Michigan not interested in hosting night races

The humidity and heat for the fans in Michigan gets unbearable at times, but the track has no intent to fix that

While NASCAR tracks like Bristol and Daytona run night races, Michigan International Speedway president Roger Curtis says the track's future is still days. With this weekend's FireKeepers Casino 400 Sprint Cup race kicking off MIS' summer NASCAR doubleheader (the second race is in August), Curtis has ruled out any change soon to the traditional daytime format. As well as the huge expense of installing floodlights around the giant Irish Hills oval, Curtis believes Michigan fans prefer their racing during the day.

Night racing, Curtis said, would create its own outbound traffic concerns. "We are not even remotely talking lights," Curtis said [Tuesday]. "There are so many other things we continue to build on out here like garages, restrooms and the Wi-Fi service. For example, erecting lights for a night race would cost around $17 million for the track and tram routes. We'd have to light two lanes out. Going east on U.S.-12 is curvy between here and Clinton. I don't see MDOT and the police making it happen." Instead, Curtis is throwing his time and money behind improving the fan experience. Detroit Free Press