In what felt like a throwback to a bygone era, the NASCAR Cup Series conducted a 90-minute practice session on Friday in advance of Sunday’s All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway.
For drivers who were part of the sport prior to COVID-19, when the Sanctioning Body first started consolidating race weekends, Friday was a time capsule of sports. Chase Elliott was around back then and turned the most laps around The Moster Mile during practice.
“To have more than one set of tires was kind of weird,” Elliott said. “I hadn’t had that in awhile but I don’t think it will change anything. We’ve been through this for years, and it gives us something to talk about, but it’s not going to change the results.”
And then there’s Ty Gibbs, who grew up in the sport but never participated in the two or three practice session era, who turned 86 laps on Friday.
“86,” Gibbs said with a laugh. “Oh my god. That was like the entire first stage of a race.”
How did that feel?
“Well, it was the most practice I have ever had in my Cup career, and it was fun to turn laps and I thought my team learned a lot,” he said.
Does he want to do this more?
“I don’t think so,” he said. “I’m good with 25 minutes, honestly. I really am. I think it shows how hard everyone works back at the shop. With our sim program, we unload really close, and I think what we have now really rewards that.”
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Combine that with the added expenses of turning extra laps and buying more times or an extra hotel stay 36 weekends a year, and this is why NASCAR nixed extended practice sessions.
Regardless, Brad Keselowski is alone amongst NASCAR Cup Series team owners, and believes the lack of track time every weekend is the wrong direction.
“As a driver and an owner, it’s critical to the health of the sport,” Keselowski said of practice. “Not having it is a big miss for guiding the stars of the future. It’s a big miss for how teams budget.
“I have made my peace and said my peace in different settings and a majority of the owners do not want practice. So I feel like, at some point, NASCAR is just going to have to strong arm owners and say ‘we are practicing and y’all need to figure out how to pay for it’ because that is what is best for the sport and for the fans.
“It’s what is best for the drivers that are coming up and for team owners who are trying to compete at a high level that aren’t where they want to be.”
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