Brad Keselowski calls out NASCAR schedule: ‘Too many road courses’

I think this is a genuine feeling from Brad Keselowski. While he isn’t great at these road courses, his driver Chris Buescher has the best average finishing position in the Next Gen era. Well, until Shane van Gisbergen showed up on the scene. That won’t last long for Buescher.

So, there is a benefit to Keselowski as a team owner to have road course races. And while I would agree NASCAR’s roots are on ovals, road races have been on the schedule since the beginning. On top of that, ovals are still the primary event. 30/36 races are on oval tracks.

NASCAR has had ebbs and flows of different schedule reconfigurations. Fans want more intermediate tracks one day, then that ends up being the worst racing. So, fans go to road courses. Well, that ends up getting old, too.

Brad Keselowski is clear – NASCAR has too many road courses. But do fans, and more importantly, the folks running the sport, feel that way? I’m not so sure that they do. The way that road and street course races elevate the sport and its marketability makes them a must-have on the schedule.

Races in Mexico City, Chicago, and even at COTA are to market NASCAR. This year, the Cup Series shared two race tracks with Formula 1. You could easily argue the racing was more enjoyable than what you will see in the F1 events at COTA and Mexico City.

There is also a trickle-down effect already happening in racing. Kids are learning how to road race at an earlier age. The Trans-Am Series has become a proving ground for drivers like Connor Zilisch, Brent Crews, Tristan McKee, and others. Being multi-disciplinary in the future will be a necessity to make it in NASCAR in the coming years.

So, despite Brad Keselowski’s objection, road course racing isn’t likely to go anywhere. In fact, it is more likely to expand than revert to only two races on the schedule.