All Purpose NASCAR Thread

The overwhelming argument in favor of the Chase system ... the 2006 Busch Series standings. In the Cup series, the 10th-place driver is 450 points back and will be 50 back in a couple of weeks; setting up a 10-way battle for the championship. In the Busch series, the second-place driver is 519 points back and has no chance to win the championship unless Kevin Harvick suddenly develops an irresistible obsession with Paris Hilton's ass goiter.

And this, children, is how rumors start.

 

Actually, from my point of view Harvick (and the rest of the Buschwhackers) shouldn't even be in the points standings, but that's another column entirely.

 

Hell yes! The Chase is artificial and that's the main thing I hate about it. Same thing with the stupid-ass lucky dog lap rule. If you're a lap down, you're a lap down, why the hell should you get it back? Freeze the field when a yellow comes out and let the chips fall where they may.

I'd link my column on the Chase 'round about Brickyard time, but I'm not ready for the outing.

 

NASCAR didn't even have that much of a problem racing back to the caution. Drivers weren't that stupid. To me the whole thing is manufacturted now, like ... um, like the WWF.

 

The "Lucky Dog" rule was needed. There were several near misses with guys racing back to the line during cautions. I believe the incident that prompted the rule involved Dale Jarrett a couple of years back. Wrecked coming out of four and the leaders were on the backstretch. Couple of cars zipped by Jarrett's non-moving ride at around 170 mph. All it would've took was one little slip-up and there'd be another dead Dale.

Had they not made the rule and someone been killed, we'd all be on here talking about how dumb NASCAR is. Come on, you know that.

I can see not giving the lap back, but really, who gives a shit? It's the same rule for everyone, there's no interpretation left up to NASCAR and more often than not, it's a rule that plays no part in the outcome of the race.

As for the Chase, it's a dumb system that goes completely against the one thing NASCAR has said it holds dear -- consistency. If you want to make the final few races more interesting, fine. But do it in a way which makes every race more interesting -- give out 100-point bonuses for WINNING the damned races. You've still got to be consistent to win the title, but now, that bullshit where you ride along in second and protect your position costs you 105 points. Get out there and drive, assholes.

If they're going to stick with this format, then I suggest the following: Stop counting the points the same way. What the hell sense does it make to completely wipe away the rest of the year, get everybody all bunched up together and then use the same points system you've been using all year? Why not have the top 10 guys use a points system only for them? If you're shooting for a fantastic finish to the season, doesn't it make sense to make it where the worst these guys can do is 10th each week? For example, say Johnson wrecks early one race during the Chase and ends up 43. Instead of finishing however-the-hell-many-points behind the winner, he would only finish 50 points behind the top Chase participant.

 

You should have to earn your lap back.

If they even gave just a 25-point victory bonus, it'd make those doucheboxes race.

 

Lucky dog could be the dumbest rule in all of sports, and I'm not kidding when I say its implementation significantly eroded my personal interest in NASCAR.

Why in the hell should anyone be gifted a lap back? Bad luck is bad luck. As they say, that's racin'. If NASCAR wanted to avoid racing to the caution, just freeze the field the second the yellow comes out and let the chips fall where they may. THAT is the safest option.

I wait (and hope it never happens) for the dreaded day when someone who lucky dogged their way back on to the lead lap causes a wreck that injures or kills someone because they were over-aggressive in trying to gain even more positions. Hope NASCAR is happy when that happens.

And while I'm on that topic, NASCAR shouldn't award points below 20th place. Many of these dopey final 20 lap-wrecks are caused by backmarkers who have no business mucking up the race for the frontrunners.

Lucky dog is another do-anything-for-TV sword in NASCAR's chest.

 

Sponsors would throw a fit over no points for those outside the top 20, which is why that idea (sadly) never would fly.

And I can't believe NASCAR takes like five laps sometimes to get the running order right when the field is frozen. I know there's issues with scoring loops, video replays, etc., but still, it should be a bit quicker.

 

At one point, I came up with (and posted) what I think the point system should be, but I can't remember what happened to that post.

At any rate, I had everybody outside the top 25 getting a gee-thanks-for-coming award of 1 point.

The lucky dog rule is ridiculous (drivers didn't always get their laps back the old way) and in 2muchcoffeeman's NASCAR, the restarting-at-the-tail-end-of-the-lead-lap BS would be disallowed as well. If you're a lap down, then you restart on the inside and try to earn it back.

wicked: Drivers absolutely were that stupid.