Just like any machine, the engine that is NASCAR needs to be tuned up occasionally and they are always looking for new performance improvements that can be made.

The most recent tune up came yesterday when they announced that a handful of tracks will be added to the eligible list for NASCAR series testing.

There has been a ban on NASCAR sanctioned tracks which has forced teams to look elsewhere for sufficient facilities to test.

Now, tracks that play host to NASCAR national series events will still be off-limits, but those that host regional series events will be allowed. That means 15 tracks across the country will be eligible.

Under the new rules, Greenville-Pickens Speedway, Tri-County Motor Speedway, South Boston Speedway, Thompson International Speedway, Music City Motorplex, Adirondack International Speedway, Lime Rock Park, Thunder Hill Raceway, All American Speedway, Madera Speedway, Douglas County Speedway, Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, Portland International Raceway, Miller Motorsports Park and Colorado National Speedway will be allowed. 

The question is, will this help the teams at all?

Certainly the tracks closest to Charlotte, NC, namely Tri-County Motor Speedway in N.C., Greenville-Pickens Speedway in S.C. and South Boston Speedway in V.A., will benefit because the majority of the NASCAR teams are close by.

But, the other tracks are too far away for it to be any real help to the teams. It would just be too expensive for them to drive halfway across the country for a test session. So, sorry Miller Motorsports Park, which is in Utah, and Douglas County Speedway and Portland International Raceway, both in Oregon, but you probably will not reap the benefits of this new deal.

At least the three new venues, and perhaps a couple of the others on occasion, will add a little more variety to the testing programs for the NASCAR teams.

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