Charlotte Motor Speedway President Marcus Smith gambled his legacy on the creation of a Roval. By most people’s estimation, he won.
“To define this as an act of desperation sort of takes away credit of the (vision) Marcus brought because I don’t know if there are a lot of track owners that would be so dang bold to even make this,” Mike Davis, co-host of the Dale Jr. Download said on Wednesday’s edition of the show. “This is a bold move. This is almost something that you strap your legacy to. … This is going to define you, make you or break you.”
Last week’s Bank of America Roval 400 rejuvenated a race that had grown stale in terms of attendance. More importantly, it provided a platform for some battles that would not be seen on a traditional road course, much less a standard oval.
“When we were watching I think one of the best races of day with the 2 car Keselowski and Kyle Larson – they had a great battle that was just the essence of racing,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “The way they were both driving was completely opposite. One guy would take a high line into the corner to drive off the bottom of the exit. They were just trying two different lines really almost around the whole race track.”
The track was great, but not perfect in Earnhardt’s estimation.
“I’m sure the drivers are texting and talking with Marcus and his team about how to improve that backstraightway chicane.” Earnhardt said. “It’s not a chicane. It’s a bend. It’s 140 miles per hour. … What we need to achieve, basically is the same thing we have on the backstraightaway at Watkins Glen where we have the bus stop. They slow down, brake hard and turn into that corner. Well, that’s a passing zone.”
For more, watch the video above.