[LSC9901]

This part of a story in the Charlotte Observer by David Poole. What's your opinion ??



Myth No. 1

1. The top-35 rule is killing the sport’s smaller teams. The rule that guarantees the top-35 teams in car owner standings a spot in each week's starting field isn’t killing anything but time on talk shows.

Fans squawk constantly about how they want qualifying to be cut and dried. The fastest 43 cars in each week’s qualifying race on Sunday. That’s it, no provisionals and no nothing. Put it back like it used to be.

Well, it never used to be that the sport’s top teams lacked protection from missing races. Over the sport’s history, that safety net has been called several things. Sponsor exemptions, promoter’s options and provisionals have been used since the beginning of auto racing competition to make sure that the people the fans come to see are there when it’s time to race.

The biggest flaw in this myth is that putting the onus on qualifying would help teams that have less funding and fewer resources. That’s absurd.

The same teams beating their brains out on Sunday would just beat them on Friday. The reason teams aren’t in the top 35 is that their cars don’t run fast enough, and if you make it where the cars that do regularly run faster absolutely have to do that in qualifying, then those better cars are going to win that battle, too.

The last thing NASCAR needs to do to help smaller teams is make them spend more money on qualifying. They need to be spending the money they have on racing better so they can get into the top 35 and be on the other side of the equation.

If you turn qualifying into a money contest the smaller teams are just going to lose that battle, too.

The way it is now, at least those teams are competing to make races with other “go-or-go-home” cars who’re in the same boat, financially and competitively, that they’re in. If, as expected, NASCAR puts all of those cars together in the qualifying order this year it will be more fair than it has been.

If you did away with the top-35 rule, every once in a while a top-tier team would go home because a tire blew or a driver overdid it in a corner and spun out. But what purpose does that serve? Teams lower in the standings don’t get any sort of real, long-term help while the teams that are putting fans in the stands take an occasional kick in gut. How does that help the sport or its fans?

Yes, the teams who don’t make the show have sponsors and the drivers missing the show have fans, too. But if you’re going to have guaranteed spots, you have to draw lines somehow, some way.

I am not in love with 35 as the number of exemptions. I think 25 would be a great number, but I could live with 30, too.

Anyway, if you really want to help the teams with less funding and resources, limit the number of guaranteed spots any one car owner could have to three cars. A Jack Roush or a Rick Hendrick could field 10 cars if he wanted to, but only the three that are highest in owner standings would be guaranteed spots.

But the idea of not having any provisional spots to make sure that the sport’s marquee names race every week is just dumb.

I know that some of you are screaming John Force’s name at me right now. Yes, I know the legendary National Hot Rod Association funny car champion failed to qualify for a race at Las Vegas and went home.

For one thing, drag racers make multiple qualifying runs down the strip. You get more than one chance to be in the top 16 and make the eliminations. If you have a mechanical issue or if a tire goes south, you get a chance to recover from that. The way NASCAR qualifying is set up right now, it’s one shot and you’re done. When Force missed the show at Vegas his team had several chances to get the job done.

But they didn’t and Force didn’t race.

I’ve had people tell me that didn’t hurt the NHRA, and I disagree. I feel confident there were people who came to Vegas for eliminations on Sunday who went home disappointed they didn’t get to see Force race, and I just don’t see where it’s good business practice to disappoint your customers.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

This part of a story in the Charlotte Observer by David Poole. What's your opinion ??



Myth No. 1

1. The top-35 rule is killing the sport’s smaller teams. The rule that guarantees the top-35 teams in car owner standings a spot in each week's starting field isn’t killing anything but time on talk shows.

I’ve had people tell me that didn’t hurt the NHRA, and I disagree. I feel confident there were people who came to Vegas for eliminations on Sunday who went home disappointed they didn’t get to see Force race, and I just don’t see where it’s good business practice to disappoint your customers.

