Questions about Auto Club Speedway
Watching Matt Kenseth hold hard-charging Jeff Gordon at bay made for a somewhat entertaining finish to Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway.
Few fans were talking about that finish, though. Instead, fans debated the question that seems to pop up every time NASCAR races there: Should Auto Club Speedway have two Sprint Cup dates?
Here's a short Q & A segment that played out in my head as I watched Sunday's race (hey, some people think about movies, or fishing, or Guitar Hero. I think about NASCAR):
Q: Does the track provide good racing?
A: No.
Q: Isn't that being a bit harsh?
A: No. Maybe if you'd never seen another NASCAR Sprint Cup race, and watched one at Auto Club Speedway, you would think it was great. But the racing there pales in comparison to what fans can see at most other tracks around the circuit.
Q: So there's no good racing there?
A: To be fair, you'll occasionally see some good racing back through the field. Fans in the stands get a much better view of that than those watching on TV, where the focus is on the leaders.
Q: What can be done to improve the racing there?
A: I'm not sure anything can be done, short of redesigning the track surface.
Q: Are there many NASCAR fans in Southern California?
A: Yes.
Q: As many fans as in the Southeastern U.S.?
A: No.
Q: Should, as some fans suggest, NASCAR drop one of the Auto Club Speedway race dates to return to North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham?
A: No. Rockingham's day in the NASCAR cup series limelight has come and gone. Love what new owner Andy Hillenburg is doing there, though, with other series.
Q: What does NASCAR gain by racing in the Los Angeles market?
A: It's critical for the sport to have a presence in the Southern California market, for business reasons. Everyone in the sport benefits from the exposure to the millions of people living there.
Q: Would it be better if NASCAR visited Auto Club Speedway just once a year?
A: Yes. Keep the fall race date, the one that will be part of the Chase For The Sprint Cup this year.
Q: What about Auto Club Speedway's February race date?
A: Send it to another track. Las Vegas Motor Speedway comes to mind. Just imagine a Chase race in Las Vegas.
Q: There was no sign of Paris Hilton this past weekend at Auto Club Speedway. Where was she?
A: I don't know, and don't care. I think part of the fan backlash against the track has to do with the fact it has trotted out celebrities such as Hilton in order to attract buzz, or make the sport seem relevant out there in Southern California. NASCAR shouldn't need that type of publicity to succeed.
