NASCAR’s new rule prohibiting racing back to the yellow (fantastic rule BTW, and long overdue) includes the provision that the first car a lap down is allowed back to the tail end of the lead lap under caution with more than 10 laps remaining. Whatever shit-for-brains decided that this was a good idea should be taken out back and shot.
Last week’s race winner, Ryan Newman, was almost 2 laps down at one point, and for as fast as he is normally, probably would not have been allowed back on the lead lap under the old “gentleman’s agreement”. Same thing with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He had won the previous 4 races at Talladega, and was a favorite to win again today. He went a lap down, but thanks to the “lucky dog award” (as it has been nicknamed), he was given a free lap back, and wound up finishing 2nd.
This whole “lap back” shit needs to end. If you are not on the lead lap when the caution flag comes out, you should not be on the lead lap when the green flag waves again. If it is a 500 mile race, you should be required to compete for 500 miles, not 497.5 miles.
Dude, if you’re so enthralled by watching cars drive around in circles for hour on end, go down to the local amusement park and stand around the Bumper Car place.
You know the only reason you watch is to see a crash.
This thread includes an explanation of what ‘racing back to yellow’ means, along with some info on the problems it caused.
As for this ‘lucky dog’ rule, I don’t get it. Only the first car that’s been lapped gets to go ahead and catch up to the pack? That sounds unusually arbitrary.
I don’t care for the ‘sport’ either… but why did you have to pop into the OP’s thread to voice your opinion? I’m sure there is someone he/she can commiserate with.
I apologize if you clicked into this thread thinking it was about a pet food, or some dibilitating canine affliction. The first word of the actual thread is NASCAR. This should give some indication as to what the rest of the words in the post will be about. If you have no interest in, or understanding of, the topic at hand, you are welcome to back out of the thread. No hard feelings. I will not even have known you were here, and you don’t come off looking like an ass.
Sometimes, I click into threads because the OP is usually informative or entertaining, even if I have no idea what the thread is about. I try to learn something while I’m there. For the most part, I don’t post just to post. Granted, I may not be the most informative or entertaining person on the boards, but I’m certainly not the least, either. If you don’t have anything insightful to add, then don’t add anything. Jokes are fine, but ignorant statements are an annoyance. (Beavis & Butthead references are another rant for another day, little boy.) For example, I will click into the occasional LotR threads, because I have tried a few times to get into the story. I have begun reading the books several times, and have even tried listening to the BBC radio play. After several attempts, I have been unable to develop a raging interest or more than a very basic understanding of the story. You will not find one single post by me in any LotR thread, because even though I don’t get it, I know there are more than a few posters who do, and there is no sense shitting in their threads because I just don’t understand.
Racing is more than driving in circles, just like soccer is more than chasing a ball around a field. If you don’t get it, fine. If you want, there are many posters who can maybe help you at least understand the sport(brianjedi, Bruce_Daddy, racinchikki, racer72, Coldfire, just to name a few.) If you still have no interest in NASCAR, or racing in general, that’s fine. No one is going to force it down your throat. But at least have some consideration for the posters who DO enjoy racing, and don’t pollute their threads with half-wit posts.
Although I am a Super Duper Mega Dale Jr fan, I kind of agree. It seems arbitrary that NASCAR automatically gives the first car a lap down their lap back. Why not 2 cars a lap down, or 3?
However, the new rule doesn’t change things very much. I remember a year or so ago I think Harvick came from 4 laps down to win. 90% of the time before the “Lucky Dog” rule, the leader would allow the lapped cars to get a lap back.
Casey1505, what would you do? I don’t so much think that cars that get lapped under green should get their lap back but what about, for instance, cars that get caught on pit road. In yesterday’s case, it was obvious that Jr could run with the pack, and therefore the argument could be made that he should be allowed to run with the leaders. If Jimmy Spencer snort gets a lap back, no big deal because all he’s going to do is run around the back.
I don’t know what the answer is but I think NASCAR is about half right.
No laps back. If you’re the first car a lap down when the caution waves, you’ll be lining up on the inside of the front row on the restart, in most cases. You’ll have clear racetrack in front of you. You want your lap back? Drive the car like you stole it.
I think Harvick got his laps back with a combination of pit strategy, quick stops, and flat out speed. I don’t think he was given anything. I could be mistaken, however.
Hell of a finish yesterday, huh? Did you get to go?
No laps back works for me. BTW, here’s Jayski’s page about the rule, which I’m sure you’ve probably seen. It has John Darby (idiot) completely not answering some of the same questions I raised.
Yeah I went. That place is ENORMOUS. Even though I agree with you about the Lucky Dog rule, it was exciting as hell to scan NASCAR and hear them throw the yellow. Almost as good as winning. Almost.
Somebody suggested this the other day, and I think it would work. Instead of the first car a lap down, give the lap to the lapped car closest to the leader when the caution is thrown. It would work out just like racing back to the flag, but safer.
As for the NASCAR-haters who felt the need to “crap in the punchbowl” and bad mouth the sport, why don’t you try learning something about the sport before you start complaining. I’ll even start a “Ask the NASCAR Fan” thread if it’ll help.
Yeah, but it’s still an arbitrary number. 1. In the olden days (2 weeks ago), 5 cars at a time could get a lap back.
What if the leader could just verbally pick the cars he wanted to give a lap back too? “Um, let’s give the 10, the 6 and the 9 a lap back and the 8, 24 and 20 stay a lap down.” Hilarity and garage fights ensue.
I could probably see the first 3 lapped cars closest to the leader, regardless of # of laps down, getting a lap back, but it still takes strategy and revenge out of it. If I’m leading the race, and brianjedi is a lap down, I might give him a lap, if he can get to me before the line and I don’t deem him a threat to my chances of winning. Bruce_Daddy, however, may be 6 laps down, but had spun me out 5 races ago. I’ll be damned if he’s getting a lap back from me. So to avoid all of this, no laps handed to anyone.
I think you’re all are feeling the subtle touch of a whooshing at this point. It looks like that friedo was making a joke; it’s with that interpretation that I responded. I don’t think he was blasting either NASCAR or its fans.
In fact, unless I’m wrong, it seems as if he was poking fun at those who do complain about the sport–as what he wrote is a typical comment made by those who want to deride it.
I hate the new rule as well. I’m all for not racing back to the yellow for safety sake, but as we all know there are drivers that would intentionally keep others from getting their lap back under the yellow, and I’m all for that. It takes away from the rivalry of the sport.
But as I said, right from the outset of the post body, it was made clear what the thread would be about. Sure, the appeal would be limited to a specific audience, as many threads are. My beef was with the unwelcome and ignorant comments.
If someone doesn’t understand or like the sport, I see two decent options. One is to not post something stupid. A second option, key in the fight against ignorance, would be to ask a question to gain a better understanding of the topic.
While I don’t consider this thread to be mine, or the referenced posts to be a personal insult, it is disturbing to have to weed them out and be able to read a discussion among other members with similar interests. It’s also frustrating to see the same types of jokes about racing’s perceived lack of legitamacy as a sport (“All you do is drive around in circles. I just watch for the crashes. They’re all rednecks.”) over and over again in any racing related thread. If someone wants to belittle racing, at least put some effort into an original slam.
