Hendrick Motorsports founder Rick Hendrick has called on NASCAR to continue innovating and look at developing a street circuit event.
Last year, NASCAR raced on dirt for the first time in more than five decades at a revised Bristol Motor Speedway.
The new-for-2022 Next Gen cars debuted in a stunning exhibition at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum last month.
And just last week, the series competed at a revamped Atlanta Motor Speedway – now a superspeedway.
Hendrick feels such moves have done wonders for American stock car racing.
“I think it’s great for NASCAR. The stadium brought a lot of new fans in, the dirt track, I’ve got people coming out of the woodworks wanting to go to Bristol now for that race,” he said post-Atlanta.
Take the short survey.
“I think it’s exciting for the fans and the drivers are adapting well.
“This car, you can basically run the same car everywhere, so I think it’s great for the sport.”
He believes a street circuit venue is the next logical step. Just last year, the IndyCar Series launched a new event on the streets of Nashville which drew a massive crowd.
“I’d like to see a street race,” said Hendrick.
“Hopefully we’ll just continue to work outside the box. I think that’s growing a lot of new fans for us.”
NASCAR has previously entertained the idea of a street circuit, working with iRacing last year to build a virtual Chicago track.
Hendrick Motorsports currently fields Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Alex Bowman in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The 2022 season continues this weekend at Circuit of the Americas.
Discussion about this post