[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Quality88

I still say caterin to fad fans will ultimately hurt the sport more than help it. Especially with the rules situation.

That one is tough to argue with.

[Racer Duck]

There's "casual" fans in every sport. You see them everywhere. They're the ones always asking the "why?" questions.

If they are NA__AR's marketing focus, then the folks in Daytona Beach ain't got a clue where the fan base really is.

re: the mysterious, not seen by mere mortals, NA__AR rules which need the "enlightened" to explain.

I guess in every professional version of a sport there are rules seemingly written by that person we all refer to as having a partially loaded cart and an elevator which stops short of the top floors, whose hat size is larger than his IQ. What I think is unique to NA__AR is that the ardent fans and competitors alike accept these mysterious changes in the status quo with little more than a whimper.

And should one of importance shine the silliness spotlight on NA__AR's actions, executive level, closed door meetings are held with the "offender" and, presto-change-o, instant personality change for the offender, the silliness spotlight turned off and ain't nobody talking about it anymore! The press understand it's a quick way to find out how it feels to permanently watch the race from the comfort of their hotel room should they venture into these verboten areas.

I believe a basic, simple set of rules is essential for the fan base which describes the "race orders". After all, most fans don't give a hoot about minimum ground clearance, rear spoiler/wing height, shock mounting bolts or where timing loops are at each track. Neither are minimum/maximum physical properties of the drivers of much interest (is it legal for a driver to be a midget? or a giant? do they have to have the "normal" count of arms and legs? interesting but not useful except for the more eclectic NA__AR Trivia games.) What's interesting to the fan base is what happens when someone intentionally wrecks another driver, who gets the Lucky Dog (is there a Lucky Dog rule or not?), how is the lineup determined when qualifying is rained out, what about working on a car during a red flag and what constitutes "work"?

I also believe the technical rules which govern the mechanical contraptions in the sport are generally beyond all but the most technical of fans and competitors, and should be left for those "enlightened" to understand and translate into normal-speak.

Lastly, I believe the rewards system should be simple and straight forward as should be the method of awarding championship points and calculating championship positions for all categories of championships (driver, rookie, owner, favorite track/driver, best hamburger, coldest beer, etc..)

What grade would I give NA__AR in the area of rules on a 1-10 scale with 10 being the best?

Probably 4.5... it's hard to judge something you only hear about 3rd hand higher than that unless everyone associated with the sport is happy. And most I know are not.