It is a no-brainer that NASCAR and short tracks are inseparable duos. These tracks have once delivered the most high-octane on-track dramas. However, the same cannot be asserted with the rolling out of the Next Gen car. Instead, racing on short tracks and delivering on the fans’ expectations is nothing less than a work in progress now. This, according to many, was clearly evident after Sunday’s race at Richmond.

Not only did the track play the role of a curve ball, where drivers could not make a pass, but also the entirety of the 400 laps of the race could easily be termed as lackluster and the arbitrary waving of the yellow flag seemed to act as a retrograde. As a result, it compelled a former NASCAR team owner Matt Tifft to lash out at the lack of on-track theatrics.

NASCAR world riles up against the degradation of racing Richmond

With grandstands completely sold out, Richmond Raceway once enjoyed a hallowed position in NASCAR’s schedule. However, in recent years, the track seemed to have fallen from its grace from being called ‘Action Track’ as the races on the track seemed to be monotonous and lacking vitality. Moreover, the track had once delivered a significant amount of aggression from the drivers, but in the past years has witnessed a significant drop in the issuance of caution as the drivers could not make a significant move on the track. The lack of wrecks and shoving has also added to the misery of the track. 

As a result, the Easter Sunday race in Richmond hardly made any difference to its already dwindling reputation. Although the first 30 laps of the race and the overtime restart did stir controversy, it was not long before the race reverted to a monotonous single-file contention. Owing to this former NASCAR Cup Series team owner, Matt Tifft expressed his displeasure on X and stated, “Richmond was such a great track. I don’t understand why they haven’t just tried at least once putting the sealer back on the track. But as of now, it needs to go to one race. No action, no attendance, no passing, no crashes, no fun.”

Moreover, the whole contention for the win boiled down to executing the perfect pit-road strategy. The driver who was able to gain lead while coming down the pit road emerged victorious in the race. Even Hendrick Motorsports ace Chase Elliott voiced a similar displeasure, “From where I was at, it was really hard to pass. But it always is, and it just seems like it’s getting harder as time goes on. I mean, (Chris Buescher), (Brad Keselowski), myself, (Noah Gragson), (Josh Berry), we were all just around the same pace. It’s like whoever beat whoever off pit road, it was going to be really hard to pass that person. But the good guys seemed to be able to do it. There’s always a couple that can, and they tend to rise to the top.”

Looking at the current state of affairs, many NASCAR insiders were left to ponder if Richmond should still be allowed to host a second race in a year, as the condition of the races is touted to degrade further.

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Is it time to stop visiting Richmond twice a year?

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While the introduction of slick tires on the wet tracks last weekend did seem to breed a sense of excitement among fans, it was short-lived. With the tracks returning to normal conditions, the drivers had to go back to their normal dry tires to continue the race and the drudgery ensued on the track. 

This event unfolding is highlighted twice a year, owing to NASCAR’s schedule. However, it is not new for NASCAR to drop a track from its schedule to diversify the track types. NASCAR in the past has removed tracks and refrained from visiting twice in a year as stated by The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi. The veteran journalist stated that it is perhaps time for one of the Richmond races to be slashed from the schedule. But how feasible is that? Perhaps not much given that that there seems to be a dearth of options at hand. 

Talking about how Richmond has dwindled down on on-track action, Bianchi informed, “The three-quarter mile oval was regarded as one of NASCAR’s best tracks, where the racing was sensational and the grandstands were packed. Richmond went 25 consecutive races with six cautions or more (with 14 of those in double digits) from 1998 to 2010. But after Sunday, there have been six cautions or more there just once in the past 11 races.” 

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With the nail-biting effect of the race slowly losing its charm, it seems inevitable that Richmond might face a hard fate in the future as NASCAR might incorporate a change of taste to attract more audience to the grandstands.