Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage has slammed Formula 1 for releasing 2019 race dates which have the Nascar race at his venue clashing United States Grand Prix, at Circuit of the Americas on the weekend 0f 1-3 November.
Two big race weekends 350 kilometres apart will adversely affect the gates as they lure fans to their respective events when many would probably attend both had the calendar permitted.
This year the Nascar race will happen on 4 November, but the Formula 1 race takes place a couple of weeks earlier which allows race fans to attend both.
Gossage wrote in a statement: "Shame on Formula 1 for doing this to the fans. Fans have recognized this as the NASCAR date on this weekend since its inception long before Circuit of the Americas was built."
"I would think a lot of fans, myself included, would enjoy going to both races. Now Formula 1 is making fans choose only one. Yet another bad call by Formula 1 showing their infamous indifference toward the fans."
In a Twitter post, Gossage was asked why the matter was not addressed via the FIA, Formula 1's governing body, to which he replied, "We did that last time and they refused to get involved."
"If you are exclusively an F1 fan or NASCAR fan, this isn’t a problem. But if you are a racing fan, this is a problem. I love all racing. I would go to both and know many that do. That’s the problem," added Gossage.
The draft 2019 Formula 1 calendar was made public at Monza on Friday ahead of the Italian Grand Prix weekend and it will be the first time Nascar and F1 will go head-to-head in an "unnecessary contest" to see who can lure more fans to the respective events on that first weekend of November next year.
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