Spencer Neff

Twitter:@NeffOnSports11

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Verizon IndyCar Series are back in action this weekend. Here’s my take on some of the top stories heading into the weekend.

1. With the first of two Sprint Cup road course races on tap this weekend in Sonoma , one of the big talking points has been the debate of adding a road course to the Chase. NASCAR has argued that the current lineup of Chase tracks represents the makeup of the schedule. I would agree with that, but I do think that the current Chase schedule could use a rejuvenation. Adding some more variety to the final 10 races could help add to a playoff system has seen some major shakeups in the past few years.

If NASCAR is to add a road course to the schedule, my personal vote would be for Watkins Glen. Over the past few years, The Glen has seen several exciting finishes. Although Sonoma does offer perhaps a more optimal location and has had great racing, I think the Glen has delivered quality racing more consistently. Though fans remember the crash-filled event in 2011 at Sonoma fondly, the racing seems to not have lived up to that quality since then.

2. This weekend, the IndyCar Series will also be in the Golden State, as they head to Fontana’s Auto Club Speedway in Southern California. Because of the high temperatures expecting (last three races have been at night in September, October and August respectively) and this race will be run during a hot June day, downforce levels have been altered with some wing angle changes.

IndyCar estimates that about 300 pounds of downforce will be added to the cars from what was seen at Texas. Although this is the third oval of the year, all three are very different. Nonetheless, let’s hope that we can see a repeat of some the excitement from earlier this year and maybe Honda can give Chevrolet a run for their money.

Have a Great Weekend