In NASCAR, as in life, size matters.
And the length of NASCAR races is often a hot topic among drivers. Some believe that with Millennials’ short attention spans, not to mention the myriad entertainment options, shopping trips should be shortened.
And in fact, NASCAR has reduced races from 500 miles to 400 at Pocono Raceway (2012), Auto Club Speedway (2010) and Dover International Speedway (1997) in recent years.
The subject came up again at ACS during the Friday press briefings with the pilots. Like so many other issues, there has been no clear agreement on the direction NASCAR should – or should not – take.
“Shortening the length of our races would be great for our sport and great for the fans,” said Ryan Newman of Richard Childress Racing. “It would create excitement sooner. And I don’t think it would necessarily change the outcome, I think it would just intensify our sport.”
Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson agreed.
“It’s a great idea,” said Johnson, who added that he thought reducing the number of races would also be a positive step. “Maybe 25 races a year would be really good? Thirty maybe?” » Johnson said.
And Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin also liked the idea of ​​shorter races.
“Of course I have no problem with that,” Hamlin said. “They’re long. Everything’s long. Our season is long, everything’s long. It’s a very busy schedule, but other than that, these races – sometimes it’s hard to keep your crowd going for four and a half hours, which is what a 500-mile race would be here.
“You’re going to find out after 400 or 500 (miles), what’s the difference really?” » noted Hamlin. “You’ve had a lot of time to work on your car and get it back. Some of the 500-mile races we do are extremely long and obviously I’m open to shortening just about anything.”
Not so fast, said Bristol winner Carl Edwards.
“No. No. The longer the better,” Edwards responded when asked if the races should be shortened. “…My opinion is that it’s supposed to be a test of man and machine. People pay a lot of money for tickets and should dedicate an afternoon to it. For me, I don’t know, I guess some people might be jaded to come to the race track every week and only think about going home, but for me to race, to finish a 500 miler in a special place. That’s what NASCAR is to me. It’s supposed to take an afternoon whole.”
