Sunday night was definitely one of the All-Star Races in NASCAR history. North Wilkesboro Speedway hosted the Cup Series All-Star Race for the second straight. Heading into the weekend, there was excitement and expectation of better racing. Last year, Kyle Larson dominated as the track was essentially a one-lane circuit. Whoever had the lead was going to stay there. However, this year was supposed to be different. North Wilkesboro got repaved in November, which should help the racing surface. The tire testing by Goodyear demonstrated some promising results. In addition to the repave, Goodyear was bringing a softer tire as the “option” tire. Strategy would play out as teams decided between the two different tires. With these factors, surely this year would be an improvement. Right?
Not really. The option tire did not fall off drastically enough to warrant considering putting on the standard “primary” tire. There were multiple grooves on the track, but passing was still impossible after the restarts were settled. This was especially true for the lead, as Joey Logano led all but one lap in the All-Star Race. The one lap he failed to lead was due to his pit stall being before the start/finish line during the mandatory pit stop, so he was never actually passed for the lead. Overall, it was another slog of a race to sit through. With the on-track action being so poor, would that mean there is dread for next year’s All-Star Race heading back to North Wilkesboro? That answer is a bit complicated.
The Dilemma at Hand
Back-to-back years of subpar racing action at North Wilkesboro Speedway should indicate a loathe from the fans for a third All-Star Race at the track. No matter how you slice it, no one wants an All-Star Race to be decided by whoever qualifies on pole. With that said, it is difficult to argue against returning to the historic track. While TV ratings will not be released at the time of this writing, the fan attendance has been incredible. The energy that is given off by those who are attending is palpable. As a TV viewer, it is tremendous to see the track packed full of fans. Even with the rain causing parking issues, the fans showed up.
In addition to the fans, the drivers, crew members, and other NASCAR affiliated people looked thrilled to be there. Compared to the All-Star festivities in Texas, Bristol, or the latter days of Charlotte, there is a buzz that North Wilkesboro Speedway seems to bring out. That is the ultimate dilemma on NASCAR’s hands. While there is a great energy surrounding the All-Star Race, the actual main product NASCAR is putting out there is lackluster at best. The All-Star Race is a marque event for NASCAR and it has disappointed at North Wilkesboro in back-to-back years. Yes, everyone seems to love going to the track. However, is it worth it when the product is missing the mark?
Is North Wilkesboro Speedway the Issue?
Is the track to blame for the lackluster racing seen on Sunday night? Old surface, newly paved surface, the usual tire, or a new tire: it all resulted in poor entertainment. With all those variables being thrown at the track, maybe North Wilkesboro Speedway is the issue. Then you look at the Craftsman Truck Series race and realize the track is fine. Actually, the repave worked extraordinarily well considering this was the first action on it. Usually after a repave, only one lane conquers all. However, North Wilkesboro had multiple lanes for both Trucks and Cup. The difference was that the Truck Series drivers could make passes.
Sure, Corey Heim drove away at the end for an easy win. The leader usually could in clean air. However, the action from second on back was always interesting to watch. The battle for second and third in the closing laps took up the majority of TV time. Additionally, there were comers and goers based on both truck speed and tire fall off. Brennan Queen and Corey Heim were able to knife their way through traffic. Jake Garcia ran in the Top-3 for a while but then his old tires turned sour and he dropped down the leaderboard. Was it the best Truck Series race? No, but it demonstrated the potential of North Wilkesboro Speedway.
During the All-Star Race, it was stagnant after restarts. Passing was almost impossible unless a driver made a mistake or completely burned up his tires. For how dominate Joey Logano was, he could not get passed Bubba Wallace to put him a lap down at the end of the first stretch. Kyle Larson on fresher tires, albeit scuffs, at the end managed to get to third but then stalled out behind Denny Hamlin. Even after Larson burned off his tires, it took Chris Buescher 20 laps to pass him for third despite clearly being faster. Sunday night played out too familiar to point to the track as the issue. Once again, the blame turns to the NextGen car.
The Last Option
Everyone knows the NextGen car is a short track liability. Since the first year of the NextGen, short tracks have been a glaring (yet not unique) issue for the car and NASCAR. Martinsville, Richmond, Phoenix, and Bristol all struggle to put on compelling racing for the fans. To give NASCAR and Goodyear credit, they have been attempting to fix the issue. Different aero packages, removing the diffuser, and messing with the tires all have been tried. Yet, all those solutions have done little to make a significant difference. Even this soft tire at North Wilkesboro did not move the needle. There was potential, but it never lived up to the hype.
