Running 2019 Nascar thread

Bill France Jr. died of lung cancer. Jim France by all accounts is in peak health. I suspect there is a plan, but there’s no valid reason they have to “name a successor.” They’d put the whole thing in Lesa’s hands if they have to, but I believe the preference is to turn it over to Ben in about 5 years.

Phelps is as outside the family as they’re going to get. Part of the France family’s current drive to take ISC private is so the companies won’t be working as what could be seen as cross purposes. I suspect any “cutting the schedule” won’t take place until after the current TV deals expire; under current circumstances, cutting the schedule down would make the series less valuable because they’d have to redo the TV deals (and track operators get the vast majority of the TV revenue).

 

This, BTW, was the most shocking revelation of Speedweeks in Daytona.

 

This is a much better fit than Vegas.

Nashville to host Monster Energy Series Awards in 2019 | NASCAR.com

I’ve read a few places that NASCAR is interested in racing in Nashville again. Seems to me to be a long way to go before that happens.

 

Nashville is becoming/has become a huge tourist destination ... and by that I mean a huge pain in the ass for those of us who need to be there overnight 3-4 times a year.
I don't begrudge anyone going to Nashville. I get pissed at the drunk tourists on lower Broadway at 10 a.m when all you want to do is get down the street from one place to another.
The big beef is with lodging. The same hotel room I used to stay in for less than $100 a night fewer than 10 years ago will now cost you $350 a night. Even with yearly inflation, that's shit. It's honestly not owners gouging. It's the going rate because of the surge of tourists. The rooms that used to be fairly empty are all now full.
If you don't want to pay an arm and a leg, you have to stay in Lebanon. I live 3:30-3:45 from Nashville. Many times when I need to be there and what used to be an overnight stay, I just drive down and back to avoid staying in a hotel.
I really hope how soon Nashville isn't cool again.

 

Yeah, Nashville has achieved its dream of becoming Atlanta and Charlotte; alas, that has recently meant the closing of The Gold Rush, the Nashville Bread Co and a handful of other little things that made it Nashville.

 

So from the Waldorf-Astoria to Vegas to Nashville in the span of 10 years. I'm guessing it'll be held at the Dixie Stampede in Myrtle Beach by 2025.

 

And in Nashville, the NASCAR crowd won’t have to compete with the National Finals Rodeo crowd for hotel rooms &c.

 

Huh.

 

So because every team wanted to leave the pits in the last minute to take advantage of the draft, nobody completed a lap in the third round of NASCAR's new knockout qualifying at Fontana today. Boy, I'll bet that was X-citing.

Austin Dillon wins Busch Pole Qualifying at Auto Club | NASCAR.com

 

I truly had no idea Nascar was in Fontucky this weekend and I am a local consumer of SoCal sports news.

But I do know F1 starts tomorrow night!