Over the years the sport of stock car racing has grown to unimaginable heights. With that growth a lot of what made the sport so loved has some how been left behind. Now reading that your probably thinking "Oh great another post bashing NASCAR." Hold on, don't leave just yet give this a chance. NASCAR has took a sport that started with "outlaws" tuning cars to run from the police to a multi million dollar national sport. They have took a predominantly southern sport and took it from coast to coast and brought so many different fans into the family. What has me worried though is that in the attempt to grow the sport they are forgetting what made them so loved by many. A few weeks ago the truck series ran at Eldora. The race was phenomenal showing for the series, once again with a super close finish, actually if I'm not mistaken the closest in track history. Needless to say after seeing that the uproar from fans was hard to avoid. Which in a lot of way they all made some valid points. While I think most, if not all fans would love to see the Xfinity and cup guys slide around on dirt there is a bigger topic from which this branches. A lot of fans are tired of the same old racing occurring every single season.
Tracks that were built on NASCAR history such as the one you see above lost races to the multiple mile and half tracks. North Wilksboro, is now permanently closed due to the state of the facility and some other let's say "financial" reasons. There was recently a headline announcing that Talladega was gonna be investing fifty million dollars into there infield renovations. While I love seeing any improvements, as a traditionalist I can't help but wonder what that fifty million could do for an old historic track like North Wilksboro, Hickory Motorspeedway or even a track that has never hosted a major series race like Five Flags in Pensacola (pictured to right). A change of pace track like that could bring back a new old spark so to say maybe reignite some flames in lost fans who have left the sport over the issues with scheduling over the years. While I as a typical living human being know money is the key to living, and I know they're some legal issues with track scheduling. NASCAR can't deny there are some scheduling issues that need to be resolved or re-approached when the contract is up in 2020.Take some money and invest into a few tracks with deeply woven NASCAR roots. Tracks like I mentioned above Hickory Motor Speedway, South Boston, Myrtle Beach, or even the fairgrounds in Nashville could take any amount of money and put it towards grandstands, parking, and facilities. These small improvements could allow them to bring back a classic grass roots racing back to the sport that has been missed for ages. I mean if your against a few smaller tracks like that heck look into a track even like Iowa then a track that continues to show year after year they need a cup series race. These tracks that are smaller than a mile offer up something a little different. They put cars closer together, they allow a driver to not only allow on speed and aero of his car. They have to drive them and possibly beat them up a little more. Now while I am not against all mile and half tracks I will say I would like a fewer of them every year and more small fast tracks, or even a road courses.
Regardless of what the big wigs decide to do in a few years when they have the legal ability to adjust some track scheduling one thing will not change the love for small town short track racing. The roots of stock car racing still live and flourish at these tracks. Whether its the dirt circuit with Kyle Larson, and Christopher Bell. Or the paved circuit with the likes of Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, and a lot of other current drivers. Drivers like Kevin Harvick was recently quoted saying "without those grass roots fans, those grassroots people...10 years from now you better hope you have some people who will sit in the stands up here, waiting to watch the races at your short track because those are your hardcore fans." He was not exactly by himself on that thought either when asked about the star drivers being able to race in the lesser series Kyle Larson was quoted saying "I feel like we've lost touch with our grassroots racing fans." Grass roots racing is not dead, but if NASCAR as a whole could embrace it a lot more the sport would come out better in the end. Who knows, you might even see those grand stands fill up complete again.
Pictures Courtesy: North Wilksboro/Front Office Sports
Five Flags:Speed 51.com