NASCAR has yet to try to the one thing that fans and some drivers/crew members have been clamoring for desperately: more horsepower. Now, the call for more horsepower has not been limited to the short tracks and the NextGen car. However, it has become the focal point with the NextGen since the intermediates have been great. NASCAR is bullish on their attitudes about increasing the horsepower.
The claim is that the lower horsepower limit will entice a new manufacturer to enter the sport. Sure, they have been saying that for almost a decade and yet no new manufacturer is on the horizon. The closest NASCAR has been to that reality was some minor grumblings of Dodge returning a couple of seasons ago. However, that is NASCAR’s belief and there seems to be little that will change their mind. Unfortunately, NASCAR received confirmation on what they need to do to fix the short tracks. It happened at Bristol.
Bristol to Prolong Stubbornness
The return of concrete spring Bristol brought the best short track race of the NextGen era. Due to the extreme tire falloff, spring Bristol went from potential disaster to an all-time classic race. Drivers were put to the ultimate test of taking care of their equipment. Veteran drivers shined while some of the youth struggled. It was a spectacle that was unmatched in the current generation of car. Somehow, Goodyear concocted the right tire to bring fans delight. Unfortunately for all parties involved, they have no idea how it happened.
This is especially disappointing since NASCAR will look to Bristol as the answer to their woes. They will ignore that Goodyear did not have a clue on how the tire wear was that drastic. Plus, Bristol is a very unique track compared to the other short tracks on the schedule. Despite that, NASCAR most certainly will keep banging their head against a wall and put their faith in Goodyear to fix their problem.
Goodyear might be on the right track with the softer tire, but will that solve the issue? The soft tire had falloff at North Wilkesboro. The drivers were unable to match their initial speed later in the run. However, it was still not enough to let drivers on the primary tire pass. Christopher Bell attempted to play that strategy after the first caution and could not get around the five drivers who stayed out on the option tire.
Is Tire Wear the Answer?
With the fixation on the tire, it calls into question whether this will actual appeal to fans. Outside of this year’s Bristol race, what short track has the best tire falloff? Richmond. What track is seemingly losing a date due to the poor product (and fan attendance)? Richmond. So why is there this fixation on tire wear?
Now, what the hope is that the tire falloff is something that can factor during the run. If one drive saves during a long green flag run, he will be able to pass drivers who overdrove at the start and the tires are causing a poor handling car. Richmond’s tire wear is more seen during green flag cycle and how strategy plays out. A driver on fresh tires can fly around the track and pass at will against the older tires.
Still, Richmond is the track where tires matter the most (out of the short tracks). During long stages, the question of a one or two stop strategy comes into question. Both have worked for drivers to win. However, that does not lead to the most exciting racing. Yes, Bristol this year was awesome to watch. Will that ever be replicated again? Who knows. What seems to be more likely is that fixing short tracks via tire compounds will look similar to Richmond rather than spring Bristol. Granted, that statement could be proven wrong and this ages like milk. There are smarter people at Goodyear and NASCAR working on this than the man behind the keyboard. However, it does seem to be a fools errand to focus on this over horsepower after the constant trials and failures.
Whiffing on the Marque Event
Back to North Wilkesboro Speedway as the host of the All-Star Race, NASCAR needs to find a solution for a better product. The All-Star Race is one of NASCAR’s marque events. It needs to deliver. It is a shame that this year’s race did not deliver. With the buzz around Kyle Larson, capitalizing on the momentum with even a good race would have done wonders. Instead, any casual fan stopping in to watch would have been disappointed. While there were moments or potential for excitement, it never actually happened. That is not good enough for the All-Star Race.
When considering the marque events in NASCAR, the current track record is a bit spotty whether they are a hit or not. The Daytona 500 has been a consistent gem, even if the diehard fans are critical of the drafting. On the flip side, the Championship Race has been sluggish since moving to Phoenix. The All-Star Race falling on the wrong side of good vs bad is not great for NASCAR. While All-Star festivities are an issue in other sports, NASCAR should look to put on a great show for casual eyes who might be drawn in due to the pomp and circumstance.
NASCAR needs to figure it out for next year, even if it is a drastic change. Since it an exhibition race, why not try something from out of left field? Bring back the Gen 6 car. Race the Xfinity Series cars. Borrow the watering truck from a dirt track and get the track damp for rain tires. At this point, put the drivers on tricycles. Any of those options could be better than the NextGen car on a short track.
