The worst part of off-season for any sports fan is not having new content to watch. For NASCAR fans, the off-season is shorter than it used to be, but still longer than most fans would like it to be. But what if there were a way to keep the racing fun going year-round? Welcome to the NASCAR: Winter plan.
Danger Circles
Everybody loves a good short track race. Bristol, Martinsville, Eldora, Knoxville, Rockingham, North Wilkesboro – these are just a few examples of all the great tracks out there. Think of all the attention these tracks would garner by hosting the NASCAR: Winter season. The proposed schedule would see six out of ten races at a short track. One other short track race would be at the Talladega dirt track to satisfy the dirt track itch so many fans have since Bristol Dirt started. Using the existing dirt track saves time and money by not covering up perfectly good concrete with layer upon layer of dirt, just to scrape it all back off again a week later.
Charlotte Roval, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Circuit of the Americas, Watkins Glen, Road America, and a few other tracks would alternate each year hosting the one road course offered during the Winter season. This rotation gives every road course track an opportunity to shine and set itself apart from the competition during the regular season.
Intermediate tracks that will rotate out hosting the single intermediate race per season would include Atlanta, Chicagoland, Darlington, Dover, Homestead-Miami, Kansas, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. Other intermediate tracks might be added to the list later, but they would need to show a strong race during the regular season to be considered in the rotation for Winter.
Nobody wants a season without a Superspeedway. The one Superspeedway race each year will be alternated between Daytona, Talladega, Milwaukee Mile, and maybe Pocono and Auto Club. Just like with the intermediate tracks, those not guaranteed on the list will have to put on a good show in the regular season to be considered for future Winter season events.
Drivers
Fans are always excited to see their favorite former drivers come back for a one-off competition. Look at the successful ticket sales for Dale Jr.’s recent events or the fan craze surrounding Jimmie Johnson’s return to NASCAR’s Cup series. Consider the buzz when Todd Bodine came back to the Truck series to get through 800 starts. Now imagine having that kind of excitement for weeks every winter!
The new NASCAR: Winter season will feature former drivers, current drivers, and upcoming talent in each of four groups – Cup, Xfinity, Arca/Menards, and Truck. Drivers will be expected to qualify for each event. To keep things interesting, drivers will qualify using whatever equipment they would normally race in. For example, Todd Bodine would qualify in a truck, Chase Briscoe in a NextGen Cup car, Nick Sanchez in an Xfinity car, and Katie Hettinger in an ARCA car. The full field will feature 36 drivers in a mixture of former, current, and upcoming talent representing each series.
Dates
The current NASCAR season will have to be trimmed down to make room for a strong Winter season. It would require eliminating six races from the current schedule, but there were quite a few that fans found dull (just check Jeff Gluck’s twitter polls for proof), so there are some prospects already. End the regular season at the end of September, have the awards ceremony the first weekend of October, then prepare for the Winter season.
Winter season will run mid-October through mid-January, a total of 10 races, allowing for bye-weeks at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. With enough interest, an All-Star race could be scheduled for New Years weekend as an added event. An Awards Ceremony will be held the last weekend in January so there’s no television competition against the Super Bowl.
Determine the Champion
The Points system for the Winter season will be different than what is currently in place. Pole winners will earn 1 point. Points will be awarded 36-1 for starting position. Points will be awarded 36-1 for finishing position. There will be 1 point for leading a lap and 3 points for leading the most laps. Stages will still be included but there will be no stage cautions. Stage winners will earn 10-1 points for finishing in the Top Ten. If the Pole Sitter leads the most laps, wins each stage, and wins the race, they would accumulate 97 points for that race. The absolute minimum number of points earned in a race would be 2, one for starting dead last and one for finishing dead last. Due to the length of the season, there will be no championship 16 or Chase for the Cup. The overall winner will be declared by points earned throughout the season. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
Logistically, this new Winter season plan is doable. It will take some significant work to further flesh out the ideas, but the groundwork has been laid. Sponsorships need to be secured, television and media contracts need to be written, and a host of other behind-the-scenes things nobody thinks of remain to be completed. The important thing is, there is now a plan in place to eliminate the boredom of an off-season. No more binging podcasts and browsing YouTube to watch old races just to get your high-octane fix. NASCAR: Winter season is here to rescue us all.
