5 tracks where the NASCAR All-Star Race rules package would help

5 other tracks where the NASCAR All-Star Race package could make the racing better

CHARLOTTE, NC - MAY 19: Ty Dillon, driver of the #13 GEICO Military Chevrolet, and Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Credit One Bank Chevrolet, practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 19, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

1 of 5

If NASCAR decides to use the mix of restrictor plates and aero elements used in the All-Star Race during regular season races, here are a few other places we’d like to see it.

If there was a silver bullet that could make racing more exciting on the many intermediate tracks that dot the land, NASCAR would have fired it long ago. However, the rules package used during last weekend’s All-Star Race at Charlotte turned out to be a decent fix.

Last year, there was no passing. This year that wasn’t the case. Restrictor plates slowed the cars down — a little too much, according to some drivers — while big spoilers and unique splitter/air duct combos made the cars handle differently. The result was a race that had some characteristics of a superspeedway plate race, but without the nonstop clustered packs.

Drafting was a factor, but it was also possible to run down the leader solo. It was certainly a lot more interesting than most All-Star Races in recent years, and it’s led NASCAR to all but declare that it’s considering using the rules package at Charlotte in the future.

But why stop there? The NASCAR XFINITY Series will put the plates and spoilers to the test at three different tracks later this season, and the Cup Series has some stops that could desperately use an injection of excitement. There are probably more than this, honestly, but here are the first five that come to mind.

SPARTA, KY – JULY 08: NASCAR Monster Energy Cup driver Kyle Busch (18) laps NASCAR Monster Energy Cup driver David Ragan (38) during the NASCAR Quaker State 400 Monster Energy Cup Series race on July 8, 2017 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, KY. (Photo by Stephen Furst/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

5. Kentucky Speedway

It’s probably not fair to pick on Kentucky Speedway since it’s only been hosting NASCAR races for seven years, but it’s never been known for its thrills, and its repave in 2016 has only seemed to make that reputation worse. Even before that, it once hosted a race where Brad Keselowski led 199 of 267 laps en route to a victory. That’s suboptimal.

With less banking than Charlotte, it’s possible the rules package could work even better here, but there’s also a question of layout since it really only has one long straightaway, which could work against it. Still, it’s worth a shot.

Home/NASCAR