just that’s really kind of, reconfigured it, and put down stuff at the same time, and it just really hurt this racing at this track. You know, so it’s searching for its happy place for sure.”

And today the Texas Motor Speedway saw 11 cautions with one after the other clash.

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Addressing concerns about oil on the track at the Texas Motor Speedway, when asked if it was true that you could see the reflection on the track, the No. 11 driver confirmed, “Yeah, it is actually.” He further explained, “When I pulled in this morning, Xfinity practice was going on. Yeah, you could see the shine of it, and I remember testing here thinking, ‘Man, just don’t even get remotely near that shine on the racetrack.'”

The 42-year-old also noted that pictures might not capture said reflections, but they were definitely noticeable from inside the car and to the naked eye. “If you take still pictures, you don’t see it, but it’s certainly in the car, and just watching it, you can see it. So again, there has to be something out there that will remove this stuff from the track, and if we can, it would go a long way”

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But as William Byron clinches HMS’s 300th win, seems like even after staying in P5, and P6 in Texas, the No. 11 couldn’t regain its former glory.