My Proposed 2010 Schedule

In a couple of days, the 2010 season will begin with the running of the Daytona 500. It seems like a few days ago we crowned Jimmie Johnson champion for the fourth consecutive year. Given the fact that I love racing, it's great that the season is starting. I have heard (and made) complaints that the season is TOO LONG! The season starts in mid-February and ends in late November, just over NINE MONTHS. Then a six week off season, and it's back to the grind of a long season. Yeah, I know they signed up for it.

Currently, the NASCAR schedule is composed of 36 points races and four non-points races. The final race of the season is at Homestead on November 21st. There are four weekends in which no races are scheduled. The longest stretch of the season is a 19-week stretch that begins in Phoenix in early spring until the mid-summer heat at Bristol. Then there is a week off. Then the final 12 week sprint to the finish.

In comparison, the NFL has a five-month off season. Major League Baseball has 3 1/2 months off between the World Series and spring training. The NBA and NHL both have 3 months off. In these cases, the players in these leagues have time to heal their battered bodies and get recharged physically and mentally for the upcoming season.

Instead of a 36-race schedule, why NOT a 30-race schedule? The Chase would still fit into the final 10 races of the season. With the current schedule, a driver can have one, maybe two, bad races and still make the Chase. With a 30 race schedule, there is very little, if any, margin for error. Each race would be at a premium; hence the need for more evenly spaced breaks in my proposed schedule.

Here is my proposed schedule:

February 14--Daytona (Race 1)
February 21--Fontana (Race 2)
February 28--Las Vegas (Race 3)
March 7--Atlanta (Race 4)
March 14--Bristol (Race 5)
March 21--Martinsville (Race 6)
March 28--Phoenix (Race 7)
April 11--Texas (Race 8)
April 18--Talladega (Race 9)
April 25--Richmond (Race 10)
May 2--Darlington (Race 11)
May 16--Dover (Race 12)
May 22--Sprint Showdown, All-Star Race
May 30--Charlotte (Race 13)
June 6--Pocono (Race 14)
June 13--Michigan (Race 15)
June 20--Sonoma (Race 16)
July 3--Daytona (Race 17)
July 11--Chicago (Race 18)
July 18--Indianapolis (Race 19)
July 25--Montreal (Race 20--replaces the Glen)
July 31--Bristol* (Race 21)
August 7--Atlanta* (Race 22)
August 15--Talladega* (Race 23)
August 21--Richmond* (Race 24)
August 28--Homestead* (Race 25)
September 5--Darlington*# (Race 26)
September 12--Texas* (Race 27)
September 19--Phoenix* (Race 28)
September 26--Sonoma* (Race 29)
October 3--Las Vegas* (Race 30)

*Chase races.
#The Southern 500 returns to its rightful date and location.

That is my proposed schedule. As per the schedule, the season ends six weeks earlier, and there are timely breaks for NASCAR personnel and their families. If NASCAR were to follow this proposed schedule (or a similar schedule), they would have a true offseason. Feel free to comment on this issue.