How To Fix NASCAR, Part II

So the last "let's fix NASCAR" article was rather long, but it didn't mean that we were at all finished. In fact, we've got five more tracks that NASCAR can try out for road course racing.

Let's begin.

Milwaukee:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3618864

The Milwaukee Mile is a slightly revered oval circuit, but it does have a decent infield road course. The overall road course length comes in at 1.7839 miles, and roughly 12 turns. The drivers start at the start-finish line and drive through turns 1 and 2, the length of the backstretch, through turn three, which then turns back on itself, not too sharply. There is a sweeping right hander giving way to the first of two interior straights. There is a bit of a hairpin that gives way to the other interior straight. There is an "esses" section that is not as pronounced as the other "esses" we've explored so far. From there the drivers face a quick right hander and a hairpin bringing them back to the oval at the exit of turn 4.

Indianapolis:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3611478

The 2.605 miles, 13 turn road course at Indianapolis has been driven by Formula 1, which gives it some decent cred, even though it suffered the debacle of 2005. That said, it is still a decent course that would only further enhance the image of NASCAR. The track info can be found here.

Rockingham, NC

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3618912

Rockingham was once a staple of the NASCAR season. Then, through various factors like commercialism, the North Carolina oval saw its races taken away. Things went so far as to have new owners take over the track, with the promise that, as long as they own the facility, NASCAR can never run there. That said, the 10-turn, 1.4505 mile road course offers a definite change of pace. The track uses a vast majority of the oval, entering the road course portion at the entrance to turn 3. A protracted hairpin a la turn 8 at Istanbul Park leads to a short straight and a protracted right hand hairpin that very nearly resembles a mirror image of the first hairpin. Another straight leads to a sweeping left hander that deposits the drivers back on the oval in the middle of turns three and four.

Road America:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3618015

The 4.037-mile, 14 turn Road America course outside Elkhart, Wisconsin is a beautiful track. The .75 mile straight would provide some nice overtaking opportunities going into turn 1. A 90-plus degree turn 2 leads to another straight. Turns 3 and 4 are roughly 90-degrees, leading to a triangular right hander. Beyond this is a 90-degree left going into a sweeping right hander once again reminiscent of turn 8 at Istanbul Park. (As an aside, Istanbul Park is probably the best design from Hermann Tilke, the man who has been accused of slowly killing F1.) Back to Wisconsin. After this sweeping righty is a quick left-right chicane that takes the drivers into the woods. A sharp right hand turn leads to another triangular left hand turn, which promptly turns back to the right and back onto the long stretch.

Miller Motorsports Park:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3617991

The Miller Motorsports Park complex outside Tooele, Utah has several configurations that would work for the boys of NASCAR:

The Long Course

The East Course

The West Course

The Outer Course (linked above)

For our intents and purposes, I think the Outer Course is a better circuit for NASCAR. At 3.0373 miles and 14 turns, the boys of NASCAR would thoroughly enjoy the twists and turns just south of the Great Salt Lake. The outer course lap record is 1:31.050 seconds, set by Timo Bernhard in a Le Mans prototype. The NASCAR boys would obviously be slower. Still, the Right Wing thinks this would be a great place for NASCAR.

So that's that. We've discussed thirteen "new" tracks for NASCAR to use in an effort to win more fans. Road course racing, as evidenced by the appeal of Formula 1, American Le Mans, The British Touring Car Championship, and the Deutsche Tourenweg Masters, proves to have a great following. Even in the realm of video games, from the realistic (Forza III, Formula 1 2009), to the outlandish (Mario Kart Wii), road courses are fantastic.

NASCAR could do worse than to deny these courses, there is no doubt. But if NASCAR would, by some chance, choose to venture onto these road courses, it would be a definite plus for the sport.