Welcome to Gas ‘N’ Go, an experimental addition to Loomis’ NASCARTalk. The goal here is to give the same type of stories and content, only condensed.
I saw a tweet from @TheLTFiles on Wednesday talking about the Crown Jewel races. The Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500 are and always will be the majors; but what about the Brickyard? The Brickyard 400 has been a huge race since the inaugural running in 1994. The race delivered in quality and attendance for over a decade. But the 2008 tire disaster really kickstarted the end of the aura of the race. Now, the recent racing has been so mediocre that the race is moved to the road course.
I feel like it goes without saying that the road course doesn’t have anywhere near the hype that the oval has. This raised the question whether the Brickyard is still a crown jewel. My question is this: do we really need four?
The Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500 are a massive part of NASCAR’s past. Indianapolis is a part of racing history, but not NASCAR’s. The Brickyard burst onto the scene in 1994, and was immediately treated as the biggest race in the world, as it was, at the time, the biggest purse in history and had a huge crowd. It didn’t hurt that Jeff Gordon, a local kid, won the race. Looking back now, the race never really seemed destined as a long-term staple, like the other three.
Personally, I really don’t think that NASCAR necessarily needs a fourth crown jewel. Look at horse racing’s triple crown. Each of those races, Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, draw in a massive casual fanbase. Would adding a fourth major race draw the same crowd? I argue no, and I also argue that it wouldn’t share anywhere near the same significance as the other three, because it doesn’t have the same history. The same thought-process applies for NASCAR. Think of the countless memories at Daytona, Darlington and Charlotte. Those are part of NASCAR’s history, both past and present. When I think of Indianapolis, I think of the Indianapolis 500, not NASCAR.
I think NASCAR could really hit on something with the Triple Crown. Think about if a big company came in and ran an event like the old Winston No-Bull, where you could win a million dollar payout. Maybe they do something like the Winston Million, where if you win all three races, you get a $3 million dollar bonus. These are hypothetical, but the possibilities are there if NASCAR wanted to pounce.
So let’s say there should be a fourth crown jewel. That’s fine, but what race is it? A road race will never be a major race in NASCAR, it’s just not. I think, if there was a fourth major, it has to be the Bristol Night Race. Think of the memories, Dale vs. Terry, Gordon’s bump-and-run, Stewart’s helmet throw, Carl vs. Kyle. Bristol has been around as long as Charlotte; and the night race is constantly one of the best races all year. Look how pumped Kevin Harvick was to win it last year. If fans want a crown jewel, Bristol should be there.
Now look, I personally don’t think it matters. I don’t think any race NASCAR could throw in would match the excitement and prestige of the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500. I do think that this is something NASCAR should address, and try to take advantage of. What do you think? Are you #TeamCrownJewel or #TeamTripleCrown? Leave a comment, or tweet me @HBLoomis. Let’s talk racing!
Photo courtesy of UPI.com
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