Why a modern love affair with road courses? Credit (or blame) the Rolex 24 at Daytona

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The Rolex 24 did what?

The Daytona 24 hour race has always been a great time and, in the sports car world, one of the top two or three events on the annual calendar (your own ranking depends on the historical significance of Le Mans and Sebring ).

For many visitors to Daytona on the Rolex 24 weekend, the action on the track is just loud background noise serving as the official reason for a splashy long weekend.

But over the past decade, more and more weight has fallen on the side of the ledger, and not just for on-site fans, but for international manufacturers and other industry suppliers who like to showcase their wares at weekends. -ends captive. .

Gone are the days (at least for now) when NASCAR could line up oval tracks end to end, from February to November, and sell as many tickets as there were seats.

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Are others coming?

For more than a generation, the NASCAR’s Cup Series had only two road races – Sonoma and Watkins Glen. Charlotte’s new Roval was added in 2018 and was an instant hit, so to speak.

Three years later, we were suddenly at six, with the addition of Austin, Road America and Indy’s road course. It brings a different dynamic, and one that seems more inclined to appeal to younger fans who, on the whole, are bigger on the atmosphere than Chevy versus Ford versus Toyota.

The guess here is that the modern road course craze was born out of the popularity of the Rolex 24. For oldies who prefer ovals, remember that 30 of the 36 points-paying races remain as you prefer.

But buckle up, because a street race is probably the next frontier, now that a football stadium is soon to be scratched from the list of modern venues.

This article originally appeared in the Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR Q&A: What Daytona’s Rolex 24 did to the modern Cup Series schedule

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