The Kansas race last Sunday had all the elements of a thrilling NASCAR race. There was tire wear, multiple lead changes, fierce battles, and even strategic plays that were put into use by the teams. All of this made for a visual racing treat which has been missing for a while, especially this season.

With the new race cars well received on mile-and-a-half racetracks, fans have been demanding the return of more such venues on the schedules. Kentucky Speedway is one of the names that have popped up. However, all 1.5-mile venues, despite having similar characteristics, do not guarantee a similar racing product.

Dale Earnhardt Jr also shared his reservations about returning to Kentucky. In his argument, he even detailed the incident Jimmie Johnson suffered at the venue back in 2020, which highlighted major flaws of the intermediate track.

Dale Earnhardt Jr isn’t sold on Denny Hamlin’s idea of adding more mile-and-a-half tracks to the schedule

Considering the Next Gen car has been around for like just two years, it is too early to get on a high horse and claim that mile-and-a-half races would guarantee success. Kansas Speedway is a big exception, as it ticks all the boxes to present a perfect racing product. Hamlin, during his podcast show, proposed the return of Chicagoland and Kentucky Speedways. He stated that NASCAR should spend its resources on resurrecting the two venues so that the current boredom can by done away with.

However, Dale Jr was quick to shut down any such idea or thought with his argument. During the recent episode of DJD, he explained, “I can’t think another mile and a half that has an entry anywhere close to that and then you gained banking exiting 4 up a hill and there was a nasty a** bump on the start-finish line. You couldn’t even run on the apron down there, you’d knock your damn eyes out. Y’all remember Jimmie Johnson went down there and hit the ground so hard and bounced up the racetrack into Brad Keselowski it was a big wreck.”

He was perhaps referring to the 2020 event, which was also the last time NASCAR raced at Kentucky Speedway. The cause of concern was the bumps that drivers had to face while coming off at turns 1 and 2. In Johnson’s case, he fell prey to the track’s awful configuration. “There was another nasty bump, low off of 4, you’d never run down there, but if you had to, you were in for a rude awakening. Turn 1 and 2 is kind of fun, but they had to get funky with it to get them off the bottom,” Dale Jr added.

But the condition of the track at Kentucky isn’t the only big drawback in case NASCAR considers getting it back on schedule.

Here’s why NASCAR returning to Kentucky Speedway doesn’t make sense

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Speedway Motorsports Inc. has ownership of the race track, which is in fairly decent shape. So, in case NASCAR was planning to consider adding it back to the schedule, they could do the repairs and get right to work on making it possible. However, there’s another big issue apart from repaving the racing surface- the dwindling attendance at the venue.

The Speedway is located between Cincinnati and Louisville. This is another reason why fans prefer to visit different racetracks, such as the Nashville Super Speedway or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Financial constraints have become more of a concern for NASCAR. And with declining attendance, the prospect of returning to the speedway is not a viable option.

At a time when NASCAR is looking at more experimental options and adding more road course and street racing events to its schedule. It is indeed hard to see them turn their attention and try to make the mile-and-a-half race a success at Kentucky Speedway.