2020 NASCAR Thread

Not sure who the affiliations are with, but I'd have to imagine Sonoma and Michigan would be at the top of the list. Both are early June races in states that don't seem too keen on opening up to major events by then, and also in places that would require significant travel for teams to get to.

 

My gut says that Pocono will lose one race from its doubleheader weekend, but I could be wrong about that. Michigan’s tough to cut because Detroit is right next door. Sonoma (SMI track) is a significant outlier, obviously. Dover (independently owned) was supposed to run its first race of the season this weekend, and its website only shows the Aug. 21-23 weekend now.

 

Pennsylvania's situation will obviously determine Pocono's fate, but I have to think the doubleheader they've already planned is one NASCAR would hate to lose. It's an easy way to knock out two races quickly if they're trying to cram 36 onto the schedule, so it stands to reason it's all or nothing. If they're going there anyway, they might as well keep both races. If they have to cancel them, they'll cancel them both.

 

Supposed to race at Bristol in June.

 

Yeah, you do whatever you can to goose the ratings. There’s going to be nothing else on TV for the first two weeks of they’re back, so there will be lots of eyeballs.

Given that, they really should play with the format. Let’s see a couple of 20- or 30-lap heats followed by a 150-lap feature. And I’d rather see that extra Darlington date than another snooze fest in Fontana or Phoenix.

 

This is the sport that's gone from boom to bust faster than any other in my lifetime. Whatever they try beats the slow death of the status quo, even if it doesn't work. For NASCAR , this enforced pause had been a Godsend.

 

My uninformed guesses: Kansas gone, Sonoma gone, Phoenix gone, Chicago maybe gone, Watkins Glen gone. If the two road courses are gone, would they bother with the roval?

 

Yes, because it’s in the Chase and they’ll have already run two races on the Charlotte oval. I believe it’s already been said that any track in the Chase stays, so that’s: Darlington (Southern 500), Richmond, Bristol night race, Vegas, Talladega, Charlotte roval, Kansas, Texas, Martinsville, Phoenix (season finale).

I think Miami’s out. Obviously its date has already passed, but it’d be tough to find it a new later date. Same for Atlanta and spring Dover.

 

Is ESPN trying to get in on the next wave of TV deals on the cheap? If yes, then perhaps.