Why Nascar is starting to suck

Created April 15, 1995

Why Nascar is starting to suck!

Let me start this by saying that I am a staunch Nascar fan. I watch every race live, or on DVR if I can't make it. I went to my first Nascar race in 1990. I have been to several live races, but the best was when my co-worker got me garage passes to one of the Atlanta races. I bleed Nascar, but lately there are several things about the Nascar sport that are starting to piss me off. For the purposes of this web site, I'm referring to Cup racing.

I'd like to start off with some things that I like. You should always start off with positives. I like the safer barriers. I like the Hans devices. In fact I like all of the safety precautions that Nascar has implemented. I LOVE Nascar in High Def! I like the Fox coverage of the Nascar races. Having said that, I like that Dale Jarrett is on the rest of the broadcasts.

Now on to the things that just get to me.

1) Lucky Dog. I understand how this came to be. In the past, we raced to the caution flag because the race wasn't under caution until the leader took the yellow flag. If the leader was inclined, he could allow a lapped car to proceed in front of him, thus getting his lap back. When they stopped racing to the yellow (which is a GREAT decision for safety reasons), they implemented an automatic grant of a lap back to the racer that is the first lap down. This is crap. Nothing should be automatically given back. You are down a lap for a reason. That's racing.
UPDATE - If you are going to force this rule, then why not do this. Throw the caution, and wait until everybody pits. Then when they call come back out, whomever is the 1st lap down gets the lap back. The reason that I propose that is that if you are the "Lucky Dog", you get to pit and take as long as you like because your position is guaranteed. You actually get an unfair advantage of more time on pit road.

2) Top 35. Lately they have been guaranteeing the top 35 a place in every race. So now the people that are not in the top 35 have to fight to get in. This is crap. Each race should be judged based on how the cars qualify. If you are particularly good at a specific track, or if you are just having a good weekend, you should be able to get in even if you aren't in the top 35.

3) The COT. This beef for me actually started well before the COT. There is nothing stock about these cars nowadays. They all look the same, and there is no manufacturers difference except for stickers. Again this is crap. It is the National Association of STOCK Car Auto Racing. See that word "STOCK"?

4) Rules. They have this wonderful book of rules, but it appears to differ on a whim. Don't believe me? Watch an entire race. They throw a caution if a guy spins and corrects himself during the bulk of the race, but then if a guy has a much worse accident near the end, they won't throw the caution. Conspiracy theorists will say it's because certain drivers are winning or threatening to win, and I won't go there. I just say, call a spin if you are going to call it. I think they throw cautions MUCH too unnecessarily. Let them get a few seconds to right themselves if possible.

5) Debris. If I had a nickel for every piece of mysterious debris that has never been shown on TV, I would have many many nickels. Ok, so I wouldn't be able to retire, but it would be a lot! Simple rule. Show the debris if there is a debris caution.

6) The Chase. This is NOT a playoff. A playoff would mean that racers that got in would not have to contend with racers that did not. Instead, they have the whole field in it. I'm sorry, but if you worked your ass off for the entire season, and you are 400 points in front of anybody, you should be able to keep that lead. The Chase needs to go away. Finally, if you are going to force a Chase, then ensure that you have a sampling of tracks that are representative of the season. Short, Road, Speedway, Flat, Superspeedway etc. Make the tough decisions. The Chase is not representative of the rest of the season.

7) Restrictor Plates. See #3. If the cars were more stock, you wouldn't need restrictor plates. They just slow the cars down and bunch them up until half of the field wrecks. Get rid of them. Let it be a test of drivers.

8) Cautions. Caution laps should not count. Now you don't need the Green/White/Checker finishes.