Dirty Air: Green Flag

NASCAR was off this week for their mid-summer break. But that does not mean there has not been plenty to talk about as rumors and opinions about the 2027 schedule begin to swirl, some drivers have made big announcements about their futures (Alex Bowman and Jimmie Johnson, most recently), and certain already-controversial drivers are offering controversial opinions on the state of the sport. Let’s dive in to one of those in particular — the topic of North Wilkesboro’s place on the schedule. 

Two weeks ago, NWS hosted its first points race in thirty years — another recent NASCAR first I was blessed with the opportunity to go and cover. We are all aware of the NextGen car’s struggles with producing a good short track product. Far too often we have seen races at tracks such as Bristol, Martinsville, and North Wilkesboro be reduced to a parade of 30+ cars riding single-file in circles for 400-500 laps while one car leads almost the entire near caution-free event. 

The powers-that-be in Charlotte and Daytona have worked tirelessly — ironically on tires, to try and fix the problem with softer rubber compounds to help them wear out and make drivers have to manage how aggressive they want to be. NASCAR has also experimented numerous times with the spoiler height and rear diffuser, trying to increase downforce while reducing the dirty air problems that have caused so much difficulty in passing. Most recently, they added an additional 80 horsepower for flat tracks, short tracks, and road courses — an increase from 670 to 750 in hopes that more speed will lead to closer racing on tracks that have become little more than nap background noise for a lot of fans. 

North Wilkesboro was the first short track in which we got to see a true test of all three changes NASCAR made in action this season, and while fans had mixed reviews, the product was not at all a disappointment. 

Sure, Joey Logano dominated — which due to his… lack of love from fans, is cause enough for many to vote no in Jeff Gluck’s weekly “Was this a good race?” Poll. But his dominance is North Wilkesboro in a nutshell. The track has a reputation/character that new asphalt just cannot change. It is NASCAR’s oldest track — with the first events being held there in 1947 (pre-dating the founding of the sanctioning body by a year). It is an old-school short track and it always produces old-fashioned short track races. The best car in the field usually wins and does so by lapping most of the field in a good old fashioned butt-kicking (something modern race fans have seemingly lost the ability to appreciate..). 

Logano was the best car in the field, leading a whopping 323 of the 450 laps while finishing first among just six cars on the lead lap. If one were looking at the race results and saw that without watching the race, it would be understandable to automatically presume he just lapped the field, which would also be just cause for one to say the race was not good. 

Except, Logano didn’t do that at all. Most of the field was left in a tough spot when Alex Bowman and Tyler Reddick got together in a wild crash in the middle of the second stage green flag pit stop cycle. Bowman, trying to dive to the entrance of pit road from the top lane coming off turn two, came across Reddick’s nose, wrecking them both and bringing out a yellow that affected every car that had already come down for service. Logano only put them even further off the lead lap as he out-maneuvered Denny Hamlin in traffic to get a much-needed win. 

So, if Logano dominated and only six cars were on the lead lap when the checker waved, why is it that I am insistent that the race didn’t absolutely suck? Simply put.. Because it had action. 

Just because there are not 100 passes for the lead or that the field isn’t side by side or three-wide all the way through for extended runs does not mean that the race is boring. I get that the bulk of fans are watching on TV — which is a problem in and of itself. 

The broadcast quality (outside of Prime’s 5 weeks) is subpar. Carson Hocevar made light of that this past week in a long social media post in which he gave his thoughts on the quality of the production in Dale Earnhardt’s last win at Talladega in 2000. The cars were louder with the X-pipes. There was more horsepower so there was more ability to make moves and separate from the other cars around you in the pack without needing a push. There were tons of in-car camera angles (about the only thing that hasn’t changed). They followed the action through the field — which is what modern broadcasts lack. 

Asphyxiating on the leader running around is not something anybody watching in-person at the track would ever do unless they are a fan of that driver. You look for battles throughout the field — moves, where the runs are coming from, key battles for position and points, where stack ups are about to happen, where a wreck might happen, etc.  You don’t just watch one car going in circles. So, why does the TV broadcast do it? 

Truthfully, there were tons of moves being made. They did not always translate into passes, but drivers could run multiple grooves instead of just one preferred line in a train around the track. Shane Van Gisbergen, for example, channeled 2023 All Star Race Kyle Larson ripping the old asphalt surface by riding as close to the inside wall as he could get mid-corner, which allowed him good drive off into the straightaways, in turn helping him get out front and lead a lot of laps. 

The package changes showed signs of progress and the asphalt continues to get ‘racier’ the more it ages, much like that of the new and improved superspeedway configuration of Atlanta. Truthfully, short track racing may never be fixed during this NextGen era of NASCAR, but what is evident is that we cannot say that the problems it brings are because of the track itself. 

So, the question is begged. With what all things considered was a successful return of points racing and another notch in the bedpost for the revived North Wilkesboro, does it deserve a place on the 2027 schedule as a points race? 

I say yes. Take it from a guy that has been to every NASCAR race weekend since it re-opened in 2023 — fans love it. Both the older generation, many of whom had clamored for her return since 1996 and the youth experiencing the charm of North Wilkesboro for the first time. It has sold out every time, and yes, I hear you “Of course a track that only seats 40,000 is going to sell out” guy. 

Obsession with seating capacity and seeing empty seats in the stands is another thing that has gotten ridiculous among fans in a day and age where people just are not attending sporting events in person as much. In this economy, many just cannot afford it. There is a reason stadiums are removing seats and adding luxury boxes. There is far more money to be made from the rich man or the company renting the suite than there is for the average Joe that was leaving the seats unsold or not showing up and putting his tickets on the resell market. 

The fact that over 40,000 people made the trek down a winding country two-lane road to a Sunday night race in the middle of the boondocks on a hot night mid-July in this economy is truly remarkable and a testament to how much people love this track. The fact that so much has been put into restoring and modernizing without losing the old-school character/charm of the facility and surrounding area is also remarkable. The fans and community have rallied around the speedway and made for memorable events in spite of how good or bad the races themselves have subjectively been. 

That is why I firmly believe that North Wilkesboro should not only stay on the schedule, but also remain a points race in 2027 and beyond.