Let’s be honest with ourselves, the Chase for the Sprint Cup is here to stay. It will be tweaked adding more drivers, and maybe even a bigger bonus for winning a Chase race. I would like to share with you three ideas I think would improve NASCAR’s on track product and help the ratings in the long term.

The first thing I would do is shorten the on track product. As a fan of NASCAR racing it is hard for me to write those words but to be a competitor in the long term for disposable income of families, NASCAR must shorten some of these races. Here is what I would do to this year’s schedule. First will be the location of the race and the laps that will be run next year. The second will be the changes I would make.

1. Daytona (200)  *Daytona 500(200)
2. Phoenix (312)  Subway Fresh Fit 300(250)
3. Las Vegas (267)  Kobalt Tools 300(200)
4. Bristol (500)  Food City 400(400)
5. Auto Club (250)  Auto Club 400(200)
6. Martinsville (500) *Goody’s Fast Relief 500(500)
7. Texas (334)  Samsung Mobile 300 (200)
8. Talladega (188)  *Aaron’s 499(188)
9. Richmond (400)  Crown Royal 300(300)
10. Darlington (367) *Southern 500(367)
11. Dover (400)  Autism Speaks 300(300)
12. Charlotte (400)  *Coca-Cola 600(400)
13. Kansas (267)  New Event 300(200)
14. Pocono (200)  Gillette 400 (160)
15. Michigan (200)  Heluva Good 300(150)
16. Infineon (110)  *Save Mart 350(110)
17. Daytona (160)  *Coke Zero 400(160)
18. Kentucky (???)  New Event 300(200)
19. New Hampshire (301) Lenox Tools 250(250)
20. Indianapolis (160) *Brickyard 400(160)
21. Pocono (200)  Pennsylvania 400(160)
22. Watkins Glen (90) Dips at the Glen(75)
23. Michigan (200)  *Carfax 400(200)
24. Bristol (500)  *Irwin Tools 500(500)
25. Atlanta (325)  *Emory Healthcare 500(325)
26. Richmond (400)  *Air Guard 400(400)

CHASE STARTS HERE

27. Chicagoland (267) LifeLock 300(200)
28. New Hampshire (300) Sylvania 250(250)
29. Dover (400)  *AAA 400(400)
30. Kansas (267)  Price Chopper 300(200)
31. Charlotte (334)  Bank of America 400(267)
32. Talladega (188)  AMP Energy 400(150)
33. Martinsville (500) TUMS 400(400)
34. Texas (334)  AAA Texas 400(267)
35. Phoenix (312)  *Kobalt Tools 500(312)
36. Homestead (267) *Homestead 400(267)

The second thing that I feel like NASCAR should change for the Sprint Cup Series is too make the crews more important in its broadcast. Compare the front tire changers from the top five drivers so we can see how Denny Hamlin made a move on pit road. The crew does not get enough credit and by doing this the viewer at home can have another point of connection with his favorite team. You could have a season long competition where the best individual at each spot is recognized during the Awards Banquet at the end of the year. This gives more credence that NASCAR is more of a team sport than thought of.

The third thing NASCAR should do is even the ratio of regular season races to Chase races. There are six 1.5 mile race tracks in the first 26 if you count Atlanta. There are five in the final 10 races.  Let’s move at least two out of the Chase and add at least one short track and add a road course so the Champion has run the gamut of tracks and circumstances that have overcome to become the Sprint Cup Series champion.

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