[media-credit name=”Noel Lanier” align=”alignright” width=”225″]
[/media-credit]Every NASCAR fan can agree that the Sprint Cup Series has an excess number of mile and a half tracks on the schedule. Mile and a half tracks don’t feature the close, competitive racing that superspeedway’s, short tracks and road courses do. NASCAR is always looking for fan input on the series and one suggestion they’re not listening to is fans no longer wanting as many mile and a half tracks on the schedule.
By the number, the Sprint Cup Series had eleven races at mile and a half tracks in 2012. Five of which were in the Chase. When five races at mile and a half tracks make up ten races that are supposed to produce a true champion, is the champion truly a great racer in NASCAR’s playoffs or is the champion a great racer at mile and a half tracks? Excluding Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon, three of winners at mile and a half tracks in the Chase went on to finish in the top three in the final standings. That shows to have a shot at the championship; you need to be good at mile and a half tracks.
In all the races at mile and a half tracks this season, drivers that won those races went on to finish in the top ten in the final points standings. Once again, that proves to be competing for the championship you need to be good at mile and a half tracks. The last two Sprint Cup Champions have won races from at least two mile and a half tracks. This is proving to be a pattern that shouldn’t be determining our champion. Our champion should be the best racer at all types of tracks, not just at mile and a half circuits.
A potential fix to this dilemma is for NASCAR to take out a few mile and a half tracks and replace them with other types of tracks. Are having two races at the Texas Motor Speedway each season worth it? I know that Texas draws the biggest crowd on the circuit but the racing is lacking at the track. NASCAR really needs to diverse the Chase races a little. Having half the races in the Chase at mile and a half tracks proves once again that the champion is great at mile and a half tracks, not all types of circuits. Adding a road course race, another short track race and maybe even another super speedway race wouldn’t be a bad idea for NASCAR to consider when creating ten races to determine the Sprint Cup Champion.
From NASCAR fans to even media members, everyone has noticed and wanted change with a mile and a half track dilemma at our hands. The Sprint Cup schedule needs some revising and we need NASCAR to come to a conclusion that many fans have already come to, we need less mile and a half tracks on the schedule. Will something be done? Probably not for awhile but maybe one day the mile and a half track dilemma will come to an end. That will be a day when we will see a true Sprint Cup Champion arise.
