If you haven't already seen it, the schedules are out for the 2019 NASCAR XFINITY & Gander Outdoor Truck Series seasons. And to the shock of about six people, three of which had just come to America from the first time after living in Ireland, the schedules were left mostly unchanged. The biggest change made was moving the second Truck race at Texas from the fall to the spring giving Texas a tripleheader weekend. How fun does that sound?! A tripleheader weekend at a mile-and-a-half track. What does that lead to? Cup drivers such as Kyle Busch and a few others running that Truck race. That just makes he so excited that I might just skip my adventure to the Walnut Cove Opera House just to watch that beauty of a race. So it's another example of NASCAR's massive level of creativity. So just for some fun time, let me show you what the schedule for the XFINITY and Truck Series should look like. And before I get bombarded by them, don't give me the predictable comments over concerns about cost, attendance or TV. This is my fantasy land, which can be a very fun but sometimes scary place. For some, they want more short tracks, for others, they want more road courses. Others want less mile-and-a-half tracks. I, personally, enjoy a nice mix. So, let's get down to it.
My XFINITY Schedule
1. Daytona - Duh
2. Atlanta - Possibly the best mile-and-a-half track we go to
3. Phoenix - A nice short and flat track to kick off the west coast swing
4. Mesa Marin - A half-mile oval in Bakersfield, California that the Trucks ran at in 1990s
5. Fontana - I personally love this big, fast, sweeping track
6. Texas - The first and only trip to this cookie cutter as make our way back east
7. Bristol - Duh number two
8. Richmond - Duh number three
9. Talladega - Duh number four
10. Nashville Fairgrounds - Six-tenths of a mile; the oldest continually operating track in America
11. Charlotte - NASCAR has to be in Charlotte on Memorial Day weekend
12. Milwaukee - The historic one-mile oval is perfect replacement for Pocono
13. Michigan - Again, a big and fast oval that can at times put on a good show
14. Iowa - This track has developed into a duh number five
15. Gateway - A flat 1.25 mile oval in Madison, Illinois - much better than that track in Joliet, Illinois
16. Daytona - Duh number six
17. Louisville - While the Cup Series is at Kentucky, head to this unique, 3/8 of a mile oval
18. Myrtle Beach - Instead of a race at Kentucky sponsored by VisitMyrtleBeach.com, run in Myrtle Beach
19. Circuit Gilles Villeneuve - This wonderful road course in Canada put on GREAT show when this series started going there in 2007
20. Watkins Glen - Yes, there will be Cup guys in this race, but that's not too horrible of a thing at a road course, especially one that's this good
21. Mid-Ohio - Duh number seven
22. Bristol - Duh number eight
23. Road America - Maybe the best road course in the country. So... duh number nine
24. Darlington - Hmm... Darlington on Labor Day Weekend = duh number ten
25. Indianapolis Raceway Park - There is zero need for the XFINITY Series at the greatest race course in the road. Don't dilute it. The 0.686 mile short track puts on a much better show.
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26. Pikes Peak - "The fastest one-mile paved oval anywhere" in Colorado Springs
27. Richmond - This is a fun Playoff track
28. Charlotte Roval - This as an elimination race? Yes, please
29. Dover - The only trip to the high banked one-mile concrete oval
30. Portland - A twelve-turn road course and the only NASCAR event in the Pacific Northwest rather than Kansas? YESSSS!
31. Memphis - A three-quarters of a mile oval that is highly entertaining. That's the final cutoff race.
32. Miami - A perfect racetrack for the finale, and if it's not Atlanta, Miami might just be the best mile-and-a-half track on the circuit. This is your Championship Race.
Breakdown:
Superspeedways: 3
Intermediates: 6
1-1.49 Miles: 6
Road Courses: 6
Short Tracks: 11
Truck Series Schedule
1. Daytona - Duh
2. New Smyrna - Stay in Florida and go to this short track. What a show it would be.
3. Atlanta - Again, possibly the best mile-and-a-half
4. Fontana - Start the west coast swing in Fontana. And let me get this out of the way now. Big, fast tracks like this are great for the Trucks. They punch a big hole in the air and create for some great wheel-to-wheel racing
5. Evergreen - The west coast swing continues with a five-eighths of a mile oval in Monroe, Washington
6. Phoenix - The site of the Trucks' first ever race. Can't go away from that.
7. Tucson - Stay in Arizona and go from a one-mile oval to a three-eighths of a mile oval
8. Charlotte - It's Charlotte.
9. Martinsville - Can't get much better than the Trucks on this track
10. Nashville Fairgrounds - For clear reasons
11. Gateway - A great racetrack that gives the Mid-West a much better race than Chicagoland
12. Louisville - Kentucky isn't bad for the Trucks, but a short track in Kentucky would be better
13. Eldora - Duh number two. But this WILL be called the Mudsummer Classic
14. Michigan - See Fontana's explanation
15. Road America - TRUCKS AT ROAD AMERICA?!?! YES!!! 100% YES!
16. Indianapolis Raceway Park - Again, I love Indianapolis and I love this track.
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17. Canadian Tire Motorsports Park - Duh number four
18. Las Vegas - See Michigan's explanation
19. Talladega - A brilliant way to end the first round of the Playoffs
20. Langley - A short track in Virginia that measures out at a mighty 0.395 miles
21. Bristol - Moving Bristol to the Playoffs would be... well... wild.
22. Texas - The final elimination race at this place would be pretty incredible
23. Miami - The finale at this place seems too perfect
Breakdown:
Dirt: 1
1-1.49 Miles: 2
Superspeedways: 2
Road Courses: 2
Intermediates: 7
Short Tracks: 9
So, whatcha think? I like it, but then again, I put it together. So now, what's your thoughts?
