Should NASCAR Rally For All-Star Race?

After watching the end of Sunday’s Brickyard 400, I couldn’t help but stay tuned in to ESPN to watch Travis Pastrana with hand controls in the X Games RallyCross.

Watching Pastrana and his fellow racers tear around the streets of Los Angeles outside the Staples Center, I also couldn’t help but think of an idea for how to improve the annual NASCAR All-Star Race.

It seems like nearly every season there are varying opinions out there about the format and location of the All-Star Race, and while this may be a bit outside the box, hear me out.

The annual all-star event in one of the most unique and competitive races of the year, with no points and a million-dollar prize waiting in Victory Lane. Yet, throughout parts of the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway the field can become strung out. At times, it takes the multiple segment format and double-file restarts to produce the best racing action.

Some have argued the non-points event should be rotated among different tracks, moved to smaller short tracks, a whole host of ideas.

So, with some calling for the race to be moved to another facility, here is what I propose:

Instead of moving it to another race track, create a true “Speed Street” in Uptown Charlotte and put stock car racing’s best drivers to the test on the streets of their hometown. If the X Games are able to shut down sections of Los Angeles to set up a race course for the weekend, NASCAR could perhaps do the same in Charlotte.

Each May, portions of Uptown Charlotte are already closed for the Speed Street festival, featuring concerts, fan giveaways, food, games and autograph sessions. The NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge is also held each year at Time Warner Cable Arena, located just blocks from the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

This venue and this location could be the prime spot to take a page from the X Games book and draw some much needed attention from the non-NASCAR world.

Think about it: The decision to move the race would be an unprecedented move by NASCAR, literally taking the race to the non-traditional, potential fan. The buzz surrounding the street race would draw the attention of not only the major sports networks and media, but also the curious potential fan that simply wants to see what it is all about.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame could become the central hub of the weekend, hosting the garage stalls and pit road, as well as the start-finish line. Why not take advantage of the multiple groove and slightly banked I-277 that wraps around Uptown Charlotte as well? Removable SAFER barriers and fencing could be installed along the designated course and the roar of the engines would definitely bring in some curious fans.

After the stars of the sport do what they do best, the interest will grow from that new, and perhaps previously untapped, fan base.

Of course, there would be a lot of hurdles to overcome in order for this to happen. Yet in doing so, jobs would be created in the local community, infrastructure and roads would be improved and non-fans and fans alike would experience some of the most unique racing in all of sports.

Given the current political strife the disappointing attendance numbers at the NASCAR Hall of Fame has caused in the local Charlotte community, this may not be the easiest thing to convince the city government to get on board with.

Yet, if the X Games can shut down part of downtown Los Angeles and the Izod IndyCar Series can close off the streets of cities like St. Petersburg for their grand prix, why can’t NASCAR do the same in their own backyard in Uptown Charlotte?