Should NASCAR Schedule More Night Races?

NASCAR has been racing under the lights since Bristol Motor Speedway lit up its half-mile oval in 1978. Since then NASCAR has added a few more night races to the schedule but hasn't rushed headlong into racing after dark.

Should NASCAR add more night races or do we already have too many? The answer is not as obvious as it may seem.

Current Status

There are 11 night races on the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule. This includes nine points races plus the Budweiser Shootout and the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge.

This number has crept up some in recent years since Darlington, Phoenix, California and the Budweiser Shootout all moved to nighttime events.

History

The first NASCAR night race was held at what is now called Bristol Motor Speedway on August 26th, 1978. 30,000 people were in attendance as Cale Yarborough won the 1978 Volunteer 500.

Richmond added lights for the 1991 season and Lowes Motor Speedway followed suit in 1992. Other tracks with current night race capabilities include Phoenix, Darlington, Daytona, California, Atlanta and Texas.