NASCAR: Should Stock Cars Take On the Daytona Road Course?
The Daytona road course is one of the coolest things about Daytona International Speedway but it also might be something that NASCAR needs to give more consideration to when it comes to racing on it.
No question about it – NASCAR needs more road courses. There’s something about the twists and turns about road course racing that calls back to the old days of stock car racing. Road course racing in this day and age is the absolute definition of NASCAR. Honestly: When was the last time you saw a boring NASCAR road course event?
On that note, the Daytona International Speedway Stadium is the be-all-end-all regarding NASCAR. It was “Big Bill” France’s baby in the late 50s’, one that he made originally for NASCAR, and since that fateful Daytona 500 in 1959, the 2.5-mile tri-oval has served the sport well. The same can be said for the infield road course that the Rolex 24 is run on, the 24-hour sports car event that kicks off the racing season. With that taken into consideration, what’s wrong with putting stock cars on the 3.81-mile road course?
Not a thing at all. If anything, NASCAR should consider running some sort of exhibition race on the road course, maybe the Sprint Unlimited that kicks off the NASCAR season. Thing is, while the Camping World Truck Series has that lonely road course in Canada and the Xfinity Series has a decent three, the Sprint Cup Series has been hanging on to the same two road courses for the better part of 25 years. That’s not saying Sonoma and Watkins Glen aren’t favorable; on the contrary, they’re two of NASCAR’s most exciting tracks. But rather, wouldn’t the current product get a better shot in the arm by adding an extra road course?
Consider this: The Daytona road course is equal parts speed and strategy. On one hand, it utilizes aspect of the main speedway, as the tri-oval, the super-stretch, and all four turns are incorporated into the track. On the road course side of things, there’s plenty of room for drivers to interact and do what they do best. NASCAR has done it’s best regarding safety measures on both the speedway and the road course, and if NASCAR were to take part on the road course it’s a given the sanctioning body and the speedway would act accordingly regarding any extra modifications to the safety measures.
Sure, there are other great ideas regarding newer road courses in the Sprint Cup Series. Road America in Wisconsin is one example, as it has produced excellent racing in the Xfinity Series since 2010. Mid-Ohio also continues to produce a great, quality product. Other ideas include Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the most prominent and legendary road courses in America, and the state-of-the-art Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
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But this is Daytona. This is not only the birthplace of NASCAR but the birthplace of speed as well. It would only be fitting to allow stock cars on the road course. Fans would appreciate this as would the drivers, and it’s all the more reason to, at minimum, give it a test race. There’s no doubt that the final product would draw in a substantial amount of fans, because it would be an exciting event.