Some musings about the 2021 #nascar schedule, which undoubtedly lives up to its billing as a true “shake-up.” It certainly feels like the most momentous since the infamous “Realignment 2004” experiment – which largely has been erased in tacit recognition of being a major misstep.

That was the schedule that sent Labor Day to Fontana, shuttled the Southern 500 to mid-November (for one year!) and sadly put Rockingham on the brink of extinction.

It set in motion a steady exodus from NASCAR’s roots that seemed as if would continue unabated and indefinitely.

During the 2003 Media Tour stop to announce “Realignment 2004”, #nascar CEO Bill France Jr. proclaimed there were four tracks on notice because of lackluster crowds: Atlanta, Charlotte, Darlington and Rockingham.

Within 10 years, one was gone, and two were down to one race.

Now in 2021, Darlington and Atlanta suddenly have two #nascar Cup races again!

And Michigan and Dover are down to one!

And Chicagoland and Kentucky have none!

Nashville is open for business while Fontana is on the brink of being turned into a short track!

What is HAPPENING?

“Realignment 2004” (thankfully) also marked the end of #nascar attempting to affix clumsy branding to its Cup schedule.

But if you came up with an alliterative way to describe the jaw-dropping 2021 slate ...

then “Revenge of the South! ... Meets Road Course Mania!” might work.

The reversal of fortunes for Atlanta and Kentucky stand out most.

In 2011, Kentucky was gifted a race from Atlanta, which since hovered on the edge of the boneyard. While drivers loved Atlanta went unpaved for 23 years, it increasingly seemed a sure sign it wasn't worth saving.

Now, the talk is of two permanent races at AMS and a repaving/sprucing of the speedway to help bring a $1 billion casino/entertainment complex to (far) south suburban Atlanta. This for a track that once expanded to a 120,000 capacity in the 1990s…but never sold all those seats.

These are interesting times for #nascar, which in some ways has entered a post-grandstands world.

Crowds still are important – sponsors don’t like seeing empty seats – but scheduling decisions and discussions seem driven more by a wide mix of racing quality and revenue streams.

Meanwhile, downsizing (sorry, “right-sizing,” if you prefer) trends are solving the optics of gaping grandstand holes.

#nascar isn’t (and hopefully never will be) in a post-fans world – decisions are driven as much by social media (hi @jeff_gluck) and fan council polls as ever.

But there's been a notable shift away from worrying about whether #nascar can trumpet weekly crowds of 100,000-plus and push “we have 17 of the top 20 attended sports events in the country!”

That once happened all the time. Much less so now.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

It’s been nearly 15 years since such eye-popping crowd numbers existed for #nascar regularly anyway, and virtually every sport in America has wrestled with some attendance woes.

If the solution is bringing supply in line with demand, auto racing venues are as well suited as any.

More idle 2021 thoughts:

--Kentucky’s #nascar Cup legacy ended before the first green flag. Breathless anticipation for a sellout of 106,000, but tens of thousands were stranded in highway traffic for hours. A generation’s worth of goodwill was squandered and wasn't coming back.

--I highly recommend the timelines of @ppistone/ @mikemcc1717 for excellent Chicagoland insight by two area natives.

Don't have much more, but as someone who bought his first car in Joliet 25 years ago, I’m wistful. And sad the Midwest took some schedule hits (though RA helps).

--Remember in May when there was BIG MOMENTUM for MIDWEEK RACES and many presumed there would SURELY BE MORE OF THIS.

Note: There are no midweek races in 2021. It had a nice ride and maybe the sample size was unfairly small. But numbers – in this case, TV ratings -- don’t lie.

--Most overlooked on the #nascar '21 schedule? So many candidates. Darlington’s new race falling on Mother’s Day would be on many lists.

Mine is Richmond quietly moving back to Sunday with its spring race – a move that bodes well given its recent daytime finishes were excellent.

--What intrigues me about the road course 6-pack is less the new markets (tho Austin and Wisconsin are way cool, man) or layout (Brickyard weekend won't have the same luster without the oval, but if the race matches Xfinity '19, it’ll be interesting how RP, #nascar work with it).

What is most intriguing about turning 17% of your schedule into right and left turns is what it means for drivers.

The two most vaunted Xfinity prospects (Briscoe and Cindric) also are road course pros. Do they get more of a look for Cup because their skillsets would mesh well?

Will full-time Cup teams finally consider running split skeds with RC/oval drivers?

This also applies to Bristol. Debates will be unrelenting if car/track are suited to dirt.

But I’m curious which midpack teams snatch up a Bobby Pierce or Scott Bloomquist in hopes of an upset.

Anyway, it was an absurdly long thread, but it also sometimes can seem an absurdly long season, so props to #nascar for pulling the trigger on so many moves (some overdue, some bold strokes of genius, some curious) with much to discuss. Cheers.

(Apologies for typos. It's late.)