So, NASCAR took the Busch Series to Mexico City this weekend. I’m really impressed that they did it, and I’m glad to see some internationalization (especially since 10 Mexican drivers showed up!)
What I don’t like, however, is the new rules NASCAR has put in.
1. Top 35 guaranteed to make the field- What the hell kind of rule is this? This is nothing more than trying to make the sponsors happy. If GloboCorp’s car shows up and is 45th fastest out of 46 cars, then they need to go home and explain to GloboCorp why they’re that slow. They shouldn’t be guaranteed a spot in the field just because they’re in the top 35 in owner’s points. How complicated is “the fast cars race, the slow cars go home?”
2. No “Happy Hour” practice/impounding- This one just flat doesn’t make sense. How does it really benefit the teams to not get more track time and the ability to adjust their setups? Oh, that’s right, it’s a “cost-saving measure.” You know what? Based on California, all it did was make the race a test of blind luck setting the car up rather than actual talent, since anyone that didn’t nail the setup before they got to the race track was riding around in the back all day.
3. Mandating rear gear ratios and transmission ratios- OK, now you’re just being silly. Explain why a team can’t decide what gear they want in the car. Oh, that’s right, it’s another “cost-saving measure” so the “little guy” can still be competitive. Admit it, NASCAR, the era of the local short track driver buying a used car and showing up is over. That’s ok.
So, to Brian France, Mike Helton and David Hoots: quit screwing around and let the teams do what they need to so the fans get a good show.
Actually it’s only something like 24 races they’re doing that for this year.
Here’s the reasoning. When you qualify a car, you’re going for the fastest time over a span of 2 laps. You’re not building a car to withstand 500 miles of all out racing. So teams have done quite a number of things to get the fastest qualifying lap, then adjust the setup for the actual race. Some things being:
Qualify with only a few gallons of fuel to lighten the car. But in actual racing, the car will be carrying much more fuel which drastically affects the handling.
Many parts are ultr-lightweight to lessen the drag, but nowhere near the strength to stand up to 31/2 hours of full-speed bumping and bouncing.
So after qualifying, teams would go back to the garage and start swapping out parts that could be without going to the back of the field, and adjusting the setup for what they would use during the race.
As far as fuel loads, NASCAR still requires every car to carry 22 gallons at the start of qualifying, AFAIK.
Now, when it comes to using ultralight parts, most of those were engine pieces, and the one-engine rule (which I generally like, although I think a pre-qualifying engine failure should carry no penalty) took care of those. There’s still a minimum spring rule, and if a team wants to change springs and shocks, that’s their choice, IMO.
I don’t really care if a team changes the springs, shocks, rear gear, water bottle, A-frames, spark plugs, radio and floor mat after qualifying. You do what you need to do to make the field, and then you do what needs to be done to win the race.
Which is where the argument of saving money comes in. Independents don’t have the money to basically bring in 4 cars’ worth of parts for different setups. I’d equate it loosley to a salary cap. OTOH, that’s why the new quaranteed spots were increased.
Whatever happens, it’s a new rule only used in 1 of the 2 Cup races so far. For this I’m going to give it some time before deciding if I like it or not. Personally I’d rant about restrictor plates and the speed of new rules being implemented. But that’s a funny thing about us NASCAR fans, we can be outraged at Helton and France for 2 entirely unrelated things.
But when they get around to mandating the “box car” dimension req’s, I have a feeling a lot of us are going to be on the same page.
And I think you’re right about the fuel. I’m still stuck in the '90’s.
Yes, this is an extremely bad thing. All the races are beginning to look alike. If they ever get rid of the night race at Bristol, that’s when they’ll lose me.
Opening the races up to the “little guy” could easily be done by instituting a one car per owner rule.
The rule used to be that no one could own more than 2 or 3 cars, which is why Papa Joe Hendrick was the owner on the 25 and why Mark Martin “owns” the 17.
And frankly, while I respect the history of “the little guy,” let’s be honest: no one’s coming to the race track to watch Kevin Lepage and Hermie Sadler.
If your rule #1 keeps the field fillers out, the ones with no legitimate shot of being able to run even 5 laps at speed before blowing up an engine and taking out actual contenders, then I’m all for it.
Agreed, instituting a “one car per owner” rule would be way too easy to sidestep to make it effective.
If the listing says the race starts at 2:00, don’t start it at 3:00 after 400 people sing patriotic American songs and say prayers. Have a “pre-race” show set for 2:00-3:00 and list 3:00 as the damn start time.
In football, the listed time is the kickoff time (or within 10 minutes of kickoff time, at most) and a pre-game show is pre-game!
Quit telling us the race starts at X time, then start it an hour or more later! I’m not interested in hearing yet another blessing or some new screecher singing “God Bless America”.
Personally, I love plate racing, and would prefer seeing more of it.
I also love night racing and short track racing – bristol, richmond, martinsville, darlington. The racing in KC, Michigan and Chicago kills me.
Fact is, I would mind watching AT ALL if it was like IROC (by which I expect you mean that everyone is riding the same thing, more or less). When you have money and size disparities like you see now, your race is 15 cars, legitimately. Smaller teams don’t have a chance nowadays. Week in and week out, you know it either Johnson, Gordon, Earnhart, Busch, Kenseth, Newman, with a few others mixed in. I think one of the last real victories I saw was Ricky Craven at Darlington 2 years ago. Even the teams out, and you’ll start seeing different guys taking the checkered flag each week.
In F/1, correct me if I’m wrong, they aren’t allowed to refuel after qualifying. I think that’s a great rule.
If it keeps going the way it’s going, it’s going to look like the Yankees pretty soon. Look what Hendrick did. . . racing great everywhere except the plate tracks, then they just threw a TON of money at it. You think PPI or, dang, even Robert Yates, has those kinds of resources?
Well, Winston Cup has always basically been about 10-15 cars that can win and a bunch of backmarkers. Look at the 80s, when if your name wasn’t Elliott, Wallace, Earnhardt, Gant, Allison or Waltrip you didn’t win anything. Oh, sure, occasionally one of the other teams would win one, but it wasn’t like you had a ton of cars that could win.
F1 outlawed tire changes this season, and the fuel load is limited to what you qualified on, but you can still refuel the car.
Hendrick has a lot of money to throw at R&D, but Yates and Roush are the Ford teams. They’ve got all the Ford factory support they need to win every weekend, but they haven’t put it together yet. I think part of the problem is the lack of continuity that RYR has had lately. DJ has had a revolving door of crew chiefs since winning the championship, and Elliott Sadler is still developing.
