No Second Date For Las Vegas
Las Vegas Does Not Need A Second Date on the Nextel Cup schedule
Speedway Motorsports wants a second date on the NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule for Las Vegas.
Speedway Motorsports chairman Bruton Smith made it clear that he wants a second date on the NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule for the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Will it happen? Darn right it will! Why? Because it is Las Vegas, and Bruton Smith gets what he wants! What track will be replaced? Well, I'm not sure, but chances are it will be a track shorter than 1.5-mile in length. Unfortunately, Martinsville comes to mind.
Does NASCAR really need another 1.5-mile race? Even though each 1.5-mile, or 2-mile D-shaped oval has its own distinctive characteristics, they are called cookie cutter tracks for a reason.
Realistically, Las Vegas would be a perfect choice for a second race, but that is from a marketing standpoint. However, from the fans point of view, NASCAR has already butchered a once-versatile agenda of races.
The North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham was a high-speed oval, just a tad over a mile in length. It was a track like no other. Put Darlington, Dover, and Atlanta in a blender and you will get Rockingham. Unfortunately, it was removed from the schedule after the 2004 season.
The defunct short track in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, which was a .625-mile uphill-downhill oval, was deleted from the schedule a decade ago. North Wilkesboro was a unique short track that was comparable yet contrasting to Martinsville, Bristol, and Richmond.
Darlington Raceway has yet to be completely excluded from the NASCAR schedule, however, the 400-mile spring race is no more, and the 500-mile event was removed from its traditional Labor Day date and rescheduled for a cold November weekend in 2004. To make room in the Chase for the Championship for the contemporary facility in Fort Worth, Texas, the race in Darlington was moved yet again, this time to Mother's Day weekend in May.
We all know that Rockingham and North Wilkesboro have absolutely no chance at hosting a Nextel Cup race in this lifetime, and Darlington will continue to cling on to its one date, so the next best thing is for NASCAR to just leave the schedule alone. Do not add any more cookie cutter races, please!
