36 Races At 31 Tracks

I read an article today stating that Kansas is once again lobbying for a second race date. I know economic times are tough right now, but I really think that in future times, NASCAR should be looking to expand the number of tracks they visit in a year, rather than doubling up at tracks. To me it only makes sense to cover a greater area of fan base, rather than hit the same fan base twice in one year.Also it would make make for a greater variety of tracks that would be visited,making driver diversity an even bigger part of winning a championship.



That's why 36 races at 31 tracks. For historical reasons I would leave Daytona, Talladega, Bristol, Martinsville and Charlotte all with two dates, leaving 26 dates for other tracks. I know this wouldn't work right now, there just aren't enough tracks capable of holding a cup race. But eventually all of tracks with two dates other than those five would lose one date,so don't be upset about the races I've eliminated first, to accommodate tracks in existence now, that could probably hold a cup race. So until new tracks could be built, or existing tracks overhauled the schedule could look something like this.

1. Daytona-The first race of the year always needs to be here.


2. Texas-Everyone whines about the spring California race so get rid of it.


3. Las Vegas


4. Atlanta


5. Bristol


6. Martinsville


7. Nashville-minor upgrades could make this track cup ready.


8. Phoenix


9. Talledega


10. Iowa-Once again this track wouldn't need much to be able to host a cup race.


11. Darlington


12. Charlotte


13. Portland-I know it's a road course but I felt the northwest needs a race and road courses are easier to adapt to accommodate larger crowds.


14. Pocono


15. Michigan


16. Montreal-For the international flair and also I'm Canadian.


17. Loudon


18. Daytona


19. Chicago


20. Indianapolis


21. Rockingham-This track could be rejuvenated


22. Watkins Glen


23. Kentucky-From what I've read this track could easily hold a cup race.


24. Bristol


25. Atlanta


26. Richmond


27. Sonoma-That's right start the chase with a road course,it has a short track and a superspeedway, it needs a road course.


28. Dover


29. Kansas


30. Fontana


31. Charlotte


32. Martinsville


33. Talladega


34. Texas


35. Phoenix


36. Homestead

The powers that be would never do this, it's just a thought, one that I'm sure will make some people happy and others very angry.

And My Wife Thinks I Got It Bad,And Monday's Truck Race

I just wanted to share this picture I took on Friday Mar. 27, on the way to my hometown to attend a funeral.I had stopped in Lacombe,Alberta to drop off a resume when I noticed this tow truck parked outside a body shop.I wish I would of had time to see if the owner was around and ask some questions about him and the truck, maybe next time.

Congrats. to Kevin Harvick for winning Mondays CWTS race,congrats. to Kyle Busch for making a rookie mistake by crossing the pit road commitment line, sending him to the back for the green ,white, checker finish, then looking like a fool as he ran away after the race, congrats to KHI for a one-two finish and finally congrats. to J.R Fitzpatrick(the Canadian guy) for posting a solid 21st place finish. All in all I thought it was a great race, the type that reminds one of why he or she loves watching racing.

Jr. A Meltdown And Who Is Kyle Jabbin' At

First off I am neither a Dale Jr. hater nor a Jr. lover but rather a Jr. sympathizer and I wonder if the pressure put on him by NASCAR,Jr. Nation and the media don't have him headed in the direction of a total meltdown.

The pressure a driver puts on him or herself to win each week in NASCARs top 3 series must be huge let alone having to deal with the pressures and expectations of a whole nation. I don't know how many articles I've read lately that contain the phrase "NASCAR needs Dale Jr. to win a race". Does anyone really think that NASCAR will cease to exist if Jr. never wins another race? Are race fans going to stop going to races,stop watching races on TV and stop buying souvenirs altogether just because Jr. hasn't won a race? Probably not,although that might happen for a totally different reason.

I'm not saying that NASCAR has ever intentionally done anything or changed any rule to help Jr.,but they've done some things that don't look very good,2 that come to mind are 1.Changing the chase format from 10 to 12 after the 1st year when Dale Jr. ended up 12th in the standings after Richmond and didn't make the chase.2. The way the Daytona incident was handled I'm not blaming Jr. or Brian but I think the incident would have been handled differently by NASCAR if it had been any other car other than the 88 that was involved.

Maybe it's just me, but when I see Dale in TV interviews this year whether it be prerace,postrace or the middle of the week he looks tired, like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders and he has no fire left inside him. I hope Jr. can learn to deal with these pressures because NASCAR does need Dale Earnhardt Jr. just the same as it needs every other driver it has.

One last thought,when Kyle B. takes pokes at Jr. are they really aimed at Jr. or is he taking jabs at Rick Hendrick for giving Kyle the bums rush?