NASCAR “might need to leave Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” or “at least take a break” after its latest Brickyard 400 on Sunday, according to Kelly Crandall of RACER. It has “nothing to do with the open-wheel purists not wanting stock cars on their hallowed ground,” or that NASCAR “no longer will come close to selling out a facility that has more than 250,000 seats.” Crandall: “The reason is far simpler: The racing product is not good.” There have been “good and bad Brickyard 400 races throughout its tenure.” This “feels like an era where the NASCAR schedule has more destinations – or potential destinations — than open slots.” But that would mean “an existing race needs to be sacrificed.” Indianapolis “can be brought back to the schedule if the right race car and aero package allow it.” Crandall: “There shouldn’t be a guaranteed date on the calendar for Indianapolis just because it’s Indianapolis” (RACER, 7/27). MOTORSPORT’s Nick DeGroot wrote while Indianapolis “produced some great story lines, the racing itself left a lot to be desired.” This is “not a new topic for the Brickyard 400, as the race has never been the best when it came to passing.” But these days, it just “feels impossible once the field gets single-file after restarts” (MOTORSPORT, 7/27).
