Head2Head: Other tracks worthy of a longer race

The only thing better than a good thing is even more of a good thing. Those who have been fortunate enough to get a seat for the hottest ticket for years, the Sharpie 500, will tell you it's the best show of the season. More close-quarters racing, more chrome horns, more tempers? Yes please!

If we're going to extend a race, let's make it a true endurance test, not just tack on additional laps for the sake of it. No track demands more from drivers both physically and mentally than the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway. Winning there already is high on many drivers' to-do lists. It would be that much more prestigious to say not only that you won, but survived an extended version of the race.

Last year's event featured fireworks at the finish ... oh yeah, those pyrotechnics lighting up the sky when the checkered flag fell were pretty neat, too. Imagine the aftermath of an extended version of the Saturday night brawl -- it would be NASCAR's version of "The Jerry Springer Show."

The World's Fastest Half-Mile has been shortchanged all along. Martinsville aside, it hosts the shortest races on the Cup schedule. Let's give extra laps to a race that can take on the additional miles without inducing a coma-esque nap.

I can see the marketing campaign now: "Get more beatin' and bangin' for your buck at Bristol!" The Sharpie 600? I like the sound of that.

Let's think outside the box on this one. Thirty-four of the 36 races each year, plus a Bud Shootout, two Duels and an All-Star Race are all done on ovals. If I were to extend one race, give me the left and right turns in the picturesque wine country of Northern California.

Infineon Raceway in Sonoma is the perfect place to add a few more laps.

Road courses are fun. It's exciting to see something different and Infineon provides that. The 12-turn, almost 2-mile track is loaded with hills, hairpin turns -- stuff you just don't get at an oval.

Plus, the drama of road racing can't be matched. Fuel mileage is vital in a winning run, there are few cautions which keep the action moving, and with just a few places to pass, tempers often get heated.

Bristol is awesome. I've been there and it was one of the best races I've seen in person. But 1,000 laps in a season are plenty. If NASCAR was to stretch out either of the Bristol races, it would take away some of the magic. The races already border three hours, any longer and it would start to get -- dare I say -- boring.

If the option was presented to stretch out one race, get creative. Infineon offers so much its one time a year. Road racing is a nice diversion from the left turns week after week. Don't add more oval -- add the laps to a type of racing that breaks up the monotony of a typical race weekend.