Jeff Gluck, a prominent NASCAR insider and analyst, has sharply criticized the current number of road course races on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, calling the 2025 number "horrible" and advocating for a substantial reduction. He feels that three or four road courses per year might be acceptable, but favors scaling back to only one or two.Shane van Gisbergen claimed his fourth NASCAR Cup Series win of the 2025 campaign at Watkins Glen International, in an extended spell of road course success for him. From second on the grid, having been edged out by a fraction by Ryan Blaney in qualifying, van Gisbergen cruised to victory in the end.Driving his No. 24, he led a perfect race over the 2.45-mile road circuit and used a dominant 11.116-second margin to easily beat Christopher Bell, with Chris Buescher completing the top three. This win marked a fourth straight road course win for SVG. It was also his fifth overall career Cup Series win (all on road or road course tracks) in only 38 starts.On The Teardown, a podcast hosted by NASCAR Insiders, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi, the former said:"Three or four a year is fine. I'm almost like, let's get back to one or two at this point. And I don't know what you'd cut, but this is horrible. I mean, maybe you take SVG out and you say, 'Well, the field's so much closer and would've been competitive, and Christopher Bell passed Buescher on the last lap," and blah, blah, blah. But SVG is in the race. The Next Gen car is the car they're racing. They do have stage breaks, so would that have changed some strategy? Probably not."He further added:"There's probably nothing you can do to thwart SVG. I don't know what you do, but this guy, let's face it, he's stinking up the show. And the races with the Next Gen car and road courses aren't good anyway. Certainly, I don't think there's any argument to keep this current number, six per year."Shane van Gisbergen’s recent string of road course victories, including a fourth consecutive win, epitomizes this issue for Gluck, who sees the racing as too predictable and less engaging for many fans.NASCAR insiders give their takes on current state of the sportOn their podcast, NASCAR insiders Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi also expressed concerns about the current state of the sport, emphasizing a lack of excitement among fans heading into the playoffs. Gluck sarcastically questioned the predictability and stakes of the races, suggesting that key moments such as a driver being eliminated due to a tire issue have become the most thrilling aspects.Bianchi said:"If you're a NASCAR fan right now, what excites you right now? What is there to be excited about? It's hard. The racing's just okay. There's really not any juicy sexy storylines right now we're talking about. It just kind of feels like, just kind of shrug your shoulders and it's unfortunate."Both insiders lamented the scarcity of compelling storylines and the overall "just okay" racing quality, pointing out that even landmark events like races in Mexico City and Chicago have divided fans, leaving a sense of uncertainty about NASCAR's future excitement levels.