NASCAR needs to pit archaic qualifying rules – let top 43 drive
Quote selected text Published June 21st, 2007 in NASCAR News
NASCAR, famous for its annual rule and competition changes, knows a thing or two about how to make the sport grow. Tweak this, erase that and the world will gaze its eye on stock car auto racing. Here’s hoping this upcoming offseason redefines what’s most important – speed on the track – and casts aside archaic provisionals and owner points.
There are, on average, 49 Nextel Cup cars competing each week for 43 spots on the track. Six cars go home without even turning on the engine after qualifying. Those six cars should be the slowest, but that isn’t the case. The top 35 by owner points make the race regardless of qualifying time. The travesty doesn’t end there.
Past series champions have six provisionals available per season, which means retired drivers like Bill Elliott and Terry Labonte are making cameo appearances behind the wheel. Whether the champions qualify on time or not, NASCAR guarantees them a spot in the race. Teams have become so desperate to make races, earn owner points and give leery sponsors some deserved television time, some have resorted to yanking regular drivers from the seat and dropped in an old pro, one who has been watching races from a recliner for weeks – if not years. Who could blame the owners?
They are fighting to put their cars in the race every week. Conveniently, hiring a past champion is an available resort some need. It’s no different than the owner with three, four or even five cars using his big name or conglomeration to ensure the entire stable makes the race. For that, it should all change. Fans want to see the fastest cars compete. If only 43 cars can make the field, than make it the fastest 43 in qualifying.
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YES! I think that is the way that it should have been all along. If there are 43 spots then it SHOULD be the 43 fastest cars at qualifying. If one of the “top” drivers hits the wall during qualifying then I think they should sit out a race! That is the way it is at the local tracks! YAY NASCAR! They are finally using their heads for something besides a hat rack! They would also have more people go to the tracks to watch qualifying! This is exciting!
I couldn’t agree with you more! Wasn’t it Pocono that Mikey Waltrip qualified about 30th fastest and still had to pack it up and go home because of this scam qualifying system?
Once again this is NASCAR influencing the racing by ensuring that their big name drivers can put a car in the wall on Saturday and still have their face (and sponsor) on the television on Sunday! It’s just another way that NASCAR attempts to protect their big time sponsors like Dupont, Home Depot, Bud, etc to make sure their logos are prominently shown on the TV on Sunday afternoon… As usual, it’s all about the Benjamins and has nothing to do with NASCAR wanting to put the 43 fastest guys in the field.
Maybe some of these teams that are “on the bubble” or 40th and back need to make a bigger deal about this, because this is one thing I rarely hear mentioned, except one time by Waltrip the other day.
Of course if NASCAR did make everyone get in on time, we’d never hear the end of the whining from the likes of Jack Roush!
-Jeff
We could potentialy have some of the worlds best drivers(but we may never know unless we get them out there and get some experience under thier belts) out there in those six that get sent home. I mean what if the one guy who keeps getting sent home because his owner has no points and he just isn’t pulling in top speeds yet or his car isn’t set up perfect yet
This sport doesn’t allow for much growth for the new comers. UTI in Mooresville, N Carolina
offers oportunity to get into NASCAR but in reality unless your born into it it can be a tough ride for owners, drivers.
I would like too see this changed too. Heck why not, we deal with the stupid changes NASCAR has made in the past.
Plus, you can’t get bigger better sponsors for owners unless you are out there on the track where us fans can see it. This dosn’t help the newer owners one bit, holds them back I would think.
And actually maybe the payout from sponosors would go up. Sure this is protecting the big sponsors but if they went this new way, the sponsors wouldn’t always be guarented to be out on the track they might offer up more money as an incentive, get us out there in front of that croud and we will pay you this much more!!!! Don’t tell me the teams wouldn’t work their butts off for that extra money.
The trickle down effect could be good.
*crowd
sorry, I can’t see when I type cause all that crap to the right (achives, Pages and google stuff) is covering up what I type.
So your saying because the points leader blows a tire on a qualifying lap that he should not get to race because of bad luck? That could take someone out of the championship that deserves to be. Imagine in the Chase for the Cup if a driver has a qualifying issue and misses the race. Hes out of the championship, and sorry but thats not right.
I say qualify 45 cars from now on and have 3 provisionals for anyone in the top 20 in points that crashes or blows up during qualifying. They would rarely get used , but maybe someoen like Jr. , Stewart or Gordon spins out or blows a tire on the qualifying lap it wouldnt send them home.
no provisionals no top 35 in owner points straight balls to wall qualifying so if someone gets turned around on an empty track and dont qualify then either set your car up better next week or drive a little better
i think some drivers that dont make it every week (because of top 35) just might surprise some people from time to time but thats just what i think
Bad luck in qualifying? That’s racing…
Forget the top 35 and only make it 35. Maybe just 38 or 40 with qualifying on speed. Get rid of the field fillers because there are about a dozen of them. Some teams have really stepped up and always progressed but some don’t deserve to be in NASCAR. There’s guys out there just trying not to step on any toes and keep their face pretty for commercials.
Cry about the sponsors and the drivers/teams who have mouths to feed, but this should be about competition and not bulls**t.
LOOK it’s not hard!!
there are 49 cars competing for 43 spots—
let them ALL do qualifications and may the best
43 win a spot
keep it simple stupid
give everyone a chance! if you can’t cut the mustard this week
y’all got to sit it out til ya can try again next week!!
let’s just make things harder yet and let the first 43
cars that can say the alphabet backwards race!!
dumb dumb dumb!!
keep it simple stupid!!
chevy_chica —
i had that problem at first here too!!
make your screen smallerthen hold your mouse
to the right end of the margin and left click but
HOLD it, pull your page wider!!—OR put your
mouse to the very top margin, left click and hold and pull your
page to the far left then pull on the right margin in the same manner
directed above…this will make the page wider too
works everytime!! your left margin articles won’t be stuffed in
the left margin ads anymore!!
Andrew - That’s exactly what I’m saying… If the points leader blows a tire qualifying, better luck next week! It works just fine for NHRA. If John Force blows a motor he packs it up, see you next weekend. I don’t watch enough of the Busch and Truck series to know if they have this scam in their qualifying, but from what I have seen they don’t have it. Why should the Cup series be any different?
Nascar, bring real racing back!
Thanks mare
If you’re gonna qualify, make it mean something to everyone. I’ve been at a lot oF races where the season points leader has failed to make the show. It was still a good show and in some cases better. Qualifying also gives the new guy a shot. How discouraging it is for a young driver to look at the program and discover that there are 8 positions available and 15 cars competing for them but 35 cars are home free. At liast it’s a little more encouraging to see that there 43 starting positions and 50 cars competing. G0 NASCAR BRING RACING BACK TO RACING. I DARE YA!!!!!
I believe that the top ten in points should race for the pole and let the other thirty nine race to see who’s fastest to gt in the race. The top ten should race no mater what the others should race for the rest of the positions based on who’s the fasest.
Steve
Wouldn’t the top 10 be the superior teams? Why should they get any extra breaks? That’s ridiculous. No one should have a free pass. Not even past champions. Free rides are not what racing should be about. Everyone should run the risk of complete failure.