The debate on whether NASCAR is a form of sport or entertainment and whether the drivers can be called athletes has ensued for a long time. While some believe that NASCAR like any other form of sport requires physical tenacity along with mental preparedness, it does contain elements of entertainment that entice its audience to the sport. Owing to this fact, NASCAR has introduced several changes in its basic elements to increase the outreach among fans. One such change being the elimination of stage breaks in the road course races.

Though the rule was adopted at the beginning of the season, it seems that NASCAR is ready to walk back on its words in the postseason. This has enraged NASCAR fans and insiders. Moreover, a former Xfinity Series star bashed the authorities for the new implementation of the rule.

34-year-old Xfinity driver takes a dig at the authorities for its backtracking

In the regular season of the 2023 Cup Series, NASCAR hosted five road course races. All five unfolded without the waving of the yellow flag and without the race coming to a pause. This resulted in the teams creating a separate strategy that played out naturally without making the race too predictable. However, the authorities retracted their decision in the post-season.

This was in order to maintain parity among all the playoff races, and also to ensure the presence of theatrics on the track, which had absolutely diminished under the new rule. Nevertheless, the news did not sit well with former Xfinity Series driver Landon Cassill.

During his conversation with Parker Kligerman on the entertainment aspect of the sport, the 34-year-old expressed his anxieties.

“As far as the entertainment comment, it just raises red flags for me… People argue passionately that we are an entertainment business.”

In case his view wasn’t clear yet, Landon Cassill elaborated, “It’s all about entertainment. We gotta entertain the fans and I get that and I agree with that. But I look at that and I take it 10 steps further and say, ‘Where do you draw the line?’ And if your guiding light is entertainment where does it stop? Does it stop at professional wrestling? Where does it stop, I don’t know.”

In light of the recent rule retraction, Cassill’s comments certainly ring true.

NASCAR justifies its new stance ahead of the Roval race

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The announcement comes days before the playoff race at Charlotte Roval 400. Elton Sawyer, the Vice President of NASCAR, expressed the stance and the reasons for retracting their decision. 

In his interview with Sirius XM Cloud, Sawyer stated, “There were some that felt like there were some things we could do differently – obviously going back to the caution stage breaks – that would make our races better.”

With the Charlotte Roval just around the corner, it is to be seen whether the new regulation will be able to provide the necessary elements to make the race more tantalizing or will it fall flat on its face. What do you think?

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