Joey Logano calls NASCAR’s plan for California speedway to become short track a ‘no-brainer’

NASCAR’s Southern California track could be converted from a two-miler to a half-mile track.

NASCAR fans want more short tracks on the schedule. And they’re getting one, but some of their reactions to that have been mixed and confused.

As The Athletic reported Tuesday, NASCAR plans to transform Auto Club Speedway in Southern California — where the Cup Series races once annually — from a two-mile track to a half-mile short track. NASCAR could still race at the track while it’s under construction, and if the plans can be finalized for the renovation to begin in 2021, it could be finished by the 2023 season, the report noted.

Although not everyone is sold on the idea of reconfiguring the two-mile Fontana track, Joey Logano is. The 2018 Cup Series champion shared his perspective Thursday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and explained why he likes this idea.

Logano — who has never won at the Cup level at Fontana but has six top-5 finishes — said:

“Here’s my take on it, and it makes sense for what NASCAR did and I don’t know if this is a reason why but it makes sense. Right now, Auto Club Speedway is really, really cool because it’s an old surface, you’ve gotta lift, you can run anywhere on the race track, top to bottom, and it makes it a really fun race track.

“That being said, the track’s falling apart, so you’re eventually going to have to repave it. And if we look at some other tracks, if you repave a really big race track, the racing’s not that good. It’s OK, it’s OK, but it’s not what Fontana is right now. So I think the idea is great, because if you’re going to have to repave, you might as well make it a smaller track because fans love short-track racing. The drivers love short-track racing.

“To me, no-brainer. And on top of that, I’m pretty sure it’s cheaper to pave a half-mile [track] compared to two miles and as wide as that place is. So it’s probably a little bit of efficiencies built into that too, where you can build a beautiful facility. Instead of just repaving that race track, you can make it brand new, state of the art for probably the same money. I don’t know this. This is all just my thought.”

The NASCAR Cup Series has been racing at the California speedway since 1997, and from 2004 to 2010, it raced at the track twice a season. Alex Bowman won the lone 2020 race there back in March, and his teammate, Jimmie Johnson, is still the winningest driver with six checkered flags at his “home” track.

Logano reiterated his point about loving the racing Auto Club Speedway currently produces, but said he sees this as the best option.

He continued on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio:

“You’re building a race track that’s going to be more exciting. So I think it makes sense on three sides of this whole thing where it could be great. So I’m glad they looked at it outside of the box because yes, right now, the track is great, but you just have to repave it. You’re going to have to do something, and the only way you’re going to repave a track and make it good is just make it smaller.”

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