This week, sources within NASCAR told me [CTR] there has been closed door discussions to move the date of the Daytona 500 to November. Apparently, NASCAR is intrigued by the idea of switching the dates of the season ending Homestead race with the season opening Daytona 500. The allure of ending the NASCAR season and crowning a new Nextel Cup champion at the sports biggest race is something the France family is strongly considering.
NASCAR and the International Speedway Corporation own both tracks so a change of date would be easy to accomplish. Each year since 1959, NASCAR has led off the season in Daytona Beach, FL with the sports biggest race, the Daytona 500. In 2008, NASCAR will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Daytona 500 on February 17th for what may be the final time ever in the month of February. Sources said the late Bill France Jr. was very much against moving the Daytona 500 and felt that it would hurt the integrity of the sport. NASCAR does not intend to have a final decision regarding the date change until the end of the 2007 season.
- Corvette to pace 2008 Daytona 500
- Penske readies to move entire racing operation to Mooresville
- Red Bull, others testing at Nashville
- Geoff Bodine’s Daytona 500 deal falls through
- Report: Pilot reported smoke in Bruce Kennedy plane crash
bad idea
Y’know I’ve never understood what’s so huge about that race? I figure
it’s just the prestige and hype that already surrounds it that
continues to keep it hyped up like it is. It’s five-hundred miles of
a big pack where the way the wind blows could affect your finishing
position. Um, pardon me for saying so, but whoopee? Move it to wherever
you want; put a Bristol race, or any other one where it’s a “driver’s
race”, in the season start position.
Agreed. This is the dumbest thing I have heard in a long time. By the time NASCAR gets to Miami at the end of the season, you typically know who is going to win the Championship, so it’s not like racing at Daytona is going to add any excitement or suspense. Plus who in their right mind would want the season opener to be a yawn-fest at Miami? That’s got to be in the running for most boring race track ever, if you ask me!
By the way, have I mentioned that Brian France is a compete and utter idiot? I wish his daddy was still alive to kick his A$$ when he starts floating these moronic ideas!
STUPID…Nascar keeps getting more and more STUPID. One of the reasons that it is the biggest race is that it is the START of the season. The July race…ran at the location is not nearly as big of a deal. To move it to the end of the year would take the great emphasis off of this race. Just when I think they can’t possibly get any more STUPID they do. Eventually they are going to run all the fans off. UGH!!!
This is really interesting! After the superbowl there is very little to look forward too, expect
the Daytona 500 the official kick off of race season. I had bunch of friends over the race this
year only a few were NASCAR fans. Everyone enjoyed the race and people who cared very little
about NASCAR were standing and yelling as Martin and Harvick battled it out! After the race
a few friends asked why the biggest race of the season is in the beginning and not the
end. I said this is what makes NASCAR special, they take a 2 1/2 month break to crown a champion
and prepare for the 500!
brian france is a super idiot!
what could be the big reason behind this!!
daytona 500 marks the OPENING of the season
why can’t we leave SOMETHING to be as it was before??
omg this is the worst idea i have ever heard in my life u cant mess with the
biggest race of the season like this i guess brian france has no idea how many
fans he’ll lose if he does this to us i know i’ll be pissed if he does
who wants to be billy france for the day? not me!!
I’ve watched NASCAR for several, several years, and I’ve always said that they should start and end the season at Daytona. If you think about it, Daytona is the biggest name in NASCAR (as far as tracks go), and they run the 10 race Chase for the Cup without it. To me, it would make much more sense to have all the big, popular tracks in the Chase to make it more fun and exciting. I’m not sure how I feel about the Daytona 500 being the last race of the season instead of the first, and there really is a lot of tradition having the Pepsi/Firecracker 400 over the 4th of July weekend, but it would certainly make the Chase more fun to watch if it had all the big tracks.
Just think of how awesome the Chase would be with the following tracks: Daytona, Talladega, Indianapolis, Bristol, Lowe’s, Atlanta, Phoenix, Richmond, Martinsville, and Dover (all fairly exciting races).