David's statements in "Myth #1" prove [to me] that he doesn't want his gig on SIRIUS to end up as the "Pit Bull" show on SPEED ended. In that one, one of the first things ISC did after gaining control of SPEED Channel was to kank the "Pit Bull" show. It saddens me to say that one of my favourite journalist has "Gone over the the Dark Side."

He's right, it isn't "killing" the small teams. NA__AR allowing owners to have as many teams as they can afford is what's killing the small teams. But the Chosen 35 Rule sure as hell isn't doing them any favors.

If you look at NA__AR as purely entertainment then some sort of provisional where the drivers who sell the most overpriced trinkets get a pass on entry, then he's got a point. Keep the driver fans happy because that's where the bulk of the income comes from.

What Poole not so artfully neglects is the fact that with any Chosen Rule you absolutely mandate that you create two classes of teams.
The upper class comes to the track each week primarily concerned with winning the race. They can spend as much time as they desire preparing for this end.
The lower class comes to the track primarily concerned with just getting into the race. The bulk of they preparation each week is aimed toward this and their preparation for actual race day competition is secondary.
If anyone, including the esteemed Mr. Poole, can honestly this is good for competition and is the correct way to run a railroad, I will lay a big wet one on Rosie O'Donnell's rather large posterior. Hint: I am not even worried about having to degrade myself to THAT level!

Sorry David. You do stock car racing fans a massive injustice.

[Quality88]

I'll go with Bob on this one.

[Racer Duck]

I could buy Mr. Poole's argument(s) if but for a couple things:

1. impound races: the argument made is that if the lesser teams would work on making the race, then they improve their chance to move into the "Chosen". Balderdash!!!! They guarantee the "unChosen" will not be able to improve their points position because they must begin the race with a ball and chain around their collective ankles while those whose position(s) they are competing for have no such impediment. Perhaps Mr. Poole did not notice that every impound race, many racers who qualified in the upper half of the field did not make the race simply because the Chosen who had no reason to qualify well since they already had a spot in the race made up the last 10 spots on the grid.
2. rained out qualifying: on at least two different occasions in 2007, qualifying was called and the fastest cars were sent packing. And I don't mean cars that qualified in the 30+ range but the pole sitter and others in the top 10!!! In the case of one Boris Said, a racer with very limited sponsorship who is only able to make a few races each year in his own car, the Chosen rule not only denied him the chance to race the fastest car in qualifying, but it causes a severe impact on his finances jeopardizing future races. Oh, and by the way, it happened to Mr. Said TWICE in the season. Without the Chosen rule, NASCAR would, in all likelyhood, continued qualifications at a latter time (since some of the big money drivers like Jeff Gordon had drawn the late numbers.) Racing Luck, you say? I'd say Mr. Johnson received the luck because he had qualified too slow to make one of these races .. wonder what would have happened to his championship if he had a DNS next to that one? When the fallback position is Chosen points, then everybody else because "there's just no time" left to qualify the final 8 drivers, there's something rotten in NASCARland and it stinks.

The point is that as long as the Chosen rule is in effect, the unChosen teams will always suffer because the Chosen begin with an advantage. You might as well start the unChosen with a lap down disadvantage because there is nothing fair about the way the race lineups are set.

[oncea3fan]

HOW ABOUT Q the fastest 40, then give the provisionals to the top three in points that are DNQ spots 41-43.

[Quality88]

How about the fastest 43 dance, the rest go home whether your a Johnson or Gordon etc, etc. I want to see what happens when JJ eff's up in qualifyin, wrecks and can't race. Boy that would damper the spirits of the Hendrick camp. It could even snowball.

[The Dude]

Now being new to NASCAR and all I'm not sure what the time constraints are, but couldn't teams do like... 3 qualifying runs or some such?

That way if a team happens to rip a tire or whatever on their initial run, you can still have a chance to make the race.

Would that make sure that you get the fastest teams each week?

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by The Dude

Now being new to NASCAR and all I'm not sure what the time constraints are, but couldn't teams do like... 3 qualifying runs or some such?

