[oncea3fan]

on ESPN last night there was a segment about talk of the lady in charge of california may want to rebuild the track in to a restrictor plate track.

on one hand it would be better than what they got now, but I don't care for the position it puts drivers in safty wise. Daytona was a good race ,but that doesn't mean they're all great.

I believe there is a poll on ESPN.com to get fan input.


whatdayathink?????

[oncea3fan]

ESPN - Zucker wants to reconfigure Auto Club Speedway into restrictor-plate track - Nascar

[Racer Duck]

I think it ought to be rebuilt as a 5 mile flat oval .. in Bonneville. Then we'd really see some boring racing!

[Measure]

Can you get a 1.5 mile track to go that fast? With shorter straightaways, would the banking have to be steeper than Daytona to keep the speeds up?

And this was Mike Waltrip's idea?

[BiscuitMan]

Originally Posted by Measure

Can you get a 1.5 mile track to go that fast? With shorter straightaways, would the banking have to be steeper than Daytona to keep the speeds up?

Auto Club Speedway is a 2 mile D-shaped oval. The front stretch is banked 11 degrees. The back stretch is banked 3 degrees. Rebuilding the turns from 14 degrees to say 30 degrees would allow the drivers to keep the throttle down and maintain their speeds.

Restrictor plates would reduce the top end speed but would give the race a Daytona or Talledaga look with all the cars bunched up for close racing. The drivers would then start complaining that they can't pull out to pass. But, if NASCAR experimented with different size restrictor plate holes - that may make for exciting racing.

I've driven D-shaped ovals I the front stretch gives a different feel than the straight back stretch. It amazes me that these cars can go so fast making a slight turn on the front stretch without loosing control. Maybe, I never had the right setup.

[bob101]

That woman - the president of the speedway - had an interview on radio yesterday.

They asked her about all that and the track weeping. That woman has no clue. She even bragged about how much cleaner the track is now and no trash on the track like they used to.

So I guess she was MIA when all the cars overheated Sunday night when they started the race from hot dog wrappers.

I'm not bashing her because she's a woman, but because she seemed pretty clueless about - well everything she talked about. How the delay wasn't that bad. Wasn't the fault of the track management. How much CA loves NASCAR - yet they can't sell out nowdays. How they "HAVE" to cater to the hollywood types out there (why? They're not paying the bills and even if they attend they come for free...).

I can't believe they are considering spending the money reconfiguring a track that's in the black hole of NASCAR land. I'd rather see them just cut the two dates. That's right cut them. No replacements - just move the current ones around and let the season end a week earlier and have a week off in the season in the summer.

It's a waste of resources to go out there. It's like pouring them in a hole.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by bob101

That woman - the president of the speedway - had an interview on radio yesterday.

They asked her about all that and the track weeping. That woman has no clue. She even bragged about how much cleaner the track is now and no trash on the track like they used to.

So I guess she was MIA when all the cars overheated Sunday night when they started the race from hot dog wrappers.

I'm not bashing her because she's a woman, but because she seemed pretty clueless about - well everything she talked about. How the delay wasn't that bad. Wasn't the fault of the track management. How much CA loves NASCAR - yet they can't sell out nowdays. How they "HAVE" to cater to the hollywood types out there (why? They're not paying the bills and even if they attend they come for free...).

I can't believe they are considering spending the money reconfiguring a track that's in the black hole of NASCAR land. I'd rather see them just cut the two dates. That's right cut them. No replacements - just move the current ones around and let the season end a week earlier and have a week off in the season in the summer.

It's a waste of resources to go out there. It's like pouring them in a hole.

Not sure who "that woman" was, but entity that owns the track is run by a member of the France family: Lesa France Kennedy, President of International Speedway Corporation (the track owner.) And they seem determined to keep poring money into that black hole called California Speedway (just renamed "Auto Club Speedway of Southern California")

I thought Bob Margolis opinion in Auto Club 500 Observations - NASCAR - Yahoo! Sports says it quite nicely:

Auto Club Speedway has had a decade to prove its value to stock car racing and unfortunately it's not been a total success story.

There's no question that NASCAR should be racing in Southern California, but it absolutely doesn't need to stage two races a year at this facility.

Having just one race here and having that one take place later in the season, perhaps during the Chase, would attract more fans. The current strategy of spending more money to add fan amenities to the track definitely isn't the answer to filling the seats.

It's easy to blame the staff and the track's owner ISC for the empty seats. They are both easy targets. But, they're not to blame.

The situation is a reflection of the market. Do they like NASCAR in Southern California? Yes. Is it a hotbed of the sport like it is in the southeastern United States? No. There's nothing they (the staff or ISC) will ever do that will change it.

Instead of wasting time, energy and money to prove to everyone that they're doing everything they can to deliver a full house, why not accept things and move on.

Acceptance of their inability to change the market and a refocus on changing their strategy, perhaps by cutting the track's NASCAR schedule back to one event and/or changing the admission policy to permit children under 15 or seniors over 65 in the gate for free with a ticketed adult, could prove to be the answer to filling the grandstands.

It's been said that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is a sure sign of insanity. You draw your own conclusion.

Veteran motorsports writer Bob Margolis is Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR reporter.

[Highflying]

So stupid 4 RP races a year is enough Let the boys build fast cars and race the way its suppose to be

[bob101]

The woman I refered to was..

Gillian Zucker who is president of the Auto Club Speedway.

She was on a media blitz before the race and another after the race.

It's also like I mentioned in another thread. Nobody likes rain outs or delays. But I guarantee you that a race on a nice clear Monday like the one in CA, had it happened in the Southeast would have drawn a LOT more fans that 5,000 who showed up in CA. They could barely get 5,000 on a Monday when the ticket was good for the cup AND the nationwide series. Put a cup race on Monday in Atlanta, Bristol, Charlotte and see how many people show up...more than 5,000.

[WestCoast]

Originally Posted by bob101

Put a cup race on Monday in Atlanta, Bristol, Charlotte and see how many people show up...more than 5,000.

I always wondered about that, what's the deal, high unemployment rate in those areas, or are people that fanatical that they just don't care about their job responsibilities.??

[PettyBlue]

Originally Posted by WestCoast

I always wondered about that, what's the deal, high unemployment rate in those areas, or are people that fanatical that they just don't care about their job responsibilities.??

Lol.is that a wise crack on the south where Nascar started?Sure did not start in Califor.

[WestCoast]

Originally Posted by PettyBlue

Lol.is that a wise crack on the south where Nascar started?Sure did not start in Califor.

Not at all, just a honest question.
I will assume that those fans are more fanatical.

[PettyBlue]

Originally Posted by WestCoast

Not at all, just a honest question.
I will assume that those fans are more fanatical.

Shall we call it giving more,sport/support?

[3fanforever]

Originally Posted by WestCoast

I always wondered about that, what's the deal, high unemployment rate in those areas, or are people that fanatical that they just don't care about their job responsibilities.??

I don't think it's fanaticism or unemployment. It's race fans who plan ahead every year and tell their bosses, "if there's a rain out on Sunday, I'm taking a vacation day on Monday, and I'll see you on Tuesday." This has been going on since the early days of racing in the south. It's become a given between race fan and employer. Heck, probably half the bosses are doing the same thing.

[Phils20]

Originally Posted by WestCoast

I always wondered about that, what's the deal, high unemployment rate in those areas, or are people that fanatical that they just don't care about their job responsibilities.??

Most folks are out here are experienced enough at attending races that they take the Monday off.

I know I do, and did for all three races I'll be attending this year.

I guess some folks just haven't been fans long enough to know it can rain at outdoor sporting events, and cars sure can't race in the rain!