With three tracks in the playoffs that never hosted playoff races before and conversation surrounding a dramatically new aero package for next year, it seems that change is in the air for NASCAR.
On Wednesday’s edition of NASCAR America, fans used the hashtag #WednesDale on social media to see just how far those changes could go.
Their questions began a conversation between Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Petty and Nate Ryan about how NASCAR could alter their summertime calendar to consolidate the schedule without lessening the number of races run.
The panelists were uniform in their desire to see most tracks host only one NASCAR Cup race per year.
“I hate to say this Jason, but … I wouldn’t want any of the tracks to get a second date,” Nate Ryan said.
“I don’t really want to run anywhere twice,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined in.
“I like Daytona a couple of times, but I’d like to see everyone go to one … and let’s consolidate and make it special,” Petty said.
Taking away the second dates would create opportunities for new tracks to join the senior series – opening up new markets in the process. But there is also an opportunity to make the schedule more compact.
The answer for Earnhardt, Petty and Ryan is mid-week races.
“We don’t have to shorten the amount of races; let’s shorten the time of the season,” Earnhardt said. “Run on some Wednesdays. Do even some doubleheaders and stuff like that. … But I think they should go to all the racetracks once and then add Iowa, Nashville Fairgrounds – places like that.”
“Brad Keselowski has talked about this,” Ryan said. “That dead of summer period, June, July when NASCAR could really own some Wednesdays.”
For more, watch the video above.