Elton Sawyer doesn’t believe extra practice would improve NASCAR ‘fan experience’

A lot has been said about how NASCAR can improve the product on track. Elton Sawyer doesn’t see more practice as an answer. Teams and drivers have made complaints in the past about the sessions being far too short.

In fact, Jimmie Johnson, who plans to race nine total times this season, felt that way this past weekend at Texas. Denny Hamlin has been a driver who has been on that train as well. However, there are those who don’t want more practice, they want the same or even less practice, in fact.

For Elton Sawyer, as a NASCAR executive, it comes down to a couple of things: Is it improving the racing product? Does it give the fans more value?

I would argue more practice means more teams can dial in their cars to be competitive. It would also give fans more of that full weekend experience that used to exist, more chances to see your favorite driver, and more.

Elton Sawyer doesn’t seem to agree. Because of the “data” and “eye test.”

“I think we’ve proven that just a couple weeks ago at COTA we had partial repave with the facility, we had an aero change with the diffuser, and just to make sure teams had the opportunity to get familiar with both of those changes, we added a 50 minutes practice for Cup,” Sawyer said on The Dale Jr. Download: Reloaded. “So it’s not that we have just totally tabled this and we’re not going to discuss it. As NASCAR’s proven over 75 plus years that when topics like this come up we get all of our stakeholders together.

“Again, our TV partners, our tracks, our teams, and we all weigh in because everyone has a different view on this, and if it’s better, if it’s going to increase the value of our product that we put on the race track and our fan experience then I’m sure that we would take a much deeper dive into making this happen. But as I hit on earlier that doesn’t seem to be the case right now.”

Right now, Elton Sawyer sees this as a good debate topic. But NASCAR doesn’t believe action is necessary right now.

“It’s a good dialogue it’s a good topic for discussion. But again, and I can’t reiterate this enough, I think what we’re doing today is working just by the eye test and the data with the amount of passes and the type of racing we’re seeing on the race track.”

Honestly, it feels tone-deaf. It feels like the same attitude that has made NASCAR test out minor aero adjustments in hopes of fixing the short track package drastically. Stubbornness, and an inability to admit that you are wrong.

NASCAR fans travel to races. A big part of the fan culture is camping out, making a weekend or an entire week out of it. So, why not reward these fans with more to see? Now, I do see the argument that 3 hours of practice every week isn’t feasible anymore. But 20 minutes?

Elton Sawyer is a smart guy. He used to race. But somewhere along the way, there has been a disconnect from what fans want in a race weekend. Cars on track, drivers milling around and engaging with fans. More practice gives you that.

Surely there is a middle ground between a snippet of practice and an entire afternoon’s worth of it.