With all the inevitable squauking about the 2020 NASCAR schedule, a semi-idealized alternative is presented, including a few flights of fancy to illustrate a few historical tracks that objectively should still be here. The 2020 calender is used as the template - most weekends would entail double or tripleheaders involving the Busch-Xfinity Series, Gander Truck series, or both, with ARCA Menards Series on some weekends as well
JANUARY 26
WINSTON WESTERN GRAND NATIONAL, RIVERSIDE INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY - Once the shakedown season debut for the Cup tour, nowadays the speedway empires of International Speedway Corporation, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Speedway Motorsports Inc. would in some combination have "rescued" tracks like Riverside and kept them in the Cup tour.
FEBRUARY 16
DAYTONA 500
FEBRUARY 23
PENNZOIL 450, LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
MARCH 1
TICKET GUARDIAN 500k, PHOENIX/ISM RACEWAY
MARCH 8
MILLER HIGH LIFE/AUTO CLUB 500, ONTARIO MOTOR SPEEDWAY - As with Riverside the modern speedway empires ISC, IMS, and SMI would likely link together in some fashion to preserve OMS, the crown jewel of superspeedways, and thus nullified the need to construct the present Cal Speedway in Fontana
MARCH 15
FORD MIAMI 450, HOMESTEAD MIAMI SPEEDWAY
MARCH 22
FOLDS OF HONOR ATLANTA 500, ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
MARCH 29
INTERSTATE/O'REILLY 500, TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
APRIL 5
FOOD CITY 500 , BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
APRIL 12 - OFF
APRIL 19
KANSAS 450, KANSAS SPEEDWAY
APRIL 26
STP VIRGINIA 500, MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
MAY 3
WINSTON 500, TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
MAY 10 - OFF
MAY 17
MASON-DIXON 450, DOVER DOWNS INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
MAY 24
COCA COLA WORLD 600, CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
MAY 31
MAPLE LEAF GRAND NATIONAL, CANADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORTS PARK - much has been made of the Truck Series here; while not ideal for the series Mosport certainly has history and the Canadian market is served
JUNE 7
PUROLATOR 500, POCONO RACEWAY
JUNE 14
MILLER HIGH LIFE/FIREKEEPERS CASINO 500, MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
JUNE 21
GO BOWLING WATKINS GLEN GRAND NATIONAL
JUNE 28
BASS PRO SHOPS 500, BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
JULY 5
PEPSI FIRECRACKER 450, DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
JULY 12
CAMPING WORLD 450, CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
JULY 19
FOXWOODS CASINO 300, NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
JULY 26
CHAMPION SPARK PLUG/GANDER RV 500, POCONO RACEWAY
AUGUST 2 - OFF
AUGUST 9
BRICKYARD 450, INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
AUGUST 16
TOYOTA/SAVE MART GRAND NATIONAL, SEARS POINT RACEWAY
AUGUST 23
PEPSI 500, MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
AUGUST 30
QUAKER STATE 450, KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
SEPTEMBER 6
SOUTHERN 500, DARLINGTON RACEWAY
SEPTEMBER 13
FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 450, RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
SEPTEMBER 20
DELAWARE 450, DOVER DOWNS INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
SEPTEMBER 27
HILLYWOOD CASINO 450, KANSAS SPEEDWAY
OCTOBER 4
BANK OF AMERICA 500, CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
OCTOBER 11
COORS ALL-AMERICAN 450, NASHVILLE FAIRGROUNDS - reportage to the effect some element of NASCAR is seeking to refurbish the Fairgrounds in the context of holding the annual season-ending banquet in the city has led to speculation of returning some series here.
OCTOBER 18
DIEHARD 500, TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
OCTOBER 25
ALAMO/AAA 500, TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
NOVEMBER 1
COPPER WORLD 500k, PHOENIX/ISM RACEWAY
NOVEMBER 8
SOUTH POINT 450, LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
NOVEMBER 15
LA TIMES 500, ONTARIO MOTOR SPEEDWAY
No doubt sharp-eyed fans will notice what isn't there. A few tracks in this schedule have lost their second Winston Cup dates. The reason is simple; if people are serious about shaking up the schedule then at least two of the short tracks presently on the tour - three of the sport's weakest markets - would need to lose a date apiece; asking the bigger tracks to sacrifice dates for weaker markets (New Hampshire sacrificed one of its dates, but for the Vegas market) isn't smart business.
Also not here is a return to the presently-shuttered Rockingham track, this despite reportage that the area government will spend money to refurbish it. Rockingham had its chance when Andy Hillinberg reopened it; his effort deserves praise, but it proved futile in the end.
And the two non-point races, the Busch Clash and All Star Race? They really no longer serve a purpose for the sport.
Flight of fancy, yes, but also a more realistic assessment of what the NASCAR schedule needs to be.
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