“Too many road courses in NASCAR,” complained Brad Keselowski ahead of the weekend at Sonoma Raceway. The RFK Racing co-owner/driver may have a point. Back in the good ol’ days, racing on road courses was an exception, but things have changed a lot since then. There could be as many as seven such races on the calendar next year, and for some, it’s a bit too much. Many fans already feel that oval tracks are becoming somewhat of an afterthought.

And it’s a sentiment that is echoed by reigning champ Joey Logano as well. The Team Penske driver is looking forward to NASCAR going back to ovals after a couple of weeks of left-and-right action.

Joey Logano reiterates the importance of variety

It’s no secret that NASCAR has been eyeing global expansion for a while now. And if the race in Mexico City is anything to go by, they’re succeeding in that endeavor. However, not everyone is happy about the pivot to road course racing, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. saying, “If I had my way, our a—- would be racing South Boston and all kinds of fun little race tracks. But it ain’t happening.” Road courses are here to stay, with Watkins Glen being the perfect example. The 2.454-mile track has become a staple on the calendar, hosting 41 Cup races.

But Joey Logano is eager to see the action return to ovals once again. When asked if he agreed with Keselowski’s views about road courses, the three-time champ said on the NASCAR Live podcast, “I’m with him. Maybe it’s been a couple of weeks in a row. I’m like, ‘Alright, I’m good. Give me back an oval or something that we’re used to. Something that, as drivers, and maybe as race fans too, we’re used to watching.’ I’m good with going back at ovals. But I also say, I do like that we do different things every week. I say that all the time. NASCAR racing is awesome because we don’t have to do the same type of racing week in and week out.”

Joey Logano has just one road course win, which came on August 15 at Watkins Glen. Starting 16th, the Connecticut-native led just one lap but made it count, overtaking Kevin Harvick to take the win. The Team Penske driver enjoys racing across disciplines, and went on to say, “We go to all the different types of tracks, different disciplines of racing. That to me will always be attractive to me as far as being a racecar driver.” However, not everyone feels this way.

The majority of the NASCAR grid aren’t road course specialists, which may go on to explain Shane van Gisbergen’s dominance on such tracks. He led 92 laps at Sonoma Raceway and dominated the field at Chicago as well. For fans, it doesn’t make for a very good watch, and many are looking forward to the race in Dover to see more competition at the very top. Many long-term stock car racing enthusiasts even reached out to us, expressing their dissatisfaction with the format.

One subscriber of EssentiallySports’ Lucky Dog on Track newsletter said, “Real simple! I have no interest in road courses. Boring. Mostly no competition.” Another added, “Why is NASCAR trying to reinvent a product that was already great?” It may stem down to the sanctioning body wanting to popularize the sport beyond the U.S. borders, which means a shift from ovals is inevitable. While long-term fans want stock car racing to remain true to its roots, the sanctioning body needs to find the right balance between heritage and modernization to appeal to all sets of fans.

Christopher Bell disagrees with Dale Jr. and Logano

It’s time drivers in the Cup Series accept the fact that road courses are a significant part of the calendar. Even Bubba Wallace, who once said, “I’d like less road course races,” has changed his stance and done a complete 180, saying, “I’ve enjoyed the road course stuff, so I’m good with it.” With the number of road courses only increasing on the calendar, racers will need to get their act together in the discipline to improve their standings, a fact that Christopher Bell wholeheartedly accepts.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who has an average of 14.0 on road courses, humbly said, “I’m good with it. I don’t really know where we stack up. Are we right in line with what we’ve had the last couple [of] years? I like it. I think it’s enough now where the teams and the drivers have to take it seriously.” He went on to say, “You have to be good at them if you want any chance at doing well in the season standings.”

Road courses are no longer one-off events on the calendar. And if NASCAR aims to make international races a regular thing, being proficient in the discipline will be key for drivers going forward. While the majority of the calendar is dominated by oval tracks, veteran drivers and long-term fans will need to accept that the sport has evolved from its moonshine roots, in a bid to attract a global audience. Even if that pivot is unpopular in the short term.