NASCAR execs add another road course......
By Mike Mulhern
mikemulhern.net
In a nice twist of ingenuity, NASCAR – after losing the legendary Milwaukee Mile, because of problems with promoters – will be moving its Wisconsin marketing program over to legendary Road America: yes, a road course next June for its Nationwide series.
Road America, a four-mile picturesque course at Elkhart Lake, will host the NASCAR tour Saturday June 19.
NASCAR's Steve O'Donnell, the VP for racing operations, made the announcement Monday that NASCAR stockers would be running at the well-known course for the first time.
Well, it will be the first time for NASCAR's AAA tour, but Tim Flock won a 'Cup' race there way back in 1956.
By adding Road America, NASCAR's Nationwide tour will now feature three road races, along with Watkins Glen and Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The tour also ran three years in Mexico City.
And, yes, NASCAR's Joe Balash, the tour director, says Nationwide teams should be prepared to race on rain tires.
In a move that some NASCAR Sprint Cup team owners would like to see adopted on their tour, NASCAR will open the Road America track a day early for practice, essentially a testing session.
Road America: another road course for NASCAR. But four miles of soft walls? NASCAR doesn't yet demand its road course promoters install soft walls, but with the coming car-of-tomorrow for the Nationwide tour, maybe it's time. (Photo: Road America)
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The Wisconsin marketing
The Wisconsin marketing program is the only reason for BGN to be racing at Road America - the facility has a long history but NASCAR is not about road courses, and to be blunt road racing is dismal, competitively worthless. I'd prefer that they could find a large oval in that area instead of Road America.
This is awesome news! A lot
This is awesome news! A lot of IRL fans are gonna be peeved about this.
From everything I've heard in
From everything I've heard in the local (Milwaukee) media, this will not be a long-term stop on NASCAR's schedule. They're essentially holding the Milwaukee Mile dates and trying to retain as much of that base as they can. When the government officials who run the Mile get their thumbs out of their a##es and are willing to negotiate fairly with a promoter, NASCAR will return. The first step in the process is getting a decent governor, which will happen in the next election, because the doofus we elected last time screwed the state so bad that he can't face the voters again.
... ahem...
Sorry for the rant, but it's been very frustrating watching these idiots slowly destroy the Mile.
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Can we call these new rules,
Can we call these new rules, the make sure Jr makes the race rules? I like this format because as a memeber of Jr Nation, I would have skipped watching it if he weren't in it.
Change the brick yard to use
Change the brick yard to use the road course.
Maybe then we might see a race, not single file parade.
The existing F1 road course is first class and would make for an excellent show
I agree. Brilliant idea!
I agree. Brilliant idea!