WORKERS were quick to begin efforts to dismantle the Supercars track infrastructure in Newcastle's East End when racing concluded, but the question remains whether it was a final lap for the major event or simply the beginning.
Eyes have shifted from the road to the path forward for City of Newcastle, which is gauging public sentiment about another five years of the event.
This newspaper has documented extensively the woes facing those who live and work in the area struck by the track.
Even those who support the event must note that it creates inconvenience that goes beyond the three days of speeding spectacle.
Business owners reported a stark divide on trade during the event, and wounded incomes during the lengthy bump-in period as well.
Residents have long made "right race, wrong place" a catch-cry, yet some of the forecast catastrophes have failed to arrive in full.
At the same time, the balance of pain and benefits falls unevenly across the city.
Lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the 2017 race changed perceptions of Newcastle quickly.
She may be right, but will racing for another five years keep changing them enough to prove worthwhile to those bearing the brunt?
It is a difficult question, and one that hinges on quantitative benefits proving that all the hassle is worth it.
There are some who will never like the race, and equally some who will never concede it has drawbacks. The balance of that equation is an important one to get right, and finding the middle ground on such a polarising decision is unlikely to be easy.
Cr Nelmes has noted that bumps in the road could be rectified, but also that competition to host the race again from 2024 is likely to be fierce.
Ultimately whether Newcastle starts its engines again, beyond whether or not the city puts its hat into the ring in the first place, will be a decision for Supercars, Destination NSW and the state government.
The council's efforts to gauge public sentiment will be watched closely, and the results are unlikely to go accepted and appreciated by all unless they are transparent and rigorous.
As Newcastle steps onto larger stages and grows in size, the compromise between convenience and civic activity is likely to become one made all the more often.
That is not a reason, however, to dismiss concerns about lives and livelihoods in the middle of the track.
A fast result is good, but the correct one is better.
