I disagree with Left Turn

Point

The Winston Cup Schedule

By Left Turn

The biggest "if" within the Winston Cup arena is the "if I could set the schedule," argument.

The safest path is to stay out of the argument completely. Remaining neutral has always been the easiest way to maintain friendships with the greatest number of people.

However, at the current 38-week schedule, it's increasingly difficult to remain neutral on the issue of cutting back the schedule.

First, the schedule isn't in need of cutting back because of the drivers, crew chiefs, crewmembers or sponsors. The people most hurt by the grueling 38 weeks of racing are the families of the before mentioned individuals. In addition, the traveling media - those reporters, photographers and broadcast crews who cover the circuit weekly, are ground into the dirt by the grueling schedule.

Cutting the schedule is simple. A few quick phone calls would reduce the number of events from 38 to 33. Getting the calls would be New Hampshire, Darlington, Pocono, Rockingham and Michigan.

Naming those tracks is easy. Explaining why each should lose and event is a bit more difficult.

New Hampshire is a beautiful place to visit, twice a year. You can't ask to meet nicer people. However, the racing is poor, the track surface has proved almost impossible and the second date is robbing deserving statewide attractions of income. I remember an inquiry from a Maine writer about that very subject when the track first opened. "How," he inquired, "could two Winston Cup dates be bad for the economy?"

Ten years later, the same writer, admits having two dates has stretched thin the available discretionary income of the local sports fan. The price of taking a family of four to a Winston Cup race is greater than the price of a season ticket for the local minor league ball club.

Darlington is a difficult choice. The grand dame of Winston Cup racing, by virtue of it's own history, is truly deserving of two events. However, the track, despite valiant efforts to spruce up the old lady, lacks the seating of the bigger facilities. She also, for some odd reason, appears to lack the ability to sell the seats already there. The spring race should go.

Then there is Pocono.

There are enough reasons to shutter the 2.5-mile triangular racetrack completely, but there is no reason to completely rob the area of the income from the facility. Pocono is simply the pits, despite the new Adam Petty garage area.

Including Rockingham in the list is gut wrenching. Like New Hampshire, the people running the facility are simply the best. Nevertheless, a weekend off following SpeedWeeks is something few would be willing to pass up.

Finally, there is Michigan.

Michigan is great facility, with great people at the helm and some of the worst traffic in the world. Despite all the efforts of the local and state police, the traffic into and out of the speedway remains horrendous. Add that to the fact the race, a fuel mileage affair, lacks the suspense of side by side racing and the vote is simple. Michigan loses an event.

After removing five events from the schedule, there is room enough, in this writer's opinion, for one more weekend of racing. That weekend would have to be in Texas. The track and the market deserve a second weekend of Winston Cup racing.

An there you have it, simple and to the point a new 34-race schedule of Winston Cup events, 32 point races, the Bud Shootout and The Winston.

I disagree with Speed Bump

Counterpoint

Suggested Changes Too Conservative

By Speed Bump

The schedule is in bad need of an overhaul for all the reasons mentioned by my counterpart, but it's too conservative.

It's time to start thinking out of the box when drawing up a new schedule. No matter how it's done, there's going to be some serious hand wringing. Some aren't going to like it, some will.

The "Bud Shootout" has always been at Daytona and "The Winston", save for one year, has always been run at Charlotte, but do they have to be? Do they have to be set in the dates they are presently in? Not necessarily.

It would take several years to rework the schedule and to notify the tracks that they would be losing possible dates, but if the schedule were to be set in motion for the 2003 season, my version would look something like this.

 Feb  16 Daytona
 Feb  23 Rockingham
 Mar   2 Las Vegas
 Mar   9 OFF
 Mar  16 Bristol
 Mar  23 Talladega
 Mar  30 Atlanta
 Apr   6 Bud Shootout - Texas
 Apr  13 OFF
 Apr  20 California
 Apr  27 Martinsville
 May   4 Richmond
 May  11 OFF
 May  18 Dover
 May  25 Lowe's
 June  1 Pocono
 June  8 New Hampshire
 June 15 Sears Point
 June 22 OFF
 June 29 Brickyard 400
 July  6 Michigan
 July 13 Chicago
 July 20 Watkins Glen
 July 27 OFF
 Aug   3 Talladega
 Aug  10 Richmond
 Aug  17 Bristol
 Aug  24 Kansas
 Aug  31 OFF
 Sept  7 The Winston - Rotate
 Sept 14 Atlanta
 Sept 21 Darlington
 Sept 28 Texas
 Oct   5 Lowe's
 Oct  12 OFF
 Oct  19 Miami-Homestead
 Oct  26 Dover
 Nov   2 Phoenix
 Nov   9 Daytona

Texas needs another date and it wouldn't be out of the question to move the "Bud Shootout" to another date, let Texas have it. Also "The Winston" would be rotated among the three new tracks, Kentucky Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway and Pikes Peak Speedway in Colorado Springs. With proper promotions, the competition between those three tracks would be incredible, each trying to outshine the other.

With my proposed agenda, there will be a week off every three to five weeks, most of them four weeks. Seven off weekends and no more of the 20 week killer stretches. The schedule would call for 30 weeks plus two for the all-star races. That's a total of 32 weekends and will wind up the season a week earlier than it presently is.

Of course none of this will ever happen because the almighty dollar and television is involved.

If the next few years proceed as the last few has, serious burnout will take it's toll on everyone involved in Winston Cup racing, it won't just be the media.

NASCAR should do something to alleviate this problem as soon as possible.