(AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
The rationale for poor attendance at Auto Club Speedway races in recent years has been a combination of the Labor Day holiday weekend and heat for the Fall race; the multitude of opportunities in Southern California on any given weekend; competition with the Oscars and rain for the February race; and the track’s configuration.
A recent LA Times article rehashed the track reconfiguration topic and gave the media something to talk about leading into the Chase debut. However, Gillian Zucker leaves no doubt that tearing up the track is not in the foreseeable future. In an informal conversation, Zucker noted that the speeds going into turn one are already near 200 mph, which is the speed thresh hold for both NASCAR and track insurers. Increasing the banking would translate into increased speeds. Crossing the 200 mph mark would then create the need to run restrictor plates at Auto Club Speedway. The problem, Zucker cited, with plates at ACS is that the two-mile track is not able to support the drafting necessary in plate racing.
Honestly, it is surprising that Auto Club Speedway’s sister track, Michigan, does not get subjected to the same accusations of less than electrifying racing. Granted, the race at MIS took on a different significance because of its proximity to Detroit, but all-in-all the racing is a mirror image of California’s and often left to be a fuel mileage contest.
PART III: Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda - Auto Club Speedway
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Janelle Jalbert is a fan of a variety of racing formats and equally enjoys the history of the sport. Janelle grew up in an auto mechanic’s family and swears that there is carb spray running through her veins. She can be reached via email for both comments and story ideas. You can follow Janelle as the Southern California Motorsports Examiner on Twitter as @SoCalMotorsport.
Janelle also serves as the NASCAR Truck Series Examiner. Feel free to join the discussion about the hard racing in the CWTS at the NASCAR Truck Series Examiner fan page on Facebook
PART III: Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda - Auto Club Speedway
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