First things first; I just want to say I love the NASCAR XFINITY Series. I believe it has potential to return to its former glory and I have no problem with Cup drivers winning the occasional event (emphasis on occasional). I’m also a fan of Pocono. It’s a big, unique, historic track that’s been in NASCAR for many years and has a list of winners that reads like a Who’s Who of the sport; Gordon, Earnhardt, Petty, Bonnett, Allison.
Putting the two together had the potential to make another summer tradition, but after today’s events, was it really even necessary to hold a XFINITY event at Pocono? As much as it pains me to say this, no it wasn’t. Pocono’s June event did nicely as a standalone Sprint Cup event.
That seems like too much to say after one event, sure. But it would take a blind man to miss the barely filled grandstands. For that matter, the racing wasn’t all that great either. The only things that filled me as the viewer with excitement and anticipation were Erik Jones’ run to the front after that last round of pit stops, and wondering whether Ty Dillon was going to be turned by whoever he was blocking on the restarts.
It’s good to see Kyle Larson in Victory Lane, considering his run of luck on the Sprint Cup side of things. He needs some success, and this is a win he’ll gladly take. But with lackluster racing and inclement weather along with a small turnout of fans, this event was forgettable if anything.
That carries over to another issue that the XFINITY Series is facing. In the beginning of this year, it was a matter of Cup dominance. Now, it’s a matter of companion events. The NASCAR XFINITY Series is supposed to be a springboard to the Sprint Cup Series. The season-opener at Daytona, spring and summer events at Bristol and companion events during Cup race weekends, all of it makes sense in that it prepares the future stars for the spotlight of the Cup cars.
But that takes away from the significance of some of these venues. Back when the XFINITY Series was the Busch/Nationwide Series, racing at Indianapolis Raceway Park seemed like a rite of passage on the way to taking the green flag at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was like a WWE NXT wrestler cutting his teeth on the way to WrestleMania, if that’s a better analogy. But once the cars took to IMS in 2012, it canceled out that feeling of prestige, of majesty, that had taken place for 30 years on the IRP oval.
Just like with Cup dominance and the excessive night races on the schedule, there are getting to be too many companion events. There should be more standalone events like Iowa and Road America. The Busch Series of the early 00’s and 90’s did just fine with Milwaukee, Gateway, and Hickory. That’s not belting out the rallying cry of “Bring ’em back!” that most fans shout. Rather, that’s just letting it be known that those events were successful, had large turnouts, and had personality.
As previously mentioned, not every companion event is a good idea. Not all will bring in excellent exposure, not all will produce great racing, and not all will be excellent learning experiences for young drivers (just ask Ryan Reed following his disastrous outing Saturday). Sometimes, it’s best just to leave well enough alone.
