Racing Fans Uncharacteristically Side with Controversial Insider Claiming Richmond’s Hurtful Cup Series Downfall

It’s no secret that Richmond Raceway is one of NASCAR’s finest short tracks. With a history of over seven decades, the track in Virginia has been home to some of the most dominant performances by Richard Petty, who won 9 out of 10 races in the 70s. But at a time when the sport is gaining good traction, this very track could pose a threat to the number of NASCAR’s trackside visitors this weekend. Whilst the Cup Series schedule isn’t out of the ordinary, the fact that it coincides with a festival celebrated by over 80% of Americans could leave a lot of the stands empty.

NASCAR faces major scheduling woes ahead of the race at Richmond

For the 2024 Spring race at Richmond Raceway, NASCAR finds itself in a sticky situation with the schedule. Despite being scheduled at normal hours (4 PM EST on Sunday), the Cup race in Virginia this weekend is also on the same day as Easter. Naturally, several insiders are concerned with the turnout at the race, with signs of disappointment already revealing themselves. Apart from not changing the schedule, NASCAR is perhaps falling short on its local marketing.

Shedding light on the problem, a concerned user shared his experience with Griffin on X. He stated, “I was in Richmond Monday – Wednesday and if I wasn’t a big fan of #NASCAR I would have NEVER known there was going to be a race there this weekend. No commercials, no signs, no radio ads, nothing. I literally saw nothing with the words or logo of NASCAR or any driver. That’s a problem @SpotterBrett”

Griffin also pointed out the grim reality; “Richmond is a cool track. Unfortunately, it has kinda lost its way on the Cup schedule for many reasons. Racing there on Easter Sunday is the worst thing that could happen from an attendance and hype perspective. Hurts my heart.”

Despite the racing at Richmond always giving fans some level of pleasure, the turnout at the track on Easter Sunday just wouldn’t be ideal. Over the past two decades, over 80% of Americans reportedly celebrated Easter, and also intend to do so this year. Naturally, the fate of the Toyota Owners 400 may not be what NASCAR had in mind.

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As of now, NASCAR hasn’t revealed any changes to the schedule to help ease fans’ concerns. But since a large majority of American viewers also celebrate Easter, this weekend at Richmond could be disastrous for viewership ratings. With that said, community members united to share their grievances over the race being on Sunday.

The NASCAR community demands a major change to Richmond’s schedule

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As per the current schedule, the Xfinity Series race at Richmond will be the last track activity on Saturday, leaving a lot of time in the evening empty. With the Cup Race at 4 PM on Sunday, fans were left wondering why NASCAR didn’t just fill in the large gap and let the community enjoy Easter too. A user stated, “I just don’t understand why they didn’t just run it Saturday and Xfinity tonight. Because it was just them and the Modifieds. Today could’ve been a doubleheader. 2 for the price of 1 deal.”

Other fans were also quick to point out the lack of marketing around the track. Users were baffled to know that even locals weren’t aware that there was a race this weekend. A user tweeted, “Just met a couple in the elevator. They saw my shirt and said we just found out there was a race this weekend… we are just in town visiting family.” Still, the biggest downer for fans remained; “Easter Sunday races are very strange to me…”

For a few years, the playoff race at Richmond was held under the glorious night sky of Virginia, prompting many fans to wonder why NASCAR hadn’t gone down that road again to avoid a clash with Easter. A user stated, “Should have never taken the Saturday night race from Richmond”, while another added “I say have both races on Saturday Xfinity at 1pm and Cup at 6pm”

A user concluded by sharing, “I’m glad it’s back to being a night race, hopefully, that helps, although I think they should’ve ran the race on Sat”

After taking a look at all the pressure NASCAR is facing from the community to avoid a clash with Easter, do you think the officials agree with the points made?

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