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NASCAR has to come up with an alternate qualifying system
By admin | October 24, 2008
By Richard Allen
For the tenth time this year and for the fourth time in seven weeks the field for a NASCAR race will be set based on owner points. This week it is the Pep Boys Auto 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway that has fallen victim to a Friday wash out.
Last week I wrote that I did not think it would be such a bad idea to have the Top 12 in the Chase races to be made up of the Chase contenders. I still believe that is a good idea. However, I do believe there should be a qualifying session held for each and every race.
There are teams who went to the expense of preparing a car, hauling it to Atlanta, feeding and housing a crew, and then unloading and setting up only to be told they would not be in this race without ever having a chance to get on the track. There is no way that is good for the sport.
And more, pit stall selections will once again be made based on owner points. The points leading team of Jimmie Johnson did not have to turn a single lap on the speedway to earn the advantage of whichever spot on pit road they deem to be best. The rich get richer because of an act of nature.
I could understand the decision to cancel qualifying if there was to be a full lineup of Craftsman Truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup events this weekend on the same track, but there is only the truck series running in conjunction with the Cup cars in Atlanta.
Time could easily be found within the schedule to hold a qualifying session, especially on a track with lights. There is too much at stake not to have qualifying.
One argument, aside from scheduling, made in favor of the cancellation of qualifying is that it would cause the crews to work more. If that be the case the crew members would simply be making up for a day in which they got to sit in the garage area and play cards, as was shown during SpeedTV’s coverage.
If it is going to be said that holding qualifying at an unscheduled time will cause problems with practice, then simply make this an impound race. Practice could be held as normal, then the truck race could run, and qualifying could be held on Saturday night following the truck race.
The go or go home teams could run some sort of qualifying set up which they would have to live with until the first caution while the Top 35 teams could qualify on race set ups. This would be no different than races held on the restrictor plate tracks.
NASCAR is going to have to re-evaluate some of its policies. They are driving away too many fans with these arbitrary decisions. If they would spend as much time finding ways to make it work as they do making excuses for why it won’t work they could get this done.
On another note, we in east Tennessee and Georgia appreciate NASCAR for scheduling this event and bringing the much needed rainfall.
Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. His weekly column appears in The Mountain Press every Wednesday.
Topics: Articles |
October 25th, 2008 at 7:44 am
Rich, you are bang on with your comments. This business of cancelled qualifying because of weather is wrong. But how about this, if rain does cancel qualifying, and the field is to be set by owner’s points, why not invert the field? Make Johnson work for his “privilege”. Or, instead of using owner’s points, how about drawing for both their starting position AND pit selection by the same draw method as their qualifying position. But you are right too that Atlanta has lights, so do qualifying after the Truck race and make the race an impound race, just like at one of my least favorite tracks, Talladega (I hate that place! Like Martinsville, I say remove it from the schedule!). I just feel NASCAR is using this too easy escape to make sure Johnson gets that third (undeserved) title.
October 25th, 2008 at 8:56 am
While I agree completely that every car that pulls to the track. Should be allowed a chance to make the race. I’m A little OK with the cars that went home this week. Harder to work up sympathy for eastablished Cup owners just trying to throw in an extra car. Than for owners trying to gain a toe hold in the stacked deck that todays NA$CAR has become.
Suppose this had happened to Alan Kulwicki when he was trying to get his start. He would have had to travle back to Wisconson by bus. Having had to sell his pickup for the ticket.
For God’s sake Franchise already, so the owners know where they’re at. That way at least when the Wood Bros. & Petty Int. go belly up. They can walk away with something, unlike Bud Moore, & Dave Marcus.
October 25th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Does anybody remember 2nd day qualifying? It wasn’t that long ago. As if the lead car in the chase didn’t already an advantage, with rainouts it doesn’t even have to work to get the lead, nor be in the middle of the pack where there’s a chance of getting caught up in a wreck. Makes for real exciting racing, doesn’t it? And folks, wait till the COT takes up full tiome residence in the Nationwide series next year. More fingernail biting excitement. I’m in it till the finish this year, but for the first time I can remember, na$car won’t be high on my list of must watch programs next year. Like a lot of long time fans I’ve slowly lost interest the last two or three years. This year has hastened my departure from the sport. Thanks for ruining the sport I’ve loved for years, na$car. midasmicah