“If only the short track package was better” - NASCAR fans upset about latest Phoenix Raceway announcement

NASCAR has announced Phoenix Raceway as the venue for the Cup Series Championship's grand finale. This development has seemingly upset hardcore NASCAR fans and racing enthusiasts.

The post on NASCAR's official X handle received a lot of backlash, due to the recent experiment of the short track package at Phoenix Raceway.

During the Shriners Children's 500 race, NASCAR's attempt to add more excitement by trying the new package failed miserably. This resulted in several fans bashing the governing body and asking them to drop Phoenix Raceway. While the new package was responsible for increasing the safety quotient of the sport, some fans claimed that it reduced the excitement drastically.

The new aerodynamic package was created to make bumper-to-bumper racing easier on challenging short tracks such as the Phoenix Raceway. The boost in rear downforce, along with no bump in horsepower made it easier for drivers to slide the cars around in a controlled manner. However, this balanced nature resulted in making the race a lackluster event.

With NASCAR announcing Phoenix Raceway as the venue for the final race, fans are feeling robbed of a good four-way battle for the championship.

Take a look at NASCAR's post on X:

Here's a look at what some fans said:

"If only the short track package was better."

Even fans living in Phoenix felt some other track would be a better choice:

"I live in Phoenix and I hate this. There are so many other tracks with better racing"

"Car sucks at short tracks. 1.5 mile tracks producing some of the best racing we've seen in a long time. Let's go back to short tracks and crown our champ in mid afternoon," one fan had a sarcastic approach.

"Why post this as some sort of good thing? You have got to know, outside of Phoenix, this is not great," another fan added.

"Whoever made this decision should be fired because the Championship has been a Snoozefest since 2022," one fan vented ire at the management.

---

“We felt that would be a benefit" - Eric Jacuzzi, NASCAR’s vice president of vehicle performance

After doing pre-season testing, and making the Shriners Children's 500 race safer than before with most green-flag passes, NASCAR decided to go ahead with Phoenix Raceway for the championship-deciding race.

After testing the new short track package concluded in January, NASCAR’s vice president of vehicle performance, Eric Jacuzzi, said:

“At the test, we noticed an improvement in traffic. The car did not lose rear downforce when it yawed, which is an issue we fight with the current car.”

He added:

“We felt that would be a benefit, and that was the big takeaway from the driver feedback. At the test, they felt they could really tell that it was more forgiving. They felt they could slide the car.”

While the solution does make the motorsport safer, it makes it a dull event for fans looking for nail-biting, bumper-to-bumper action at the grand finale.