NASCAR: Five Disappointments With 2016 Schedule

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Five-Year Agreements With Tracks

This is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of what was announced. While it is prudent from a business-model perspective to have a long-term plan for sponsors and for fans who plan far in advance to attend certain races, it also essentially closes the door to NASCAR accommodating any new venues, which many fans want to see.

Granted, there are no facilities that immediately come to mind that are cup-ready right now and who are asking to be considered, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be in the next five years. Fans will undoubtedly point to Rockingham and other tracks where the series once ran, but there’s a reason we’re not there anymore. If fans didn’t support those facilities the first (and sometimes, second) time around, what is different now that will make that change?  Answer – nothing.

Ownership groups could still petition NASCAR to make date changes if races are within their company (for example, Speedway Motorsports Incorporated (SMI) could request to leave Atlanta and give a second date to Las Vegas since they own both tracks). This is probably the only schedule flexibility afforded by the five-year agreements now in place.