Harvick Believes Kansas Is a “One-Race Town”
NASCAR 36-race Cup Series calendar is stacked, but Kevin Harvick thinks it might be time to trim some fat. One of his top suggestions is to drop the second race at Kansas Speedway.
Each year, Kansas hosts two Cup races, one early in the season and another in August. But Harvick, a former Cup champion and now a vocal presence on the Happy Hour podcast, believes the track doesn’t need a second showing.
“I don’t think Kansas is a two-race town. It’s more like Michigan, Pocono, or Richmond, great tracks, but one race is enough,” Harvick explained.
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NASCAR Repeating Tracks Makes Races Too Predictable
According to him, returning to the same track twice in a year makes races too predictable. Teams already have performance data, and that takes away from the element of surprise that fans love. Instead, Harvick thinks variety could be key to revitalizing the sport’s energy.
“It’s okay not to go back every year. Skipping a place for a season adds mystique. What’s it going to be like when we return? That kind of anticipation is good for NASCAR,” he said.
And Harvick didn’t stop at Kansas. He floated the idea of rotating or skipping other tracks like Richmond for a year, especially ones that currently host two Cup races. Using Pocono as an example, he praised how a single race packed the stands and still gave fans a thrilling experience.
He also pointed to the recent Iowa Speedway weekend, where crowds filled the stands not just for the Cup race, but for ARCA and Xfinity too. For Harvick, that’s evidence that NASCAR could thrive in fresh locations.
“If we gave Richmond a break for a year, I don’t think fans would riot. And we’d open the door to race somewhere new,” Harvick added.
While such changes aren’t likely to happen overnight, Harvick’s vision could inspire long-term strategy shifts. If NASCAR truly wants to engage new audiences, mixing up the calendar might be the way forward.
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