In the 90s, tracks like North Wilkesboro Speedway, Richmond Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, Rockingham, and Dover used to have two dates on the Cup Series calendar. But then came the boom of intermediate racetracks. Chicagoland, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, and Kentucky Speedway were all made during that time. And they took over the Cup Series racing, with the boom of new markets, large crowds, and speedway-style racing; this was the way forward back then for NASCAR.

However, many of these tracks couldn’t stand the test of time, with declining attendance and shift to the modern era of racing, Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland took a back seat. Imagine the Next Gen cars running at these racetracks, it is the only configuration where on-track racing has been promising. The mile-and-a-half tracks are the new short-ovals, producing the best racing in this era. But whenever a return to Kentucky Speedway is brought into discussion, the 2011 traffic issue is highlighted as the biggest deal breaker.

Kyle Busch won the inaugural race in 2011, but it is known for the traffic controversy and the logistical nightmare that caused chaos that day. Outside the track on Interstate 71, traffic was backed up for 15 miles before the race, many fans couldn’t even reach the venue despite having the tickets. Not just fans, even drivers like Jimmie Johnson were frustrated with how the event was planned. “It was unfortunate to hear that everybody that bought a ticket wasn’t able to get here and people were turned away.”

SMI, after taking over, made all the necessary changes to the track and venue, but they didn’t anticipate getting overwhelmed by the crowds at the very first NASCAR race. Although NASCAR continued to race but then came a bad repave job in 2016, amidst a decline in attendance. And by 2020, NASCAR decided that they were not going to return to the racetrack. Since then, it has been used as a parking lot, and the only event that happened at the track was an EDM festival in 2022. But, now that NASCAR is willing to turn back at tracks like NWS, Rockingham Speedway, and Bowman Gray, does Kentucky Speedway deserve a shot at revival?

This conversation was sparked by a race fan on Reddit. “I have recently seen a lot of slander towards Kentucky Speedway on reasons why nascar should not return. I don’t understand the hate for the track.” Soon, a lot of fans chimed in with their thoughts and arguments on whether NASCAR should look back at the intermediate track.

Fans divided over Kentucky Speedway’s return to Cup racing

The were a few who wanted NASCAR to revive Kentucky, but these comments were few and far between. “I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Kentucky should have gotten the Atlanta treatment and Atlanta just a straight repave.” Does NASCAR need three super-speedway configuration tracks, especially when the Next Gen racing on these tracks isn’t great? Daytona and Talladega have historical significance, but cutting out a date from Atlanta to Kentucky should do the trick, according to this fan.

However, this sentiment changed quickly as fans stated their points on why a return to Kentucky doesn’t make sense, with better alternatives available for NASCAR to choose from. “No one gives a f— about Kentucky. Another mid track not in a huge market city. We will take Chicagoland and move on.” Given the latest update and rumors surrounding Chicagoland, a huge chunk of the fanbase loves this intermediate track. After the exit due the COVID-19, there are rumors that it could be next in line to host the championship weekend. It has the necessary infrastructure and facilities up and running, unlike Kentucky, which makes it a better option among the two tracks.

A more verbose answer was, “Out of all the mile and a half’s, Kentucky is the last one we should return to. It’s got no identity. All the others have unique features for the most part that make each track race just a little differently Kentucky would probably put an okay race on but when we’ve got 1/3 of the schedule occupied by similar tracks that have better racing than what Kentucky probably would, combined with a relatively small market, I don’t see how returning to Kentucky would a good value proposition for the sport. Chicagoland makes sense for its unique configuration and a staying in the Chicago market.”

It is worth noting that after the end of the Chicago Street race contract this year, the governing body would want to remain active in the region. And this is why the chances of Chicagoland getting back on the schedule look more likely than any other racetrack. No one would complain if NASCAR ditched the twists and turns of street racing in favor of oval racing at the intermediate track.

There’s another major problem which was highlighted by this race fan. “Just because the car races good on 1.5 mile tracks doesn’t mean we need to add a ton more to the schedule. Overloading the schedule with 1.5 mile tracks would just make them less special.” Racing at Homestead and Nashville is totally different, and the same can be said about Texas and Charlotte. While the Next Gen car is good on intermediates compared to short-ovals and superspeedways, cramming the calendar with mil-and-half-races could be a huge risk.

Now again, in a perfect world, Chicagoland or Kentucky could get a chance if one of the points races on similar configuration tracks loses its spot on the schedule.