By ZECH YODER
Last weekend, NASCAR returned to Phoenix Raceway for its first of two races in the 2024 season. The Spring Phoenix race is important as the track plays host to NASCAR’s championship. Those manufactures/teams/drivers who run well at Phoenix in the spring may have an advantage in the championship race.
The problem – which has become more and more apparent since 2020 – is that Phoenix Raceway is not a very good racetrack.
Former Daytona 500 Champion and NASCAR analyst Jamie McMurray stated that Phoenix Raceway has not produced a good race since 1989, the year NASCAR began frequenting the track. Such a perspective appears to be shared throughout the NASCAR garage. That perception is also shared among NASCAR fans. Three out of the last six Phoenix races scored below 45 percent on the Jeff Gluck “Good Race Poll.”
The biggest problem with Phoenix is its single-file racing. Passing is exceedingly difficult. This has been true for decades. Some of the problem is masked by the wild restarts with drivers driving down off the banking and cutting the “dog leg” before the entrance of turn one. The restarts are crazy and produce five-wide action. However, after two laps, the cars file into place and run single file virtually the entire time.
Further, Phoenix is notorious for long green flag runs, especially at the end of races. Long green flag runs mean minimal cautions. Minimal cautions mean less restarts. And if Phoenix does not have many restarts or passing opportunities, the product will not satisfy the drivers, the teams, or the fans.
After the 2023 season, NASCAR tested at Phoenix and tried to find a racing package that would produce more passing opportunities. Drivers had mixed reviews of the changes, though most agreed that the improvements were marginal.
Despite the growing frustration with Phoenix, I thought the race was pretty good – at least by Phoenix standards. And here inlays the problem. Phoenix hosts the championship race. “Pretty good by Phoenix standards” is not acceptable for a championship race. Having a championship race at a track where drivers can’t pass is like watching the Jets play the Panthers in the Superbowl. There are so many great tracks that create exciting racing, particularly with the NextGen car.
NASCAR must make a change.
I am hearing rumors that NASCAR could move the championship race back to Homestead Miami Speedway in 2025. Boy, I hope that turns out to be true. NASCAR’s championship race needs to be indicative of the great racing that occurs throughout the season. The racing at Phoenix simply is not.
Zech Yoder is a local resident, an attorney at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville, and a lifelong race fan.