NASCAR: Why I love going to road course races every year

NASCAR road course racing offers a different form of racing for fans to watch. Here are some of the reasons why road courses are some of the best to watch.

This weekend, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series travels to the first of three road courses on the 2018 schedule. Sonoma Raceway, Watkins Glen International and the new “roval” at Charlotte Motor Speedway are the three road courses on this year’s schedule. The best part about road course racing is the fact that you can never predict what will happen next.

I grew up just a few mountains over from Watkins Glen International. My first race in person was a Busch Series race at Watkins Glen in 1999. The winner of that race was none other than Dale Earnhardt Jr. A few months later, I attended my first Cup Series race at Watkins Glen. That race was won by Jeff Gordon. From then on, I have been a regular at that road course.

There are several people who dislike road course racing and feel it would be best if the NASCAR Cup Series no longer held races at such tracks. However, I feel quite the opposite and wouldn’t be opposed to seeing more road course races added to the schedule in the future.

You can watch from several different places

No matter the type of race fan you are, road courses offer every aspect of the sport to suit your needs. For example, if you’re one of the fans who wants a good view where the cars aren’t as loud, there is a spot on the track for you to go.

If you’re more of a fan of the loud engine shaking you in your seat, there is a spot for that as well. When I go to Watkins Glen, I get there early on Friday and start at the bus stop for a little while. Then I move down to the exit of the carousel for a bit before heading to turn one. Sometimes I will make a stop and listen to the cars as they pass by the bridge. There are options for everyone and I assume the same can be said at Sonoma.

Road courses bring new faces to the front

Every now and then, a driver manages to shock the NASCAR world and win a race. This is especially the case at road courses. Names such as Robby Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Marcos Ambrose, A.J. Allmendinger and others have scored wins at either Watkins Glen or Sonoma. The buzz in the crowd when an “upset” driver takes the checkered flag is one of the best reactions I have ever seen from personal experience.

Potential for rain tires

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Sure, the times get slower and the racing is plagued by caution flags. However, seeing 40 cars heading to the first turn without any clue of how their cars will handle is humorous. The idea alone of having rain tires debut for the first time in the Cup Series is exciting.

To this point, we don’t know how the drivers would race in such conditions because it has yet to happen. This weekend won’t provide us with the opportunity to see rain tires used for the first time, but by and large, there will be a time rain tires are used during a road course race and I hope I am there to see it.

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Do you share the same passion and love for road course racing? Do you think more road course races should be added to the schedule, or are you not a fan of road course races? Do you feel that NASCAR should stick to oval races only?