New NASCAR president expects schedule changes for 2020 season

He also hinted that fans could have some influence on whatever changes are made to the NASCAR schedule going forward.

Want to see more short track dates on the NASCAR schedule, like many pundits think fans want? Have a desire to see the Cup Series at Iowa or NASCAR in general at Nashville? According to the new president of NASCAR, Steve Phelps, this is the time to make your voice heard.

Phelps recently sat down for a wide-ranging interview with the Charlotte Observer, where he weighed in on topics like team ownership, declining attendance figures and upcoming changes in series sponsorship. However, his most interesting comments came right after the first question, when he was asked about both the priority and practicality of having new venues host Cup Series races.

His answer was that NASCAR is looking at everything that you and your friends have probably kicked around, and he dropped some no so subtle hints that some changes are definitely coming in two years.

"So with respect to any changes that we would make to the schedule moving forward, whether they’re new venues, doubleheaders, midweek racing — all these things that are being thrown around at this particular point — we’re looking at everything.For us, we will look at 2020 and look at the schedule and figure out the best opportunity for us to put on the best racing. … There are changes that I think will happen to the 2020 schedule that again, there will be input from a lot of different folks."

Here’s where you, the NASCAR fan come in, because Phelps also stated that he and the company’s other execs would be listening if you make your desires known.

"One of those important groups will be our fans. What do they like? What don’t they like? That can inform decisions as well."

All you need to do is spend a little time in the stands or infield at a race or among NASCAR fans on social media to know they aren’t even close to a homogeneous group. Some people love the on-track action this season, others insist it still can’t measure up to days gone by. Opinions on stage racing and the playoffs vary wildly depending on who you ask.

Still, if there was one general theme on which a majority of them might agree, it’s that the current schedule has grown a bit stale. The only notable changes over the past few years were giving a second race weekend to Las Vegas and shuffling some races around. That’s mild experimentation, to say the least, and given the state of attendance in some places, you can’t help but wonder if just showing up at places that have never had Cup Series races before or have been without in for years might not help energize fans in certain regions.

Phelps has already come under fire from some corners for what seems like an excessively rosy view of NASCAR’s future, but part of the job he has now is to play cheerleader to a certain extent. He can’t really lead the sport if he comes across like the sky is falling. It’s refreshing to hear him speak more openly about some of the challenges facing stock car racing, and any thoughts of freshening up the schedule should please fans everywhere.