
via Getty
DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – AUGUST 31: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #8 Hellmann’s Chevrolet, stands next to his car after the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway on August 31, 2019 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

via Getty
DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – AUGUST 31: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #8 Hellmann’s Chevrolet, stands next to his car after the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway on August 31, 2019 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NASCAR’s scheduling recently came under fire from the fans of the sport after they announced the 2023 calendar. However, recently, a senior NASCAR representative, appeared on Dale Jr’s podcast, where he explained how they dealt with criticism surrounding the scheduling decisions.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The NASCAR Senior Vice President of racing development and strategy, Ben Kennedy, stated, “We are always gonna have bad ideas along the way. You can’t improve if you fail along the way. I’m not saying that Colesium failed or Chicago is going to fail next year. We’re gonna make some ideas that work and we’re gonna make some ideas that frankly don’t work. We don’t know unless we really try at the end of the day.”
“I think it’s kind of the opportunity around it and you know I think as we got together for the first time, I guess it was 2019, and we put the scheduling group together about 12 to 14 people. You know we all had thoughts and opinions and perspectives about oh we should be racing here, we shouldn’t be racing there whatever it might be and we said, let’s do our best to kind of put that off to the side and just look at data.”
READ MORE: NASCAR Faces Heavy Backlash as Fans Compare the New Schedule to Apple’s iPhone Announcement
“Let’s look at absolutely everything, you granted there’s a ton to look at and there are lots of opinions out there. But let’s look at data and help that try to drive decisions for where we go in the future of the schedule.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
What is the main criticism surrounding the NASCAR schedule?
People were agitated that they had included some of the most boring races for a doubleheader. Even though they added new tracks like NASCAR’s first-ever street race at Chicago, and the revived North Wilkesboro Speedway, fans of the sport were still not pleased with some of the decisions.

USA Today via Reuters
Oct 2, 2022; Talladega, Alabama, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick (8) leads the field during the Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Another factor that caused an uproar was the length of the seasons. Many complained that pushing the NASCAR season well into the NFL & college football season was bound to see a loss in race viewership traffic.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
WATCH THIS STORY: NASCAR journalist clears the air on the controversial Denny Hamlin-Kyle Busch disqualification
If anything at the moment, NASCAR needs to stop competing with the NFL, since that is a strategy bound to fail.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT