Many NASCAR Cup drivers would prefer to keep the Charlotte Roval (or any road course, for that matter) in the Playoffs, particularly those like road course ace Shane van Gisbergen. But Chris Buescher is different, and he wants the sport to take a different approach.
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The Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver explained where he stands on the issue during Saturday’s media availability at the Roval.
“That’s a hard question for me because I do like road racing,” Buescher said. “So I am a fan of it from that side of things. But I’m also the guy that’s going to sit here and tell you five (road course races in a regular 36-race season) is a good number in a year.”
“(But) I think that we’re oval racers at heart here and for the most part, I’d like to see it go back to the oval here personally.”
It’s not that Buescher, who failed to qualify for this year’s Cup playoffs, dislikes the Roval. Rather, he simply prefers other road courses on the schedule. Currently, the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway oval hosts the longest race of the year, the Coca-Cola 600, while the event on the Roval takes place on the track’s infield road course.
“I think that some of the other road courses I enjoy a little bit more,” Buescher said, although he didn’t mention which road course tracks by name. “They just flow out a little bit better.”
“I love the principle behind this one and as a fan getting to sit in the stands and see 98% of a road course isn’t really a thing you get to do anywhere else. So there’s a lot of mixed answers in there for you, I guess.”
One thing Buescher didn’t mention is his record on road courses vs. ovals. Of his six career Cup wins, only one has come on a road course (Watkins Glen). His other five triumphs have been on ovals or tri-ovals.
