Three Ways NASCAR Can Improve The Brickyard 400

After disappointing racing during the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, many wonder what can be done to change the dull nature of what used to be one of the most anticipated races of the season.

The Brickyard 400 was a snooze-fest. It has nothing to do with the fact that Kyle Busch won. It has nothing to do with the fact that Busch dominated the race by leading 149 of the 170 laps. It has everything to do with the lack of passing, exciting racing, time of the year and a lackluster track layout for stock cars.

The most glaring of them all from a statistical standpoint was the lack of passing throughout the field.

• Four lead changes compared to 16 in 2015
• 248 fewer green flag passes than in 2015
• 210 fewer quality passes than in 2015

There was one bright spot, primarily for NBC Sports Network and not the fans. NBSCN reported that 5.2 million viewers tuned in to watch, creating a +11% increase over the 2015 numbers.

However, fans chimed in with their disappointment in another way. Jeff Gluck’s next day “Was it a good race?” Twitter poll showed the displeasure many fans had with the racing.

Obviously this is a small sample size of what fans thought of the race, but it is at least a number that provides some context to the season as a whole.

For the time being, lets take a look at three ways to improve the Brickyard 400.

Next: Indy In The Chase?