NASCAR’s recent races have ignited a storm within the stock car racing community. While fans crave intense action and adrenaline-pumping moments, the sport’s recent choices have raised eyebrows. They have left enthusiasts questioning the quality of racing they’ve witnessed on the track.
As the dust settles after the Indianapolis Road Course and Watkins Glen Road Course races, the sentiment shared by NASCAR insiders is far from positive. Also, what used to be a spectacle on short tracks and road courses has been labeled as “garbage”. This has sparked a widespread discussion among racing aficionados. The very elements that once defined exhilarating races are now sources of frustration, leaving insiders scratching their heads at the decline in excitement.
NASCAR Insiders weigh in on the short track and road course conundrum
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The narrative of NASCAR took a significant turn after the release of the Next Gen car in 2022. And the racing landscape shifted dramatically, fostering parity among teams and a wealth of diverse winners. Intermediate tracks experienced newfound excitement. However, the short tracks, often a fan favorite, took a hit. The Next Gen car’s design introduced aerodynamic dependencies. This made passing on these tracks nearly impossible. Also, the addition of a fifth gear allowed drivers to recover swiftly from errors, erasing the opportunities for overtaking.
Along with the shortcomings of the car and the disaster of the tire drop-off issues, NASCAR Insiders gave their opinion on how to fix the problem. If it’s fixable, to begin with. The conversation was part of the DBC podcast on Dirty Mo Media that was shared on Twitter.
“We need a Gen 7A to be developed for short tracks and road courses. Or we need to just go ahead and skip, and go to Gen 8,” said Brett Griffin. “Because I’m telling you. We went from road courses and short tracks being phenomenal and Ovals sucking.”
“We flipped the switch. Ovals are phenomenal and the short tracks… and I’m sorry, I’m a short track guy, I love short tracks. And these road courses, they’re extremely hard to pass. And I have to say, (and) this is going to hurt people’s feelings, the tire, the last two weeks is garbage.”
Adding on to the tire situation, Freddie Kraft said, “Well I mean traditionally, Watkins Glen in the last few years have been the least amount of [tire] fall off in the series. And we saw yesterday. I don’t know, did they ever get the left rear tire off the #14 car? Like, so the left rear tire made it the entire race. Like that’s an issue, you know. I know it probably didn’t have the same speed it did maybe when it started, but it went the entire race.”
How many road course races should NASCAR have next year? ✍️⤵️
📺 FULL CLIP: https://t.co/tHHaTJ0uXc pic.twitter.com/mk8OwtE9KM
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) August 21, 2023
READ MORE: Watkins Glen International: 5 Things You Certainly Missed in Go Bowling at the Glen
The racing community echoes the sentiments of the NASCAR insiders. The fans took to the comments and voiced their concerns over the deteriorating quality of recent races.
Stock car racing fans share their opinion to reduce the number of road course races next year
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Along with the clip from the podcast, the tweet shared by Dirty Mo Media also asked the fans to share their views on how many road courses they’d like to see next year. And it was no surprise to see that the reactions were overwhelmingly in favor of the insiders. While many fans asked to reduce the number of races, some went as far as to say that NASCAR should get rid of road courses altogether.
Here are a few fiery comments from the NASCAR community:
“None. If I wanted to watch cars drive slow and hit the curb, I’d watch my grandma.”
“Love the road races, but the tire and current car sucks for road courses and short tracks. The COT took a little bit to figure out to make it good, but holy crap, it’s been terrible this year.”
“Zero please, oval only.”
“3 road courses tops. The road course racing product with the Gen 7 for the most part is atrocious. We need less of them.”
“2 max and that’s IF they fix this car. Brett is on point as usual, we either need a Next Gen A or a Gen 8 car, because at this point, I’m not looking to watch any races on road courses, and that’s coming from a lifelong 40+ year fan. The racing is simply awful.”
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The recent outcry from insiders and fans alike serves as a reminder that the core essence of NASCAR’s appeal lies in the thrill of the race. So, the adjustments taking place behind the scenes should hold the promise of reclaiming the racing magic that has captivated generations.