In an interview on Monday with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Marcus Smith, president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports (which owns TMS) was noncommittal concerning the thought of transferring the annual race to a distinct monitor in 2023.
“We had it in Charlotte for a variety of years, and did it in Bristol in 2020 after we couldn’t have it in North Carolina (on account of COVID-19 restrictions),” he mentioned. “Then, we moved it to Texas for the final couple of years.
“This occasion, we had extra individuals shopping for tickets than we did final yr. We had will increase in tickets and tenting. It was numerous enjoyable for lots of people within the southwest area of the USA.”
In reality, Sunday’s race attendance was not solely visibly bigger than a yr in the past but in addition bigger than the final time the race was held pre-Covid in Charlotte through the 2019 season.
Additionally, from a logistical standpoint, if there haven’t but been discussions with NASCAR about transferring the race subsequent yr, it appears unlikely that might change.
It’s already late in Might and planning for the 2023 Cup Sequence schedule has been lengthy underway. Final yr, the 2022 Cup schedule was launched in early September.
“We’re all the time trying to make it larger and higher. Once we had it in Charlotte, we had some detractors who would all the time say, ‘Why is in it Charlotte’ or ‘It’s only a warm-up occasion,’ Smith mentioned.
“We transfer it and folks say, ‘Let’s put it again in Charlotte.’ One factor I’ve discovered is no person likes change and no person likes something to remain the identical. It’s a type of issues you can’t make everybody blissful.”
Controversy on the end
Whereas the standard of the racing in Sunday night time’s all-star occasion could have been missing, the complete occasion was overshadowed by the controversial ending that noticed eventual winner Ryan Blaney pondering he had received, just for a last-second warning to ship the ultimate phase into additional time.
Blaney held off Denny Hamlin within the additional time, however he needed to jury-rig his driver’s facet window web in place for the ultimate two laps since he mistakenly lowered it when he thought he received the race initially.
Driving on monitor with out a correctly put in window web is a violation of NASCAR guidelines however NASCAR issued no penalty.
Smith mentioned the TMS and SMI group labored laborious to make the complete All-Star weekend expertise an entertaining one for these in attendance.
“We actually take our job significantly at placing on an exceptional, memorable occasion each single weekend,” he mentioned. “If you happen to have a look at all of the issues our staff at Texas did to ship a tremendous fan expertise – I believe in the event you discuss on the followers that had been there, that they had a good time.
“I noticed hundreds and hundreds of them having a good time.”