To That’s Racin’s Track Survey – Survey This!

David Poole of the Charlotte Observer did
an informal survey of Winston Cup tracks other than the recently opened Chicago
and Kansas facilities. His survey rated a track’s qualities, its downfalls, and
makes recommendations on what the track should spend its next $10 million on.

Along the way Poole takes shots at tracks
that don’t deserve those hits and heaps praise on tracks that don’t deserve the
praise. Some differing takes on his survey –

1 – CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

It got undeservedly high ratings for the
quality of its competition, and it deserves shots for the overblown nature of
its own opulence. It ranks high for "being there," but that wears out
its welcome after a while. The next $10 million should go to cutting ticket
prices and toning down its opulence.

2 – DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Far and away better than Charlotte for
competition, but attacked over hotel prices. Poole recommends building a
pedestrian bridge outside the track. The track could also use new pavement.

3 – INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

The granddaddy of super speedways, but
attacks over its obscured sight lines continue. Poole and others don’t seem to
realize that the obstructed sight lines can’t be helped. And it has not proven
much of a track for competitive racing – but we’ll get to that in due course.

4 – BRISTOL INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

Poole proves he is not a good judge of
competitive quality when he asserts that the Bristol Bowl is always likely to
produce memorable racing. Bristol is a demolition derby every time it runs, and
it is the frequency of crashes that obscures that there really isn’t very good
racing there. Its next $10 million should be spent on removing its concrete
surface and converting back to asphalt.

5 – CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY

Poole is right about the track’s
logistics. Poole seems perplexed as to what the track should do other than
convert to another Richmond or Bristol. What it should do is expand to 2.5 miles
and convert to a rectangular shape – another Ontario.

6 – LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

High on logistics but low on
competitiveness. Do I see a pattern developing here? The next $10 mil should be
used on higher banking.

7 – ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

The next $10 million should be spent
removing the dogleg and converting it back to the true oval it should have
remained to begin with.

8 – TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Ranked high on facilities and garage area,
low of traffic. It is poor in competitiveness as well. The next 10 mil should go
to the corners so cars can race them without pushing.

9 – TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

By far the best racetrack in the world in
terms of racing, far and away better than the overrated demo derbies of Bristol.
The low points are whines that "there isn’t anything to do in the
area." Big deal. The next ten mil should go to new pavement.

10 – RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

More whines about the press facilities and
garage area. The real problem is the lack of banking.

11 – DARLINGTON RACEWAY

Still the nastiest test of drivers, the
track layout has suffered more than most due to the changes in modern racecars.

12 – PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

"Being there" remains an
overrated aspect. The track itself has proven to be pretty racy, more so than
Poole claims. More whines about the garage area. The next ten mil could be spent
on widening portions of the track.

13 – MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY

No change is needed here.

14 – SEARS POINT RACEWAY

Believe it or not, the track became, by
road course standards, a real racetrack when The Chute was put in. The changes
to The Chute haven’t helped. Poole stupidly recommends converting the track to a
high banked 3/4 mile oval.

15 – MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Competition has so deteriorated that it is
now among the worst tracks in terms of races. That pattern again.

16 – HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

Ranked near last in competition, but
there’s a reason for that, and it isn’t because it lacks banking, though it
still could use some.

17 – ROCKINGHAM

So it’s in a small market – that shouldn’t
matter. The track is better Bristol in terms of actual racing. The next ten mil
should go to shutting up those people who want to remove a date from here.

18 – POCONO RACEWAY

David Poole shows how stupid he can be
with his shots at this track. Far better than most, Pocono’s wide straights and
tricky turns have historically produced good competition, but it suffers from
the unraceability of modern racecars. Traffic is, contrary to Poole, no worse
than at any other Winston Cup track, and has improved over the last thirteen
years. The area not a good place to visit or with things to do other than the
race? He obviously missed the 24-hour bowling alley there.

19 – NEW HAMPSHIRE INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

It ranked last in competition, which is
undeserved as New Hampshire races have been more genuinely competitive than
Bristol – and with a similar number of crashes. They can actually race side by
side at New Hampshire where they can’t at Bristol. The layout if superior to
other flat one-milers other than the Phoenix oval, offering as it does no
insipid dogleg and requiring drivers to actually race into the turns.

It is here that the poor quality of modern
racecars becomes obvious. Change the racecars and New Hampshire and other
low-ranked competition venues change right away.

20 – DOVER DOWNS INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Another concrete dunce cap. Convert back
to asphalt and we’ll get somewhere. And the garage facilities are adequate.

21 – WATKINS GLEN

I’m no fan of road courses, but Watkins
Glen deserves better than what Poole gives it. "The garage is
substandard" – it doesn’t matter. "Fans can’t see all the track"
– it can’t be helped.

David Poole needs to be a little better
judge of racetracks and of contexts behind them.