Long-time NASCAR star Kenny Wallace has identified a number of mistakes the sport has made over the last 30 years.
Long-time fans of the sport have been bemoaning its evolution for some time now, with Wallace pinpointing some of what he considers to be the biggest structural mistakes – although he credits those in charge for finally being willing to listen to fans and take ownerships of bad decisions, claiming they have been 'humbled'.
One of the things Wallace took aim at was the move to build and incorporate more mile-and-a-half tracks into the schedule – with Homestead-Miami, Kansas, Chicagoland and Texas all 1.5 mile ovals opened between 1995 and 2001.
Those tracks began to nudge out short tracks, with NASCAR able to pack more fans into the seats, despite those shorter tracks being massive fan favorites.
Wallace: Mile-and-a-half tracks not as exciting
Speaking in one of his frequent 'Coffee With Kenny' videos, Wallace said: “The first thing NASCAR did badly was they built too many big mile-and-a-half racetracks. We had the perfect tracks. We had Atlanta, we had Rockingham, and then all of a sudden they said, ‘We’ve got such a big crowd, we need more seats', so they built bigger racetracks.
“They got rid of Rockingham. They got rid of Wilksboro, They left the tracks that were exciting, where you get into each other, where the fans recognized it, and they were on their feet.
“You can’t get into each other on those big mile-and-a-half racetracks, or else you’re out. Let’s admit it. They’re not as exciting as a Rockingham. Those finishes were awesome.”
He added: “They have been humbled mightily. NASCAR has been humbled mightily, and I know for a fact they hear y’all.”
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