The White Zone: The Top 5 Most Disappointing Races of 2015 – Part 1

“The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading…” and I want to unload on the races I considered “disappointing” this season.

I welcome you to this special edition of The White Zone. For the next five days, I’ll be counting down my picks for the five most disappointing races of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

This list is not a collaborative effort among the Speedway Media staff. It’s all my opinion. Also, this is not – I repeat, not – a list of the worst races of 2015. Without giving anything away, there may or may not be races on this list that I personally considered good. My definition of a “disappointing race” is one that leaves a bad taste in my mouth when it’s over.

This list will take place over the course of the next five days. Today will be pick number five, tomorrow is four, Wednesday is three, Thursday is two and Friday will have the dishonorable mentions and my pick for the most disappointing race of 2015. There’s a good chance that opinions will differ on the placement of races in this list. As such, if you feel that one race should be in a different place or one race should have made this list, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Without further ado, let’s get this countdown on the track.

 


#5 Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway

Photo: Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images

Kicking off the list in the fifth spot is the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

This was NASCAR’s second attempt at using the high-downforce package. The first attempt at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a big disappointment. Now to be fair, Indy is far too flat to run that much downforce. So logically, the higher banked turns at Michigan would seem to be a better fit for this package.

The result of the second test was a big fat fail. The racing was single-file for most of the 200 laps and the only exciting parts during the race were the restarts. But even the restart excitement died out after half a lap. While cars could pull up to another car, the wake produced by the leading car created a wall that made it next to impossible to pass the car ahead. In fact, the only time the lead changed on the track was during pit cycles.

In all fairness, though, I set my expectations low for this event. It played out largely the way I expected it to play out. It was almost to the point that I considered just putting this race in the dishonorable mentions. What made me put this race on this list was the number 3,886. That was the total number of green flag passes in the race. That number is significant because it was one less than the total green flag passes in the race at Michigan in June. That’s right, the race that went the entire 200 lap distance had one fewer green-flag pass than the race that was cut short by torrential rain.

All of the above is why I’m giving the number five spot on my list to the Pure Michigan 400.

Do you agree with the placement of this race? Leave your thoughts below. I’ll be back tomorrow with my number four pick in my countdown of the most disappointing races of 2015.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SpeedwayMedia.com

Tucker White
Tucker White
I've followed NASCAR for well over 20 years of my life, both as a fan and now as a member of the media. As of 2024, I'm on my ninth season as a traveling NASCAR beat writer. For all its flaws and dumb moments, NASCAR at its best produces some of the best action you'll ever see in the sport of auto racing. Case in point: Kyle Larson's threading the needle pass at Darlington Raceway on May 9, 2021. On used-up tires, racing on a worn surface and an aero package that put his car on the razor's edge of control, Larson demonstrated why he's a generational talent. Those are the stories I want to capture and break down. In addition to NASCAR, I also follow IndyCar and Formula 1. As a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, and a graduate of the University of Tennessee, I'm a diehard Tennessee Volunteers fan (especially in regards to Tennessee football). If covering NASCAR doesn't kill me, down the road, watching Tennessee football will. I'm also a diehard fan of the Atlanta Braves, and I lived long enough to see them win a World Series for the first time since 1995 (when I was just a year old). I've also sworn my fan allegiance to the Nashville Predators, though that's not paid out as much as the Braves. Furthermore, as a massive sports dork, I follow the NFL on a weekly basis. Though it's more out of an obligation than genuine passion (for sports dorks, following the NFL is basically an unwritten rule). Outside of sports, I'm a major cinema buff and a weeb. My favorite film is "Blazing Saddles" and my favorite anime is "Black Lagoon."

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