[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”246″]
[/media-credit]As NASCAR enters its summer months, the racing action is about to heat up. Every summer we see great and competitive action. I believe this summer we’ll see the best racing we’ve ever seen in the summer. The summer features some of the fan favorite tracks like; Daytona, Indianapolis, Bristol and Atlanta. These tracks provide some of the best racing action we see all year.
The first race of the summer begins this week at Kentucky. This is only Kentucky’s second ever cup race but last year we saw great racing. After last year’s traffic disaster in Kentucky, many fans won’t be returning but they’ll miss out on a great race. After Kentucky we head out to Daytona for a firework show under the lights. Every race at Daytona is incredible. The race features great racing, close finishes and unpredictable outcomes. With pack racing returning this year, we should see one heck of a race. New Hampshire shows up next on the schedule, the “Magic Mile” is a tough track to maneuver around but it provides close racing action.
After an off-week we go to Indianapolis. Indy is a phenomenal race. Last year’s race was one of the best we’ve ever seen. Paul Menard was leading and he was real close on fuel and Jeff Gordon who had pitted was racing towards Menard. Menard had enough fuel and he went on to win his first ever NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. If we see a race that spectacular this summer, it’ll be one of the greatest races we’ve ever seen. After Indy we head to Pocono. After an exciting race at Pocono in June, we should expect a great race in August as well. In June at Pocono, the newly repaved surface created close and exciting racing. A driver breaking through his winless streak added to the excitement.
Next, the Sprint Cup Series makes a stop in Watkins Glen for a twisted race. The cars will drive though the historic road course very closely. After a rain out Sunday last year at Watkins Glen, it was worth the wait until Monday. We saw one of the greatest races of the season. We saw close racing, different factors the teams had to go through like dense fog that filled the track area halfway through the race. And then we saw a green-white-checker finish that sent cars flying through the air. A vicious crash in turn two sent David Reutimann’s car up in the air. At a high-speed course like the Glen, anything is possible and we tested those limits last year.
As the summer winds down, we go to Michigan for another high-speed race. As we saw in June, high-speeds will be present and they’ll create the same obstacles for teams. Many fans were fond of the outcome of the June race because Dale Earnhardt Jr took the checkers for the first time in four years. A high speed race will always create exciting racing. One of the best races of the year shows up next at Bristol.
This race at Bristol will be nothing like before because of the new surface that was created to produce exciting racing. After a “boring” race in the spring, Bruton Smith dug up Bristol and altered the surface to a surface similar to the “old Bristol” track. The “Old Bristol” had a one lane track and required a lot of bumping to make your way around the track. The summer races come to a close once we reach Atlanta. The final party of the summer takes place on Labor Day Weekend. By this time in the summer, we’ll be nearing the chase and the end of the season.
Races at Atlanta are always exciting due to the fast paced speedway. After a tropical storm delayed the race last year for two days, many fans stuck out the delay to witness a great race and Jeff Gordon pull into victory lane. The summer races are always exciting and they should be better than ever this summer. From Kentucky to Atlanta, expect some great racing. A lot of unknowns surround us now about how the season will play out but by the end of the summer, we’ll be closer to figuring out the unknowns. We all hope to see incredible action this summer and I don’t think we’ll be disappointed.
