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NASCAR has found itself in the middle of various emotions from fans almost every time it has made a decision regarding the sport’s future. Its continued association with Goodyear, its advancements of the Next-Gen Cars, and its removal of stage cautions in road courses are all just a long list of many such decisions. Joining the list as a new entrant is the destination of the 2024 season finale. With NASCAR announcing that the Phoenix Raceway will once again play host, fans were disappointed and very vocal with their thoughts.

Parallelling the sentiment, the hosts of the podcast “Door, Bumper, Clear” discussed the schedule that was unveiled a few days ago, and Brett Griffin, one of the hosts, made his frustration clear.

Anywhere but Phoenix: Veteran spotter expresses dislike towards the 2024 schedule

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Brett Griffin has an experience in NASCAR that extends beyond two decades. His roles in the sport have varied from being a driver manager to a spotter. Griffin currently serves as a full-time spotter for Kaulig Racing in the Cup Series and co-hosts the “Door, Bumper, Clear” podcast. He also holds the distinction of having helped legends like Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer to victory. Talking about the 2024 schedule, the experienced spotter made it clear that he wasn’t a fan of the promotion picking Phoenix as the final destination again. The track’s return next year will mark the fifth continuous season that the facility has hosted the championship week. Beginning in 2020, the Cup Series champion, the Xfinity champion, and the Truck Series champion have all been handed their titles at the 1-mile track and that will remain unchanged in 2024.

Discussing it with fellow host, Freddie Kraft, Griffin said, “Hands down, the only thing that I despise about this schedule is the fact that Phoenix is still in the championship race. It needs and has to move around. The NBA moves the All-Star Game around for a reason. The NFL moves around the Super Bowl around for a reason. We’ve got to give our fans some diversity. We’ve got to give the drivers some diversity. (…) I just hope we move this freaking Championship off of Phoenix.”

NASCAR’s efforts have been at taking the sport to a global stage and gaining the views of a larger audience. Hoping for the same, Griffin expected that fans would get to see some Canadian tracks at least in the 2025 schedule. His co-host, Freddie Kraft, continued on the rant and proposed a different track for the final.

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Bubba Wallace’s spotter continues on the hate against the Phoenix Raceway

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Before the Phoenix Raceway took over as the venue for the Championship weekend, the Homestead-Miami Speedway had held that honor since the 2002 season. Freddie Kraft, the spotter for the No. 23 team of 23XI Racing, voiced his thoughts in response to Griffin, with a comparison between the two tracks. Believing the tracks at Homestead-Miami or Martinsville allowed more drivers to have a fair chance at the championship, he expressed that the Phoenix Raceway was too one-sided.

He said, “The thing I hate about Phoenix being the championship race is it just comes down to whoever wins the race off Pit Road on the final pit stop. Homestead, your car is good you can go up there and race and potentially beat the guy. Martinsville, you can move the guy out of the way if you need to. Phoenix, it’s just whoever wins the race off pit road is your champion. I don’t think that should be decided that way.”

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Veteran NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass had been invited as a guest on the show. Responding to both the spotters, he had expressed his opinion that even if Homestead-Miami was chosen for the finale, it would have to be changed around every year. With the hosts agreeing and siding with the expectations of the fans, it is now for NASCAR to implement some changes that have been asked of them for too long. Let us know what you think of the Phoenix Raceway’s return, in the comments below!

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