So Nascar announced their schedule today for the 2020 season and here are the biggest changes:

Nascar will no longer be in Daytona on July 4th weekend

To me, this one right here is probably the change that I dislike the most. Nascar being in Daytona the week of the 4th has been a staple of the sport for years. Daytona on the 4th dates back to at least the 70s and 80s when my dad was going to the race as a kid and I’m sure it goes back even further. All my life, a day spent on the lake during July the 4th has been followed up with the summer Daytona race at night. So from that standpoint, I’m not a fan. I feel like there are few key dates in the Nascar season and this was one of them. Don’t go changing something with this much history.

So instead the Brickyard race at Indy will be moved to the 4th and the 2nd Daytona race of the season will be moved to the end of August, which also coincides with the end of the regular season before the chase. Now I will agree that it is kind of cool to have a track like Daytona for the last race before the chase, as a chance for anybody to get in considering anybody can win at Daytona, I just don’t like it enough to outweigh not having Daytona on July 4th. Not nearly enough.

ISM Raceway is the new home of the Championship Race

First off, what in the hell does ISM even stand for? The track is in Phoenix, why in the world would you not just call it Phoenix? And from what I can tell ISM isn’t some kind of sponsor, so if we are really looking to improve this sport let’s just go ahead and drop that name real quick. To be honest though, nothing about this track get the blood pumping enough for it to be the championship race. It’s a unique track, I guess I’ll give it that, but it’s Phoenix, not exactly in the heartland of Nascar racing. I’ve always felt that the championship race should be held right here in Charlotte. I understand that a November race in Charlotte could be an issue due to the weather but there’s a simple solution for that. Shorten the season by like 2 weeks and have the finale at the end of October in Charlotte, and at the normal 1.5 mile track, not that roval garbage. In the end, ISM being the finale is a change that I could really care less about.

Pocono gets a doubleheader

What a ridiculous looking track from abovePocono Raceway — What a ridiculous looking track from above
Pocono Raceway

Yes, you read that right. Pocono raceway will still get 2 races next year, but it will be in one weekend rather than 2. This change, I’m kind of intrigued about. I mean 2 full length races in a weekend, how it this going to be possible? Are they seriously going to run 400 mile races on both Saturday and Sunday, because that seems incredibly difficult on the drivers. Out of all the changes, this one right here is the one I’m looking forward to the most, because I just don’t know what to expect. I may hate it after it happens the first time or I may love it, it’s the ultimate wildcard. But this also seems like it would be hard to sell out both of these races for back to back days, maybe not though.

Darlington and Bristol are in the playoffs

This is a change I definitely like. I feel like there’s way too many 1.5 tracks on the schedule in general as well as in the playoffs, so the more classic, unique tracks that you put in the playoffs the better. I’m still in favor of Darlington getting a second race outside of the playoffs though. Michigan, Kansas, Texas and Las Vegas all getting 2 races over Darlington just getting 1, is your problem, Nascar. I truly feel like I could fix this sport in a heart beat.

Martinsville will race under the lights

Mother’s Day has been an off week in Nascar for quite sometime, and while it won’t be an off week it will be an off day as Nascar is moving the first Martinsville race of the season to prime-time, Saturday night on Mothter’s Day weekend. This is the first time that the Nascar cup series will be racing at Martinsville under the lights. I feel like it will have a similar feel to Bristol under the lights, so all in all this seems like a good and reasonable change.

In the end, I feel like some of the changes are trying to move the sport in the right direction, but then you still have the moves like changing Daytona from the 4th and expecting us to get excited about a Phoenix finale which Kyle Busch will obviously win……I assume. The real kicker is going to be the 2021 schedule changes as from what I’ve read, the contracts are up with the tracks so there is a chance of adding new(old) tracks. Dale Jr. has been pumping up Nashville on Twitter but according to Wikipedia that place has a capacity of around 15,000 so no chance of that happening. The track I want to see return is Rockingham. More short tracks and less 1.5 mile tracks. Also maybe force one of the copy cat tracks like Texas or Kansas to be the roval and not Charlotte. Charlotte is a classic, and again you don’t mess with history.

Thoughts On The 2020 NASCAR Schedule Changes