By Cole Cusumano

Entering the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, one of the most enticing additions to the schedule was the inaugural running of a doubleheader at Pocono Raceway. Little did the sanctioning body know, this method of competition would go on to be part of the “new normal” as a result of COVID-19.

Following an overwhelming success of frenetic racing and strategy, coupled with the determination to run all 36 events this season, NASCAR adapted to the ever-changing climate by embracing this potential new tradition. Now having completed an additional two more twin contests in August, we’ve gotten a fair gauge on whether or not to embrace the new experiment.

It’s important to weigh all the beneficial elements to hosting doubleheaders, beginning with cost efficiency. 

“I mean, I certainly think it’s part of the future,” Denny Hamlin said. “But you never know.  There’s a lot that goes into this.  I certainly think from an economic standpoint for the teams, it certainly probably is a better option than coming here, then coming here four or five weeks later.”

As the driver of the No. 11 highlights, travel expenses for teams are being drastically slashed. Not only that, but in running back-to-back races, 2020 has proven there’s really been  no need for practice — especially for these events. Factoring that in, NASCAR is also looking at price cuts on fuel and tires normally required for double the usage in a singular weekend-long event.

Not to mention, we’re still in the middle of a global pandemic. Regular season Champion, Kevin Harvick, noted this all could very well carry into 2021, and it could benefit the sport to save money wherever they can to remain prosperous.

“I think as you look at the costs and you look at the things that the team owners are going through right now, we have to put everybody in a position to where they’re able to be financially stable and healthy as we go forward,” Harvick said following his seventh victory of the year. “We’re in such a strange time, and I think we all agree that we need shorter schedules and some mixed-up race tracks as we saw at the Daytona road course last week, even if we never go back there.”

Another great point brought up by the 2014 Cup Champion is ability to shorten future seasons. Drivers have been campaigning for condensed schedules for years, and by adding more doubleheaders, you’re not only tightening up the overall circuit, you’re also looking at race lengths being reduced. In ways, this puts less of a strain on drivers in the long-run, but heightens intensity for these quicker stages and sprints.

The final theme strengthening the cause for more doubleheaders, is potentially the effect it would have on rookie drivers and smaller budget teams. With the inevitability of practices being limited (or eliminated), these twin events can essentially serve as redemptive tuning sessions for the following day, should the results not show on day one. Logic would also tell you the top-20 invert would be applied to the starting grid in the second race, enabling smaller teams a shot in the spotlight.                     

“I like running multiple races in one weekend,” 2020 Rookie of the Year candidate, John Hunter Nemechek, said. “Every time that you’re on the racetrack you’re learning.  I feel like Saturday to Sunday you can always learn things on Saturday and hopefully you can apply it to Sunday. It’s all what you can take away from the experience-side and the note-side and just try to build that notebook of experience.”

While long-term, teams can benefit from a shortened schedule, there is bound to be a strenuous weight in working for essentially 48 hours straight. Crew Chief, Chris Gabehart, reveals there’s a great deal of labor that goes into preparing a car for a race and then turning around to get it tuned up for day two.

“Whatever NASCAR wants to do I support,” Gabehart said. “I will say it’s very hard on the race teams.  I take a lot of pride in putting a first class race car on the racetrack for those guys, Joe Gibbs Racing, my organization.  There’s a lot that goes into that. This is very hard, but these teams are the best in the business.  Whatever NASCAR wants to do we’ll support and adapt.”

The weekend-long events have garnered praise from fans and drivers alike, and it seems all but guaranteed that doubleheaders will likely play a pivotal role across all NASCAR National Series in the future. It’s a cost efficient method that provides fans with intense racing, while decreasing the length of the season and events themselves. What began as a one-off experiment, has now blossomed into an inevitable new tradition for years to come.