A Bristol All-Star Race on July 15, 2020, is another COVID-19 sign of the times in the NASCAR Cup Series. The All-Star venue changes from the traditional Charlotte Motor Speedway to Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.

All-Star Race Moving to Bristol in 2020

This week brought a hugely pleasant surprise, in the ever-evolving 2020 NASCAR schedule. It involves the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star race moving from Charlotte, NC to Bristol, TN, on July 15th. An uptick in COVID-19 cases in the Charlotte area caused the move. And, I couldn’t be any happier to see a short track become the site of the annual event.

It is time for a change, in my opinion, as a fan for nearly 20 years. Moreover, the All-Star race should not run at the same facility year after year. With the understanding that Charlotte serves as the hub of NASCAR, the All-Star Race needs to rotate markets to showcase different types of tracks.

A short track provides the perfect opportunity for the Bristol All-Star race to shine. The change of venue makes the race the most anticipated event on the upcoming revised schedule. A prime time mid-week environment should add additional excitement to this race and, with any luck, is a prelude to the future of NASCAR utilizing different markets and venues for this once a year unique event.

Car Numbers Changing Location for All-Star Race

NASCAR is considering moving numbers to the rear quarter panel of the car for next month’s All-Star Race, as a first-time experiment for the Cup Series. Some fans are disappointed by this move. In my case, the disappointment only stems from the fact of seeing vehicle numbers traditionally in the center of the door.

The advantage of moving the car number is that it gives sponsors a better product placement over the car.

As long as NASCAR has an on-track product with good, hard racing, that should be the focal point of discussion, and what truly matters most. So, really, in the end, the placement of the car number doesn’t matter.