A prime example why NASCAR’s points system is unfair?
Quote selected text Published May 5th, 2008 in NASCAR News
Here’s a prime example of why NASCAR’s “Top 35″ points system is so unfair.
The cars in the Sprint Cup Series these days are just about as sophisticated as Formula One cars. You don’t have mechanics any more, you have engineers. You don’t dial in a car when you get to the speedway because the computer, as the result of extensive wind-tunnel testing you’ve conducted, has already set up the car for you.
NASCAR is very aware of this high-tech approach to the business. But it won’t let the teams bring their computers to the race track. It’s why they still have carburetors. It might be a billion-dollar enterprise but NASCAR still wants people to think it’s just a bunch of good-ol’ boys out back in the family garage, tuning by ear.
What all this means is that you arrive at a speedway with the car set up one way, and if the weather turns out to be hotter than expected, or cooler, and there’s been a lot of unexpected rain and the track is green, you are out to lunch because you’ve “missed the setup.”
And because NASCAR won’t let you bring in the computer, it’s not just a matter of jacking a little weight around to make the car behave, like in the old days. The adjustments now are microscopic and you need the computer to do them properly.
Okay, are you following? Here’s what I’ve been leading up to.
Patrick Carpentier (Car-pon-chay to us Canadians, Car-pon-tee-eh to Darrell Waltrip and the boys - and more about the pronunciation of drivers’ names later) is not in the Top 35 in the points standings.
Which means that in order to start a Sprint Cup race, he has to qualify on speed. That would seem to be logical, but that’s not the way it works in NASCAR.
The guys in the Top 35 are guaranteed a start, which means they can arrive at the track with their cars set up for the race. It doesn’t really matter where they qualify (Bowyer won Saturday’s race at Richmond after starting 31st) because they’re going to get to race anyway.
Carpentier can’t take that chance. He has to arrive with his car set up to qualify - to have the car set up to go like lightning for two laps, not 200.
And because his team can’t use the computer to make the adjustments necessary to get the car into race trim after he’s qualified, he’s stuck with the qualifying setup for the rest of the weekend.
So Saturday night at Richmond, Carpentier - who had qualified a delightful fourth - started to sink like a stone almost as soon as the green flag flew. His car was just about undriveable - it had a full load of fuel, after all, as compared to the light load he ran during qualifying - and he was out of the top 10 fairly early in the going.
He was involved in a serious accident just after the halfway mark (he was classified 43rd and last) but was destined to finish well down the list anyway, even if he’d managed to make it to the checkers.
As a result, any points he scored would not even come close to getting him into the Top 35. So the battle is never-ending and almost self-defeating.
Right now, Carpentier is about 230 points behind Dave Blaney, who’s the driver of the car in 35th place. I betcha Carpentier keeps qualifying and yet keeps falling further behind in the points, simply because he doesn’t stand a chance once they actually start racing.
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Yes, the top35 rule is unfair. Wah. NASCAR isn’t going to change it, even for this Canadian homer’s buddy Carpentier. Everyone around the top35 cutoff is playing by the same rules. They all know where they stand when they show up to the track. If you know you need two good laps on your qualifying run, just work on a race setup and a qualifying setup. If it’s an impound race then you just have to make what changes you can on-track once the race gets underway.
You should have included this idiot’s first part of that article too… He says NASCAR should fine Shrub because it was obvious that he (his exactl words here) “deliberately wrecked Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Richmond on Saturday night”. Is this guy a card-carrying member of Jr Nation or what?
I’d be willing to bet that most Jr fans think Shrub was just reckless as usual. I hope I’m right when I say I think there’s a small minority that believes it was intentional.
This guy doesnt know very much about NASCAR.
“The cars in the Sprint Cup Series these days are just about as sophisticated as Formula One cars.”
-hardly, and the setups can be changed at the track as well, in case you didnt notice Jeff Gordon go from getting lapped early to a top ten, without computers, just good adjusments. You can not do that in F1.
“And because his team can’t use the computer to make the adjustments necessary to get the car into race trim after he’s qualified, he’s stuck with the qualifying setup for the rest of the weekend.”
-why not? others teams make those adjustments every week.
“His car was just about undriveable - it had a full load of fuel, after all, as compared to the light load he ran during qualifying”
-ummm no. NASCAR rules require all teams to qualify with a full load of fuel, there isn’t any of that running light crap, but this statement does make this entire article bunk, F1 fan writing about a NASCAR race because he doesn’t understand why his buddy had a bad night.
thats racin.
That comment concerning the level of technology of NASCAR being even comparable
to formula 1 is completely false.
I encourage everybody to go to the link at the end of this article and then click on where it says “Report typo or correction” and let that paper know how many factual errors that writer has.
Woooooooooooooooooo, Nature boy!!!!
DUMP THE 35 RULE, it makes no sense except to the sponsor of a driver who cant get in on time, its NOT real racing, im against it and so is anyone else in the garage that like REAL RACING.
THE TOP 43 CARS ON SPEED, thats the way it should be. period
Right on, Howie. I doubt we’ll ever see the day where the top 43 race and anyone else goes home, but I keep hoping they’ll tweak the rule. I think it would be really nice if they just locked in the Chase eligible drivers every week. That would give some kind of incentive to get up front and keep people from settling for running in the top 25 week in and week out, and put more emphasis on the top 12 during the ‘regular season’. Again, probably won’t ever happen but I wish they’d do SOMETHING!
Howie motorsports photography wrote:
I agree, and I am for locking in the top 12 only and everyone else races in on speed
The top 35 rule wont change until someone like Jr, Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart is on the outside looking in. As long as their best cash cows make the race it wont be changed.
The only way it’ll change is if they go to an F1 type setup.
Fisha695 wrote:
As someonw who does not watch f1…. can someone explain the f1 setup for me?
ganjadude wrote:
There is a 2 car limit per team (which could change to fit NASCAR if NASCAR would go to that setup) And there are 11 (well 10 now that one has withdrawn) teams that are allowed to race during this season, so its only those 20 cars at the track for the race weekend, so when you qualify you are only qualifying for starting position not to make the race.
I guess the easiest way to explain it is NASCAR Cup series is an open series, within reason Anybody can bring a car to any race and compete, F1 is a closed series where only certain teams can compete.
Ok, here’s my take on the points system and qualifing.
I don’t think points should matter one bit in qualifing. That’s just part of the race, to make sure you are fast enough to make the race. I think that’s part of being a championship team, being able to set your car up properly to make the race and compete in the race. Now, I know I’m going to hear from a lot of you that say past champions should be guarenteed a spot, well, yes and no. If their car is not fast enough to make the show then they shouldn’t make the show. Now, I understand that if a certain team cannot make it in on qualifing, then they may be in trouble with sponsers, have other money trouble, etc. if indeed it is an occuring issue. Well, what I have to say to that is this, if that were the case, then they would be sure to push harder to get the job done.
Basically what I’m saying, the fastest 43 cars race on Sunday/Saturday night, simple as that.