NASCAR is less than a month away from the Busch Light Clash at the L.A. Coliseum. What will soon follow is yet another year of high-speed racing in some of the most thrilling race tracks across the country. But not all the tracks from 2023 will be feeling the warmth of tires over the coming season. While the Iowa Speedway is the only new addition to the calendar, here’s a refresher on the major updates surrounding three fan-favorite tracks.
Advertisement
The Bristol Motor Speedway will finally be rid of dirt this year. The track has been covered with dirt for its spring race since 2021 to improve audience count, but realization struck NASCAR officials last year. Understanding that the dirt race is not doing a lot to increase viewership and only causing troubles as far as maintenance and logistics go, the promotion decided to remove it from the 2024 calendar. Both the Food City 500 and Bass Pro Shops Night Race will be held at the usual concrete track this season.
A time lapse of the Bristol Dirt Track being built. pic.twitter.com/uXggpaS2cd
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 15, 2022
In a highly celebrated move, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s infamous Oval will finally return at the cost of the road course race that came into effect in 2021. Over its 3 years of running, the race failed to create a positive impact on drivers and fans. 2024, being the 30th anniversary of the Brickyard 400, NASCAR decided to bring the original oval back into play much to the delight of fans.
In the words of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s president, “While it’s been exciting to watch the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series drivers tackle the IMS road course over the last three years, being back on the oval for the 30th anniversary is a much-anticipated homecoming for drivers and fans alike.”
Though Bristol and Indianapolis have returned to racing roots and provided some much-needed satisfaction to fans, one unrecoverable loss is that of the Auto Club Speedway.
Uncertainty looms over the fate of the Auto Club Speedway as demolition continues
The Auto Club Speedway followed its predecessors, the Ontario Motorspeedway and the Riverside International Raceway in falling prey to California’s urbanization. NASCAR sold the track and much of its surrounding areas last year with the promise that a far better short track would come up in its place. Months after the sale, demolition of the stands and the track is currently underway but fans are yet to receive an official update about the promised short track.
NASCAR President Steve Phelps parted with some shallow words in November 2023, “What the timing of that is, I don’t know. This isn’t the best time to be building based on inflation, the cost of capital, etc.” Since 1997, the Auto Club Speedway has emerged to be one of the most loved racing venues in NASCAR. Hopefully, it will return to the Cup Series schedule sooner than later.
