It’s fair to say that the Texas Motor Speedway isn’t the preferred racing destination for most NASCAR drivers. The conditions are far from ideal, and the racing surface has always been at odds with the drivers. While Speedway Motorsports has tried to make the racing experience better, the story with the racetrack is still the same.
One of the biggest concerns about the track is the gripping of the race cars through the turns. Forget making a pass, most of the time, drivers are concerned about trying to steer clear without wrecking. Remember, last year’s fall race at the venue was a caution fest and it took more than four hours to complete the event?
Unfortunately, a similar scene could unfold today for the Cup race, if we are to go by the updates shared by Jeff Gluck regarding the condition of the racing surface.
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Concerns grow regarding the track condition ahead of the Cup Series race
Speedway Motorsports owns and manages NASCAR’s racing facilities, with Texas Speedway falling under their supervision. It has to be noted that in 2017, the racetrack was repaved and reconfigured to make the racing experience better, but the product is still the same. The most common complaints made by drivers were a lack of grip and passing opportunities.
Unfortunately, it looks like history could very well repeat itself, going by Gluck’s post on X. He shared the visuals of the racetrack that showed the racing surface being scrapped out after the Truck and Xfinity races. “At the end of the restart zone there appears to be a slight dip and the track is scraped up from cars bottoming out,” he shared on his X handle.
The Xfinity race was a tough watch for race fans. The only reason we witnessed a photo finish was because of the late caution. Other than that, the entire race was just stale, with the front runners trying to keep the lead, plus there were no signs of tire wear.
At the end of the restart zone there appears to be a slight dip and the track is scraped up from cars bottoming out. pic.twitter.com/G97TnROmEs
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) April 14, 2024
Reacting to the developments shared by Jeff Gluck, most of the fans are fed up with the SMI management and their inability to provide a decent running race track.
Fans react to the worn-out racing surface
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Kyle Larson was the first to suggest that SMI should demolish the whole place and start from scratch in September last year. And it looks like fans are now rallying behind his statement, given the current condition of the racetrack. In response to the images, a user wrote, “Bull doze it after the race @MarcusSMI.”
Taking shots at the company that owns and operates the race track, another fan was quick to remind everyone how the track has been the same since the repave. “Crappy SMI repave showing more problems years later? How surprising, just like every other track they have.”
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A concerned race fan even went on to share the sorry state of the racing surface on Turns 3 and 4. “I believe the turns are like that too. 3 and 4 specifically I think. Just tons of little dips and scrapes”.
Predicting how NASCAR will try to cover up SMI’s inefficiency, a user replied, “Nascar will call it character and instruct all commentators to say that and praise it. It’s really more of a safety issue but 🤫🤫🤫🤫”.
Crappy SMI repave showing more problems years later? How surprising, just like every other track they have
— Josh Jarnagin (@JoshJarnagin) April 14, 2024
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It will be interesting to see how these patches will impact the drivers while competing in the race today.