INDIANAPOLIS — The first NASCAR dirt race in 43 years — a Camping World Truck Series race held Wednesday at Tony Stewart's Eldora Speedway — was a massive success and one of NASCAR's best shows in the last few seasons.
The enthusiasm among fans and competitors alike recalled the days when NASCAR first went to Indianapolis, where it travels to again this weekend. Following the inaugural race in 1994, the reception was overwhelmingly positive and winning the Brickyard 400 quickly became second in NASCAR prestige behind the Daytona 500.
Those days of fan support for NASCAR's Indianapolis appearance are long gone, though. As recently as 2006, NASCAR estimated the Indianapolis crowd at 280,000. Last year, it had dwindled to 125,000.
NASCAR has stopped making attendance estimates, but the crowd this year is expected to be at an all-time low for the event. Meanwhile, all the talk this week has been about Eldora, not Indianapolis.
Is it time for NASCAR to consider moving its annual Indy trip to another track?
Heck no. While attendance might be down, it's still the Brickyard.
Racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an honor. This isn't some cookie-cutter track with no personality where it's worth fretting over the quality of the show.
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Yes, the NASCAR races at Indy are mostly boring. They look like high-speed, single-file parades with little passing and even fewer lead changes.
But just being at IMS is worth the trip. Cars have been racing at the speedway for almost as long as cars have existed — the track is 104 years old. The 2.5-mile layout is the same one all the greatest race car drivers in history have used to test themselves and their machines.
It's common to get goosebumps just by peering down the endless frontstretch, looking at the Yard of Bricks at the finish line or walking through Gasoline Alley.
While it remains important for NASCAR and its drivers to be there, though, fans clearly don't feel the same way about making a regular trip to the Brickyard. Common complaints include the uneventful races, not being able to see the whole track (there's no seat that offers that view), the often unbearable July heat and the 2008 tire debacle — the race had to be stopped every dozen or so laps after the tires kept turning to dust — which angered some fans to the point of never returning.
Of course, IMS officials have taken notice of the attendance decline. Last year, IMS and NASCAR joined to create a "Super Weekend" — a tripleheader which saw Nationwide Series and Grand-Am races added to the schedule. But after last year's Nationwide crowd was estimated at 40,000 — which was generous — it's clear that wasn't the fix.
Earlier this year, the Indiana State Legislature passed a $100 million improvement package for IMS, $20 million of which could go toward lights.
Lights? Yes, the NASCAR race could move from steamy Sunday afternoons to more tolerable Saturday nights as soon as 2015.
While that might inject some temporary excitement, is it really a long-term solution? Will a night race suddenly bring back the masses?
It's doubtful.
There's little NASCAR can do on its end, either. It can't change the track — no one has for the last century — and it already changed the cars this year with little change in the on-track product so far. Don't expect the new Gen 6 model to suddenly cure single-file racing at Indy on Sunday.
Perhaps the solution is to stop the hand-wringing over whether Indianapolis is a good show or not. The fact is, it isn't, and never will be.
The track layout isn't conducive to NASCAR racing. Long straightaways, which create high speeds, and flat corners aren't the ideal recipe for side-by-side racing in heavy cars. You can bet a sizable number of fans will watch Sunday's race and wish they were watching another event at Eldora instead.
While those complaints might be valid for some of the other 35 races on the schedule each year, the Brickyard should get a pass.
No, it's not the most entertaining race, but the prestige of the venue and the race mean NASCAR should keep trying to make its Indianapolis trip work for as long as possible
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