Poll Position: Did NASCAR, track officials drop ball at Daytona?
CBSSports.com editor Brian De Los Santos, writer Pete Pistone and a chosen member of the community (for a pure fan perspective) share their thoughts on this week's poll question.
Do you think officials have been negligent in not repaving Daytona International Speedway for more than 30 years or is continued patchwork the proper response in order to save the track's character?
PETE PISTONE: Not repaving the track for more than 30 years is not negligent at all. In fact, you could make the case that the racing has been better at Daytona because there hasn't been a new surface put down since 1978.
The track has more character than almost any other superspeedway on the schedule, and up until the unfortunate problems of the Daytona 500, we saw some of the best racing anywhere throughout Speedweeks. All week long leading into the 500, drivers were asked about the slipping-and-sliding racing around Daytona due to the slick surface. Almost unanimously, all were in agreement that it was the best challenge and most fun they've had in a long time.
When Talladega was repaved a few years ago, all it did was increase speeds and actually make it harder for drivers to pass each other. Same holds true for Darlington, which replaced its legendary surface with a slick coat of asphalt resulting in lightning-fast speeds but a near inability for drivers to mount any kind of passing.
If Daytona does go to a full repaving job, you can guarantee we'll see the exact stories of Talladega and Darlington -- quicker lap times and less competition. Then fans will holler even more than they did for the two red flags that stopped Sunday's 500. I'd obviously like to see a fix in the track's problems from the 500, but the best answer would be to try and keep the current surface intact, which will make for a much better on-track product than covering Daytona with new asphalt.
BRIAN DE LOS SANTOS: While diehard fans could understand the situation -- after all, pavement gets potholes sometimes -- it's not something most casual fans are willing to stick around for.
And no NASCAR race draws more cursory observers than the Daytona 500.
More than any race, this is the one that NASCAR MUST get right. This is the race where NASCAR can establish a foundation with new fans. Nothing should be left to chance.
But by waiting 30-plus years to repave an aged, cracked track, officials at least give the appearance that they've done just that. Now it's no guarantee that the same issue wouldn't have occurred on a newer surface, but at least there'd be no question about whether officials dropped the ball on repaving. But 30-plus years? I don't blame fans who question that evaluation one bit.
I understand wanting to preserve the characteristics that had come to define Daytona for so many years, but eventually it's time to turn a new page. It's better to be proactive than reactive, especially at the track that hosts the biggest race of the year.
From the results of a highly unscientific poll we ran here at CBSSports.com, fans turned away from the race by more than a 2-1 margin because of the delays caused by the pothole. And that's unfortunate because the actual racing from start-to-finish was among the best I've witnessed at Daytona.
The amazing thing to me is that despite Sunday's issue, there's still sentiment that a full repave job isn't necessary. Some believe it will hurt the racing as new pave jobs have done at other tracks. Of course, it could -- and I believe would -- have the opposite effect and actually make the racing safer and better. With a smoother track bereft of all the bumps that drivers say give Daytona its character, the cars should become more stable leading to even more side-by-side racing (if that's even possible).
Regardless, I don't see a repaving job hurting Daytona one bit. At least from the fans' perspective, it would be the same crazy race it always is, maybe even crazier.
HardToBeat20: While 30 years sounds like a long time to have gone without repaving, Daytona isn't exactly like most of the other tracks on the circuit that are subject to huge temperature swings and having several days/weeks of freezing cold weather each winter. Is the track due for a repaving? Well, maybe. I can't help but believe that in the name of "safety" the overall track gets a pretty close inspection after each event. The Daytona 500 is much too important for NASCAR to allow racing to continue on a track that is not being properly maintained.
In my opinion, I really don't think Mother Nature caused the track to require those mid-race patches. I think the combination of the COT, running in packs and the use of a larger restrictor plate created more downforce going into the corner, which caused the cars to bottom out a little more than they had in the past. I think it was this combination that was essentially digging up the track surface. Based on this opinion, unless banking was changed ever so slightly when being repaved, those cars on Sunday would have dug up fresh asphalt.
Regardless, this was hands down the most exciting Daytona 500 that I've seen in years. NASCAR deserves a ton of credit for finally listening to the fans/drivers/owners and putting on a fantastic event. While the race took much, much longer to complete, it was well worth every extra minute to see the exciting finish that this 500 had to offer. NASCAR, please keep up the good work.
