The time was right to bring together a cross-section of stock car racing industry figures into the sport’s sanctuary. As NASCAR’s 75th anniversary celebrations come to a close and details surrounding a new season approach, the floor was open to a range of topics – about how the sport has evolved but also where it’s charting a path forward. forward.
The NASCAR Insiders Roundtable, a two-part video series, kicked off Monday with a panel of distinguished guests offering their candid views on a list of topics, aiming to share perspectives on potential improvements for the sport . Part two will air Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on the NASCAR YouTube channel.
WATCH: NASCAR Insiders Roundtable Part 1 | NASCAR Insiders Roundtable Part 2
Steve Letarte, a winning crew chief turned analyst on NBC’s broadcast team, moderated the discussion from the Hall of Honor at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Contributing guests included Cup Series playoff drivers Christopher Bell and William Byron, NASCAR competition officials Elton Sawyer and John Probst, and Team Penske competition director Travis Geisler.
The first part looks primarily at the NASCAR schedule – its current length of 36 races, the variety of tracks and markets visited by the circuit and the impact of temporary street courses. The discussion turned to what used to be a “rinse and repeat” routine — “I mean, I knew when my kid’s birthday was based on the race we were going to,” Geisler joked — but this is has since become more dynamic with a more interesting mix of events. That topic included a debate over what the playoffs should look like, being selective about which 10 races will settle the Cup Series championship.
“Personally, I like the playoffs to be at Wrigley Field-type race tracks, like Darlington,” said Byron, who earned one of his six victories this year at the historic South Carolina speedway. “Watkins Glen could be one. I think those pieces, from a competition standpoint, it’s like, “Okay, you’re doing your best, and this is where it shows.” » »
The aftermath of the inaugural Chicago Street Race was also discussed, from the international appeal of Shane van Gisbergen’s victory to the logistical challenges presented by the event. Bell said attracting new competitors to NASCAR and allowing stock car stars to explore other series would be a “win-win” situation. Geisler amplified that point, saying doubleheaders with a mix of racing series would be worth exploring.
“I think some of them, maybe it’s street racing or somewhere, we should be able to partner with those guys and race with the IndyCar series or race with another series, just to have kind of a cross-pollination of fans and give people a little different taste of things,” Geisler said “I know that putting on street classes takes a huge amount of logistical planning and money to make it all happen. comes true, to close the city Why not eliminate two events?
Wednesday’s final part explores the future of the rulesets for the Next Gen car, particularly the setup for short tracks and areas where changes – in terms of aerodynamics and power – could make a difference. Part two also concludes on the ever-evolving topic of safety, especially after two dramatic crashes during the Cup Series regular-season finale at Daytona.
Probst provided detailed information about the nature of the accident investigation, saying the information-gathering process began almost immediately after the checkered flag. All measurements, data and calculations from the crashed cars as well as computer modeling were analyzed in the NASCAR research and development center, and the first findings after Ryan Preece’s dramatic rollover prompted changes to the window net assembly .
“When you’re in the R&D center, there are a lot of next-generation cars that have been crushed,” says Probst, NASCAR’s senior vice president and director of racing development. “I think as fans it’s easy – and even sometimes as guys in the industry – to get caught up in the entertainment. It’s really dangerous what these guys do and the things they go through, and we lose more sleep just worrying about their safety, but as a fan you don’t always see that.
The panel discussion closed with the topic of communication and how these issues are discussed – between teams, drivers, manufacturers and competition officials. The panel’s consensus was that communication channels are more open than ever, with regular meetings and scheduled updates between groups.
“I think this forum is an example of that,” Geisler said. “It’s definitely a bit of an unknown place, I think. We don’t usually sit down and just have a conversation with the drivers and NASCAR and the teams and just say, here are all the challenges. Let’s try to figure out how to resolve some fan issues. This is the most important thing for all of us, isn’t it?
