NASCAR: Central New York Raceway Park, A Future Race Site?

A new state-of-the-art racing complex is being built in Central New York and it could host NASCAR road course racing in the near future. Featured is an interview with Central New York Raceway Park media personnel on the prospects of a future with NASCAR and other racing series’.

There has been a great deal of conversation in the NASCAR world over whether or not the Sprint Cup Series should add more road course races to the schedule. Road courses have become a fan favorite in recent years, especially in the past five seasons where tracks like Watkins Glen International and Road America have produced fantastic finishes.

Perhaps one of the tracks that NASCAR fans should keep an eye on is the developing racing facility outside of the Syracuse, New York area: Central New York Raceway Park. This state-of-the-art facility has been being constructed since the fall of 2014 and has not heard much recognition outside of the CNY area.

The facility situated beside Interstate 81 in the town of Hastings features a 1/2 mile dirt track oval surrounded by a 2.2 mile road course. Included in the details of the facility are a 50 bay NASCAR-style garage, which lends the question that the track may pursue a future in America’s top racing series.

Track President Glenn Donnelly has reached his ultimate dream of designing a race facility after spending decades as a track director and fixture in the Northeast dirt track world.

CNYRP got its big break this past fall when it was announced in a ceremony by NY governor Andrew Cuomo that the facility would play host to the annual SuperDIRT Week. This week long racing event is spread across CNY with multiple tracks hosting major events concluding with the crown-jewel event, the Syracuse 200. This race is the “Super Bowl” of Northeastern dirt racing and for the previous 44 years had been run at the famous NYS Fairgrounds racetrack, the “Moody Mile.”

The announcement was part of a revitalization plan for the NYS Fairgrounds and the CNY area and it was decided to keep the famous event in the Syracuse area. The dirt track features a revolutionary surface material called “SYNDI,” which is a synthetic dirt surface designed to create a dustless course, saving time and money for race officials.

It was this announcement that got CNYRP on the map, but the course on the facility that may be most appealing to NASCAR fans is the potential for a new road course on the NASCAR schedule. In pursuit of finding the answers as to this possibility, I reached out to personnel at CNYRP:

Q: What is the current progress on both the 1/2 mile dirt course and the road course? When is the completion for both courses expected?

A: “Both the 1/2 mile dirt course and road course are under construction.  We plan on having the dirt track completed by end of July and the road course completed by the end of September.”

Q: It was announced that Super DIRT Week will be taking place at CNYRP this past fall, what amenities will the facility have to appease fans, campers, media, etc?

A: “Our facility will feature state of the art facilities.  This includes a 5 story building that includes VIP suites, on site restaurant, and command center.  A media center with high speed wifi will be available to the media.        Camping will be available on site, we don’t have an exact number of open sites currently, but they will feature sites with full hookups to dry hookups.”  

Q: It is described in the renditions of the facility that the road course will feature a 50 bay NASCAR-style garage. Are there plans in place to reach out NASCAR to utilize the road course in any capacity?

A: “We have opened the lines of communication to several national racing organizations such as SCCA, indycar, AMA, World of Outlaws, and NASCAR.  At this time there have been no confirmed dates or future plans.” 

Q:  Are there any other forms of entertainment the facility is considering offering in addition to racing?

A: “CNYRP will be hosting a wide arrange of events.  These include, all forms of motorsports, tradeshows, concerts, and festivals.  CNYRP will be open year round and we plan to maximize our event schedule to fill as many dates as possible.”

With the numerous potential events to be hosted by CNYRP, it is clear that the facility will be a racing, culture, and economic hub for the Syracuse area. More importantly, it is quite possible that the road course could have a future in NASCAR and other top racing series’. While the track indicated that no dates for any racing series’ had been announced, they did mention that they have communicated with numerous organizations about the use of the road course.

There are potential barriers for Central New York Raceway Park to enter the NASCAR schedule. There are many tracks that are already on the NASCAR schedule in the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series that would be put off that NASCAR would choose a new race track instead of the already existing NASCAR road course races. These tracks include Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Mosport, and Road America.

Another problem is the proximity CNYRP has to the other New York road course; Watkins Glen. NASCAR may receive backlash from WGI officials as fans may be taken from their market to attend races at CNYRP. While this is a possibility, WGI officials should praise NASCAR’s decision because of the addition of more road course racing to NASCAR’s top series. There would be hardly an effect on the market share for WGI because the track brings thousands of fans every year and was both sold out in 2015, and voted the favorite Sprint Cup Series track by fans in a USA Today poll.

In fact, NASCAR should greatly consider the possibility of racing at CNYRP because of the success at Watkins Glen. Because of the tracks being just over 2 hours apart, fans would most likely flock to both races set in the summer. This would be a win-win for the tracks, NASCAR, the fans, and New York State tourism.

Road course racing is what the NASCAR fans want in light of the recent success and growth at road courses currently in NASCAR’s top three series’. A great move would be for NASCAR to rearrange the schedule so that a road course were in the Chase, an idea fans greatly desire. An early September Chase race would be possible for the new CNYRP, but the most feasible move would be to have the course race in the summer.

Wouldn’t it be fantastic to see drivers battling for a Chase berth by racing around the twists and turns of Central New York Raceway Park and I am certain that final esses section of the course headed back to start/finish would create some fantastic finishes.