If it’s true that absence makes the heart grow fonder, we should have quite a show at Bristol this weekend. After all, it’s been a year since we saw a traditional beating, banging and “moving him up the track” race at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile.
Think about it. The first time the Cup cars and Trucks visited Bristol this year, it was on dirt. The Xfinity cars haven’t even been there since last September.
And, oh by the way, there’s something extra on the line for everyone. For Cup and Trucks, it’s an elimination race. For Xfinity, it’s the last race of the regular season.
I think this is one of the better by-products of NASCAR being willing to try new things the last few years. We’re not going to the same tracks twice and seeing the same thing: a dirt race one time at Bristol, the Roval on one of the trips to Charlotte, the All-Star race takes one of Texas’ dates. At Daytona, Atlanta and Darlington, they’re running two races of different lengths.
I believe they’re all good ideas that can enhance the fan experience, and give fans a good reason to make two trips to a track in the same year.