What NASCAR should do with short tracks in the Cup Series

What should NASCAR do with short tracks in the Cup Series? After the last race Martinsville, the answers are pretty clear.

NASCAR went to Martinsville Speedway and the excitement wasn’t as high as normal. The short-track racing with the NextGen car has been below average at best, and NASCAR understands that changes need to be made. The racing at Bristol Motor Speedway was too extreme, while Martinsville didn’t have much life to it outside of a late-race restart.

So, what should NASCAR do with short tracks in the Cup Series? Significant changes must be made if the sport wants to continue going to these venues twice yearly. Bristol, Martinsville, and Richmond Raceway have two dates during the NASCAR season, but it has reached the point where people cringe when seeing the tracks on the schedule.

The tire wear is one major problem. It’s either nonexistent, too extreme, or everyone falls off simultaneously. The lack of tire wear makes passing almost impossible, as seen in the race at Martinsville. It’s not a coincidence that NASCAR’s top level isn’t seeing the same success as the Xfinity or Truck Series. It is a problem with the NextGen car and the tires.

Obviously, increasing horsepower would likely be a viable solution to the problem, but NASCAR has shown no indications that it’s an option right now. The 750 horsepower package worked in the Gen 6 car but granted, that is an entirely different stock car. Yet, many believe an increase in horsepower would help the situation,

In a perfect world, NASCAR should increase horsepower and work with Goodyear to bring a better tire. If not, NASCAR must limit dates at short tracks until a solution exists. The quality of racing at these tracks is poor and a mood killer for most people. NASCAR has proven to make the necessary fixes in the past, so hopefully, a solution that works for all comes to fruition.

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