I think Brian France is gust trying to step out from under his late dads shadow and say “now I’m the king of Nascar and I can do what ever I want and no one can stop me” But he better remember that it is the fans of Nascar that pay the bills and if he keeps Pi$$ing them off and they leave the sport it will hurt Nascar in the Wallet. I think it is Time We fans take 100 points away from France and suspend him for the rest of the season.
Hey they are broadcasting the Formula One races on FOX now. If you want to see real racing watch that instead of NASCARS soap Opera
Really bad idea. During the winter season down here all of the snowbirds are here… imagine out-of-staters coming to fl and trying to find a hotel room in november. NOT going to work, i promise you. I’ve lived in fl my whole life. I know the yearly routine. LEAVE the ford 400 for the last race. Let daytona be the opener, like it’s always been.
notice how this didnt see media time till after bill jr died. everybody knos that he would never have put up with that shit. if that race gets moved then the ratings will take a complete downfall. then there will be the end of nascar. all the stuff that bill sr an jr did as hard as they worked to have it made possible will be dropped out of sight because of one dumb ____ and his money.
This really does seem like a stupid idea. Everyone knows that if you win the last race of the season, no one cares because thats when the champion is crowned too. every broadcasted end of season race i have sen has ended something like “AND SO&SO WINS THE CHAMPIONSHIP!! oh, and this guy won the race.” why do that to the winner of the Daytone 500? and that race is big only because the history of the track and the fact that its the SEASON OPENER.
lets get our sport started off with a bang! some history and legends! Nothing against homestead, but Daytona has more prominence and is just an all around better track to open the season with, in my opinion.
I never understood why the biggest race of the year was the first one. Maybe it makes sense to give the teams a chance to see what they have first before racing in the BIG ONE.
But, this is a big change.
I probably am in the minority here but I live in the area and I would love to see some changes made to the dates.
I.)It’s well established that Miami is a yawn race but a good place to visit. So putting it 1st is just a matter of having better venues for the fans to see. A street course race in conjunction with a truck,Bush and Cup would help put a little excitement into the 1st race of the season.
2.) move the new Coke /firecracker 400 back to April. Less chance of rain and better weather. Today is just unbearably HOT,MUGGY & A 60% chance for rain. That’s why I’m on the computer instead of at the track yet.
3.) Daytona 500 for the last race is and has been the right thing to do. Save the best for last not give it up the 1st race of the season.
I know that a lot of you will not agree with me but give it some thought as I do your comments.
Fans wouldn’t care who won the Daytona 500 then, jsut who won the championship.
I could go with starting and ending at Daytona…but not moving the Daytona 500 to the last race. I agree wholeheartedly with gkirb about suspending Bill France for the rest of the season…perhaps for good for all he’s done. Once they have ran all the fans away I don’t think they will recover.
brain France is just detirmined to screw up nascar first the COT’s and now this.
the daytona 500 should stay in feburary, its been tradition for almost 50 yrs now and france is trying to ruin this by moving it to november. well lets go on strike lol
MONEY + GREED + NO SENSE OF TRADITION = BRIAN FRANCE DESTROYING NASCAR. And maybe more DUI coverups.
You ever been to the Daytona 500? Everyone is damn pumped, drivers, crowd, even the hot dog vendor cause its
the first race of the season, the granddaddy of them all. Everyone wants a Daytona 500 under their belt.
Daytona IS a big deal, and that’s just it, it’s a long haul with sooo many things that can happen and factor in to your chances of becoming the winner. And if you do win, there sits your car!
BAD BAD idea to move it for sure. How fun would it be for the Daytona winner to celebrate amongst the champion?? The thought is just sad.
So would the whole daytona week move to the end too or would bud shoot out and all the other events stay in week one?
DON’T DO IT! I BEG OF YOU.
HAHA once again this goes with every other thing they want to do. i think its like ketuky or some place thats sueing nascar or something well i hope they win. its a giant monoply thats what it is, they want to put it there so they can see more tickets at a higher price and make more money and stuff. thats why i like f1 so much bc there have 2(two) compleatly seperat groups that run it and stuff so you wont have the b.s. that you have in nascar where its all about money and polotics