Fast Times
A NASCAR BLOG BY Kris Johnson
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The best tracks in NASCAR
Jul
18
Not much of a baseball fan these days, but I will make a side trip to Yankee Stadium on July 31 before the Pocono race weekend gets started. Prodded by a co-worker who has never been to the stadium, I agreed to go and visit one of baseball's great cathedrals before it goes the way of the rotary phone, cassette tapes and analog television.
It got me to thinking about the greatest venues in NASCAR, ones currently on the Sprint Cup Series schedule that every fan should try and visit. There are only five, by my wholly subjective count, that would inspire sadness if torn down tomorrow: Daytona, Bristol, Indianapolis, Charlotte and Talladega.
This has less to do with the quality of racing, which can be deemed good or bad at all of the aforementioned tracks given your preferred style of competition. It has more to do with tradition, atmosphere and personal experiences throughout the years.
There is also this to be considered: The feeling you get when you walk through the gates. When you're at Daytona and Talladega, the specter of a huge crash - a natural by-product of restrictor-plate racing - always creates a sense of palpable yet unspoken anticipation. The night race at Bristol is arguably the greatest spectacle in NASCAR racing. Charlotte is home to the sport's authentic 1.5-mile track, one that has spawned too many imitators across the racing landscape.
That leaves the site of our next stop on the Sprint Cup schedule: Indianapolis. Yes, it has only 15 years of stock-car tradition, but there is something special about seeing that frontstretch for the first time when cars come charging down it and across that strip of bricks that every Cup competitor now wants to kiss.
Richmond and Darlington merit honorable mention but not a top-five finish on my list.
It got me to thinking about the greatest venues in NASCAR, ones currently on the Sprint Cup Series schedule that every fan should try and visit. There are only five, by my wholly subjective count, that would inspire sadness if torn down tomorrow: Daytona, Bristol, Indianapolis, Charlotte and Talladega.
This has less to do with the quality of racing, which can be deemed good or bad at all of the aforementioned tracks given your preferred style of competition. It has more to do with tradition, atmosphere and personal experiences throughout the years.
There is also this to be considered: The feeling you get when you walk through the gates. When you're at Daytona and Talladega, the specter of a huge crash - a natural by-product of restrictor-plate racing - always creates a sense of palpable yet unspoken anticipation. The night race at Bristol is arguably the greatest spectacle in NASCAR racing. Charlotte is home to the sport's authentic 1.5-mile track, one that has spawned too many imitators across the racing landscape.
That leaves the site of our next stop on the Sprint Cup schedule: Indianapolis. Yes, it has only 15 years of stock-car tradition, but there is something special about seeing that frontstretch for the first time when cars come charging down it and across that strip of bricks that every Cup competitor now wants to kiss.
Richmond and Darlington merit honorable mention but not a top-five finish on my list.
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