NASCAR is big on tradition. Daytona is a prime example, but let’s not forget about Winston-Salem, North Carolina, home to Bowman Gray Stadium. The place is historic because it’s where NASCAR’s first-ever paved track race happened. Now, NASCAR has gone and bought the place, planning to keep races running there for years to come. But Denny Hamlin thinks there’s more to the story than just preserving history. He reckons the move is also a smart financial play from NASCAR’s side.

Denny Hamlin has his doubts about the whole deal with Bowman Gray Stadium

NASCAR just announced they’re taking over the Bowman Gray Stadium, with a lease that’s set to last until December 2050. This place isn’t just any old track; it’s been around since 1937 and is NASCAR’s oldest weekly racing spot. It’s seen the likes of Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, and a bunch of other racing legends. Petty even snagged his 100th win there back in ’69. So, while it might seem like NASCAR’s adding a cool, historic short track to its lineup, it’s not even on the schedule yet.

Hamlin’s take? He reckons this move is all about NASCAR trying to cash in. On his podcast “Actions Detrimental,” Jared Allen thought maybe they’d run some truck races there, but Hamlin’s not buying it. He thinks it’s all about the dollars.

“I think more of it, it’s just a, it’s a money play for them. I think that they see it’s profitable. They probably bought it out and it’s gonna make some money on it. I don’t know what they’ll do with it. I mean could they run an exhibition race or something like that? Yeah, I I mean it’s only holds 17,000 people as it is. I mean that’s probably a really good number for local short track. Local short track for sure. But I don don’t know What it means, let’s not speculate on it, but NASCAR’s bought up another track, a business that supposedly is not a good business. They’re buying up more tracks.”

But what’s with NASCAR snapping up and tweaking tracks these days, especially when their next-gen cars haven’t been doing too hot on the short tracks? First, they went after Fontana, and now it’s Bowman Gray Stadium’s turn.

Is NASCAR planning to do something big with short tracks?

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So, after that electrifying race at Bristol, looks like NASCAR’s got a thing for adding more short-track thrills to the mix. The whole tire drama on Bristol’s concrete–not dirt–really turned up the heat on the idea of bringing more short tracks into the NASCAR mix.

Earlier, they went to the lengths of tearing down Auto Club Speedway, and then in November 2023, Steve Phelps was all about building a new short track right in Fontana. And now they’ve taken the reins of the Bowman Gray Stadium too.

Steve Phelps was pretty clear, saying folks have been hollering for more short tracks for ages. Now, with the Next-Gen car aiming to up its game on short tracks, they’re planning to bring that new Fontana track into play.

What do y’all think? Are more short tracks the way to go for nail-biters like we saw at Bristol? And can they make it work on other short tracks too?

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