Ever since it was reconfigured from a standard intermediate oval into a pseudo-superspeedway with pack racing, EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta has hardly ever disappointed. It has become, quite arguably, the most exciting track in NASCAR.
This past weekend was no exception. All three races were full of white-knuckle action from start to finish. In fact, the only thing wrong with them was that we wish we could've had more racing.
And we certainly could have, if not for an absolutely indefensible decision on the part of both NASCAR and Fox regarding Saturday's Craftsman Truck Series event.
The Truck Series' time-shortened finish was an abomination, and we want our final 10 laps back
Both the Truck Series and the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series races were scheduled for Saturday afternoon, but rain delayed the activities by about an hour.
Still, that should have been no issue, because Atlanta has lights, so both races could easily be completed to their full distance. But instead, NASCAR decided to give the former a set ending time so that the latter could start on schedule on the CW Network.
What. A. Joke.
It must be pointed out that this was almost certainly Fox's decision, not NASCAR's. They couldn't have the race run past its TV window if it could be avoided, so they ensured it wouldn't. The trucks had to race against the clock, and they nearly beat it, until a late caution for a multi-vehicle accident ruined those plans.
Six laps were run under the yellow flag, equating to about 12 minutes. Each of the two stage cautions were that same length as well, wasting precious time with minimal sense of urgency to get the full distance in. And lo and behold, the race ended up being cut 10 laps short.
No matter how good or bad the action is, every fan deserves to see as much racing as possible. NASCAR and its broadcasting partners owe it to their audience to give them what they tuned in to see. It would have been a bad look had this happened anywhere, and the fact that it happened at EchoPark Speedway only makes it even harder to swallow.
Sunday's Cup Series race, for as exciting it was, also could have used about another 65 laps. That's what it used to have for decades until the distance was shortened from 500 to 400 miles after 2022, because some people (we will not use the word "fans") complained that the races were too long.
You can't ever have too much of a good thing. The drafting version of the Hampton, Georgia oval is one of the best things NASCAR has going for it right now, and it's a travesty that we didn't get to have more of it.