NASCAR’s Phoenix Agenda Eyes Eliminating Shifting at Short Tracks, Leaves Fans Questioning the Sanctioning Body’s Wisdom

Currently, it seems everyone in NASCAR is working towards the improvement of short-track racing. Dale Earnhardt Jr is at the forefront, pulling out all the stops to rekindle the old spark of excitement in short tracks. NASCAR too is leaving no stone unturned in its quest to fine-tune short-track racing, albeit steering clear of ramping up horsepower, which might be at the heart of the problem.

Yet, their latest play has raised quite a few eyebrows among the NASCAR faithful. The word on the street, especially across the Reddit racing community, is a mix of bewilderment and curiosity about NASCAR’s exploration of Transaxle options in the upcoming short-track tests at Phoenix.

NASCAR is pulling out all the stops to get short-track racing back in the fast lane

A dream team of six drivers, including Team Penske’s hotshot and 2023 champ Ryan Blaney, and a crew of speed demons like Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, Erik Jones, and Corey LaJoie, are revving up for a two-day test at Phoenix Raceway. The big cheeses at NASCAR are busy tinkering with the Next Gen car, aiming to perfect everything from aerodynamics to gearbox tweaks for silkier shifting, from muffler redesigns to cooling the drivers’ seats – a hot topic of late.

Furthermore, Chris Popiela, the top dog in NASCAR’s aerodynamics, also laid out a jam-packed agenda. They’re not just kicking the tires, they’re collaborating with Goodyear to trial a variety of tire setups, each part of a meticulous plan to turbocharge the short-track thrill next season.

But, the real talk of the town is the gear shift saga. NASCAR is playing with the idea of different gear setups to reduce or even ditch shifting at short tracks. They could play the tough cop, monitoring live data and waving the black flag at shift-happy drivers, but they’re not ready to jump that gun without a test run.

Bob Pockrass recently chirped on Twitter, hinting at NASCAR’s hope to eliminate shifting on short tracks, but without wanting to lay down the law just yet. The tweet read, “They’d like to get rid of shifting on short tracks and hope can find a package that works. NASCAR could have an official monitor live data from the cars and black flag drivers who shift, but they haven’t wanted to go that route, especially with no testing with that rule in place.”

However, the decision hasn’t won the hearts of fans. They’re up in arms, believing NASCAR might have just taken a wrong turn with this latest decision.

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Fans aren’t taking kindly to the idea of putting the brakes on shifting at short tracks

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When Bob Pockrass’ tweet hit the airwaves, it sparked a firestorm of reactions, with fans not mincing words about what’s going on behind the scenes. They’re calling out NASCAR for missing the mark, focusing on everything but the real issue.

One fan didn’t mince words, slamming the 5th gear idea as a laughably bad call, saying it’s so absurd it’s worthy of a facepalm moment. “Having officials monitor driver data and black flagging drivers for shifting instead of fixing the fucking cars would be just absolute peak NASCAR. Like, whoever suggested that idea should have been laughed out of the building after cleaning out their desk, it’s legitimately one of the worst ideas I’ve ever heard,” they scoffed.

Another fan chimed in with a suggestion echoing in the hearts of many: “I mean, it probably would be cheaper to not modify the cars, no? But yeah, I can imagine the mess when “Bob, shift supervisor” misses a shift, and fans catch it. “They let Elliott shift and penalized Chastain! The fix is in.”” 

Another enthusiast echoed the sentiment, arguing that cost-cutting should not come at the expense of the sport’s integrity. “Cost cannot make them b*stardize the sport. At some point they just have to fix what’s actually wrong with the cars instead of dancing around the problem…” they urged.

One fan was blunt in their criticism, labeling the idea as monumentally foolish, so much so that even Bernie Ecclestone of ‘sprinklers on the track’ fame would find it over the top: “That’s……one of the stupidest f**king things I’ve ever read on the internet. That’s so dumb even Bernie “put sprinklers on the track” Ecclestone would have thought that was too far.” 

Amidst the uproar, one fan highlighted Ross Chastain‘s bold driving style, humorously suggesting that Chastain would welcome the no-shifting rule with open arms, ““They’d like to get rid of shifting on short tracks” Ross Chastain, already in 5th gear: “now we’re talking””

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So, what’s your take on NASCAR’s controversial decision to potentially put the brakes on shifting at short tracks?