NASCAR: All-Star package a success, but should it be used full-time?
The All-Star package was a huge hit for fans, and it included some great action on track! Should it be used full-time in its current state?
Saturday’s NASCAR All-Star events were rather unique. With door-to-door racing, passes for the lead and drafting in both the Monster Energy Open and the Monster Energy All-Star Race, fans couldn’t believe they were watching a race at the famed Charlotte Motor Speedway.
For those unfamiliar with the sport, NASCAR implemented a new aero package for All-Star weekend, which featured restrictor plates, air ducts and a higher rear spoiler.
As a fan in attendance Saturday night, I’ve spent the last day or so gathering my feelings on the experimental package. Considering both the pros and cons, I’ve come to the conclusion that the package was a success, but it shouldn’t be used full-time. Without more hesitation, let’s get cooking on this topic.
First, let’s look at why the package was a success. Charlotte races usually play out like typical intermediate track (tracks 1.5 miles in length) events. Restarts are fun and flashy, followed by single file strung-out races with occasional battles for position. The races on Saturday didn’t fit that mold.
The All-Star Open showed that the new package had great ability early in the day. In the first few laps, it looked questionable, as cars would occasional run single file. Eventually, three-wide racing and multiple passes for the lead led to a five-car battle for the final Open stage win. This was one of the best moments of the night and one of the best battles I’ve witnessed in over 30 races I’ve had the pleasure of attending.
This style of racing continued into the All-Star Race. We saw different stage winners and strategic battles for the lead on track. At most points, we had 10 to 15 cars within a second of each other, and at Charlotte, that doesn’t happen. Looking back at previous All-Star races that I have attended, this was the best race from start to finish.
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To cap off the positive outlook, the new aero package did everything it was supposed to do. Outside of at Daytona and Talladega, we don’t see racing that close. All the package had to do was make racing closer, and boy did it blow that out of the water. This was a race during which fans had something to pay attention to every lap. That’s positive; that’s a success.
Now, let’s get to the flip side. This package shouldn’t be introduced full-time. While Saturday’s races were aesthetically amazing, what we witnessed wasn’t true racing. It was entertainment manufactured for TV ratings and ticket sales.
Real stock car racing includes braking points, acceleration points and varying race lines. Real stock car racing isn’t holding the car full throttle and hoping a lane opens up. The cold truth is that we see “manufactured” racing enough four times a year at Daytona and Talladega, and we don’t need to water down the series with even more “manufactured” product at intermediates.
The solution to the problem isn’t a gimmicky package that forces drivers to race close to each other. NASCAR needs to fix real issues before they settle for a cop-out design to temporarily satisfy fans. Those issues are the cars themselves.
I took a look back at the first race I ever attended, the 2002 Coca-Cola 600, and noticed the racing was very solid compared to the modern product. Cars were high off the ground, had no splitter, and had less aero built in (hood & body lines). Cars ran closer to one another and seemed more uncomfortable on track. That was real racing.
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Overall, this weekend was a wild one. Kudos to NASCAR for taking a risk and putting together one hell of an event Saturday night. Though I don’t agree with the idea that we should see this every week, this is a step in the right direction. If officials can find a mix of what we witnessed Saturday and typical intermediate track racing, I think we’ll be sitting pretty for the future.