The NBA, NHL, and MLB each have at least one team competing outside the United States. Although there aren’t teams, the pre-Covid NFL competes in England multiple times a season. Going international in US sports isn’t unheard of, and the same can be said for NASCAR. A handful of NASCAR-affiliated series compete almost entirely outside the US. The Peak Mexico Series and Whelen Euro Series are what come to mind when I think international. NASCAR itself has run its top three series internationally as of late, with the truck series visiting Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in recent years. After an absence in 2020 due to the virus, the trucks are set to go over the border again in 2021. The Xfinity series has even ventured north as well to visit Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada, as recently as 2012. But the NASCAR Cup Series hasn’t ventured outside of America since 1998, when they visited the Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Japan for an exhibition race. So what if NASCAR decides to cross the pond and race in England, or hit the Land Down Under and race in Australia; even for just one race?
If we are going to plan out a race, we need to first decide where it will take place. I want to go somewhere where NASCAR hasn’t run before. So Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and a host of European countries are off the table. Additionally, I want to head to a location where the fans would actually go to the race and we’d see close to, if not a complete sellout. I know Europe has a large motorsport fanbase as Formula One has races within its countries, as does Asia. A handful of South American countries have some respective motorsports as well. South Africa even once hosted a race similar to that of NASCAR (ASA series), back in 2010. But in the end, I think Europe or Asia would be the top choice for NASCAR to go international.
But which country in Europe or Asia would get this high honor? Well, seeing as almost every country has at least one track, I need to dig deep. Formula One has hosted numerous Grand Prix at varying racetracks in Europe. One track that sticks out to me is Istanbul Park in Turkey. It’s a simple, 14-turn road course in the Tuzla District of Istanbul. It has the seating capacity of 125,000 and, depending on which circuit is run, will range from 2.5-3 miles (4-5 km). Given its large capacity and simple design, I think this is the best choice for NASCAR to go international.
Istanbul Park wasn’t the only track that appealed to me. I looked at tracks in other countries and even another continent. In my research, I found the perfect track. It was a little ugly, but it had an oval, drag strip, and road course bundled. Calder Park Raceway in Melbourne, Australia. The connection of the road course and oval is less than appealing, but it gets the job done. When I first found it, I was set to write this article about CPR; but after further research I found that it had hosted a NASCAR sanctioned event in its past. So just like that, motorsports paradise was off the table.
Some of the other road courses and even one or two ovals had insane designs. These tracks had either turns too tight for stock cars, or were just large squares that would be unappealing to watch. Istanbul has logical turns, not too wide, but not hairpins either. It has visual appeal and looks like a modern, up-to-date track, like Sonoma or Watkins Glen.
Obviously a lot would have to happen to get the cars across the ocean and into Turkey. If NASCAR sent the Cup cars out of the United States, it’d likely be a trip to Canada. Additionally, a lot of other tracks would be considered for this hypothetical overseas race. Other countries and continents would be brought into consideration as well. If it were totally up to me, we’d have an international race every 10 years. Every champion from all three series over the decade would be invited as would Daytona 500 champions. Where would you send NASCAR? Leave a comment on this article or reach out to me on Twitter.
Motor Max 