That way if a team happens to rip a tire or whatever on their initial run, you can still have a chance to make the race.

Would that make sure that you get the fastest teams each week?

Time would definitelt be the problem on this one. I don't think they have enough time.

[The Dude]

Originally Posted by Quality88

Time would definitelt be the problem on this one. I don't think they have enough time.

That's what I thought.

[Racer Duck]

I like the way F1 does it: they have "qualifying sessions" where a number of cars are on the track at once, each receiving times. After several sessions, everyone who's gonna time has and they set the field. (I know I've simplified it, but the point is everyone gets 2 or 3 chances to time in, and groups are timing at one time. seems to work for them...but I'm pretty sure a lot of "racin rednecks" would revolt if NASCAR tried it.

[NASCAR Gnome]

Here's what I don't get with this top-35 rule - How did they come up with this number to start with?

Tiger Woods has to qualify for each golf event he enters whether it's a normal PGA Tour stop or a Major. On Thursdays and Fridays - the qualifying days - he goes through the motions (and emotions) every other pro golfer trying to make the weekend cut is going through. Heck, even when he's the defending champion for some events he's not exempted from qualifying!

John Force, arguably one of the best straight-line racers ever, has to qualify in each and every event he enters! No exceptions for him!

I find it amusing that when the TV stations that broadcast "qualifying" actually get away calling it that! If 75% of the cars running are guaranteed a starting spot in the race what are they "qualifying" for other than starting grid position? Sure, where you start a race makes a difference for choosing pit stalls, etc., but I just think it's ironic that they call it "qualifying" when it probably should be called "positioning" instead!

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by NASCAR Gnome

Here's what I don't get with this top-35 rule - How did they come up with this number to start with?

Tiger Woods has to qualify for each golf event he enters whether it's a normal PGA Tour stop or a Major. On Thursdays and Fridays - the qualifying days - he goes through the motions (and emotions) every other pro golfer trying to make the weekend cut is going through. Heck, even when he's the defending champion for some events he's not exempted from qualifying!

John Force, arguably one of the best straight-line racers ever, has to qualify in each and every event he enters! No exceptions for him!

I find it amusing that when the TV stations that broadcast "qualifying" actually get away calling it that! If 75% of the cars running are guaranteed a starting spot in the race what are they "qualifying" for other than starting grid position? Sure, where you start a race makes a difference for choosing pit stalls, etc., but I just think it's ironic that they call it "qualifying" when it probably should be called "positioning" instead!

yeah, I agree .. "Chosen Positioning" is a good name for it. we need to add it to our NASCAR Dictionary.

[Racer Duck]

I got to thinking .. "qualifying" for the Chosen is really passing the tech inspection .. once they're thru it, they're in the race .. the only question remaining is which spot they'll start in.

yeah, if NASCAR wanted to make it easier on the small teams, they'd do away with the Chosen. then as long as you're fast enough, you're in the race, defending champ or not.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

I got to thinking .. "qualifying" for the Chosen is really passing the tech inspection .. once they're thru it, they're in the race .. the only question remaining is which spot they'll start in.

yeah, if NASCAR wanted to make it easier on the small teams, they'd do away with the Chosen. then as long as you're fast enough, you're in the race, defending champ or not.

It's simply NA__AR's way of franchising, Duck. The corporate thinking is that the "thrill" of seeing which one of the Non-Chosen will go home far outweighs the possibility of the seller of the most tee-shirts and toy cars not racing.
They don't want to offend those high rollers who spend upwards of $3000 for a weekend of NA__AR fun, attending only to see "Their Driver" run, do they?
So, since the major tee-shirt sellers are always with established teams, they set up the NA__AR version of the franchise in order to make a form of NA__AR welfare available to the biggest teams and to protect their valuable personalities.

What all of us here, and across the nation forget when we come up with alternatives to the current system is that NA__AR is NOT about racing or racing tradition; it's all about making money and separating that money from the people who are willing to spend it.