I liked the west coast swing. I know that it didn't, totally, eliminated crews going back-and-forth to the east coast, but the whole idea made sense and seems to have gone well.
This kind of schedule works for the PGA Tour; which starts in Hawaii, moves to California and Arizona, then Florida. That way they get well into the season without, generally, having to worry about poor weather conditions.
The difference is: the PGA Tour tends to draw from a local audience, while NASCAR crowds tend to be more regional.
I know there are some fans who have tried to go to two of the three races in the past, but would have to pass this year because of the proximity on the calendar. Frankly, I don't believe that's a large number of folks. Las Vegas is a destination. Folks will come from all over for the Vegas race. Phoenix gets a more "local" crowd as does Fontana, which probably draws more from the Inland Empire than metro Los Angeles.
Bottom line: when you have an outdoor sport that is weather-sensitive, that runs from Valentine's Day to Thanksgiving, it's hard to find places at each end of the schedule that won't get killed by bad weather.
Is this schedule ideal? Probably not. But, at least, NASCAR is trying something a little different to accommodate their participants and fans. I'd like to seem they do it again next year.