Night Racing

Today’s blog will be a little more light-hearted compared to some previous ones. I have written a lot recently about some of my issues with the sport and have been more negative than I would like to be. Today, I am excited to talk about night racing in NASCAR and the upcoming Saturday night race in Martinsville.

I love night racing. The glow of the cars, the sparks flying, the big-game atmosphere, everything seems greater at night. There is a reason Larry McReynolds says “The nighttime is the right time.” There is nothing inherently different about racing at night. The track might have some more grip in it due to lower temperatures, and it might be a bit harder to pass at some of the larger tracks, but overall it is the same experience for the fans in terms of the on-track product. The reason I like watching a race at night more so has to do with how it makes the race feel more important. The number of night races on the schedule has been dwindling in recent years. This is mostly due to the viewership numbers as Sunday afternoon still proves to be the best spot for NASCAR. This makes the few night races that we do get feel more special and important. I am excited for this weekend’s race not only because it is at Martinsville, but more so because of the change of pace and being able to watch at a different time on Saturday night. I hope that NASCAR as a sanctioning body can bring back a few more night races to the schedule, maybe even adding a road course to that list. But, with the current schedule, I will cherish the few races at night that we do have.