What is Fair
and Wrestling with Speech?
What is fair?
After qualifying on Saturday was over
it became real apparent that the qualifying system in place now is completely unfair
Michael Waltrip timed in 20th on Saturday
and had to go home. Brian Vickers and Ken Schrader were not far behind, While Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Clint Boyer just
to name a few qualified deep in the field, and got to race on Sunday.
This is just unfair; if you qualify
better than half the field you should be guaranteed in the field for the race on Sunday with a big time sponsor or not. I
would say that NAPA
is a fairly large sponsor and they have seen the track once this season with the top 35 in owner points locked into any giving
field.
The qualifying change a couple of
years ago was supposed to be a change for the better, but with more and more cars trying to qualify each week maybe it is
time again to look into the top 35 being guaranteed starting spots.
Maybe NASCAR should look into only
locking in the top 10 or top 15 in owner points and the rest would have to race in on speed. Get rid of the champions provisional
as it also just waters down the starting 43 each week.
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The fastest 43 cars should race each
Sunday not the ones with the big name sponsors or not with the points. Points should decide a champion not who races. Is the
current system fair? I think not.
Wrestling with speech.
Tony Stewart’s comments last
week on his radio show stirred controversy and upset NASCAR and some fans. But the nice thing about Stewart is he speaks his
mind no matter who does not like it.
He was right on in saying NASCAR was
controlling all aspects and maybe even the outcome of the race. Just like the qualifying not being fair race outcomes do look
to be less than par many weeks of the season.
Now we know NASCAR can not pick a
winner from the get go, and don’t think I am implying that they pick winners during the race, but a debris caution with
20 laps to go, to give fans a “great ending” and bunch up the field for a shoot out is cause for alarm.
The race should take its own pace;
the win should be in the driver’s hands not the control tower. A 20 lap shoot out every week is nice for the fans but
it’s not right for the drivers or the ‘integrity of the sport.
Stewart was spot on when he called
NASCAR “WWE” which we all know is called sports entertainment because the ending of each event is fixed.
Sometimes the races seem that way,
especially when a driver has a big lead with 20 laps to go and boom caution for debris that can’t be seen by any driver,
or television camera all of the sudden flies.
NASCAR is about control, they control
every aspect from the sponsors on the cars, to the parts on the cars, to who crews the cars and ultimately the speed of the
cars.
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They took all of the control after
the passing of Dale Earnhardt; he was the unofficial spokes man for the drivers, a union leader if you will. He made sure
NASCAR did not over step its bounds. He would spend hours on end in the NASCAR hauler, discussing and lobbying for things
to make the sport better and safer for the drivers and more exciting for the fans.
The drivers do not have that anymore.
Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart could do it and Stewart has even tried but it seems NASCAR will not allow it because they may
loose a little control.
They took control like a fascist leader
takes control, slowly and systematically. Sponsors are turned away because they may or may not agree with current sponsor
agreements or with NASCARS “moral” judgment. The cars no longer resemble their street counterparts and all tracks
are starting to race the same.
This control is slowly killing the
sport and the lack of viewers this year is proof positive. I commend Stewart for speaking his mind, and deep down that
led to the fine and probation he received, even though the NASCAR rule book does not have anything listed about a driver speaking
his mind about the officiating of the sport.
Even though he did break a rule in
the rule book (not doing media interviews after finishing in the top three), the penalty was a little excessive. A $10,000
fine and probation until the end of the year; most drivers receive only 6 months probation for a rules infraction of this
caliber.
NASCAR needs to
let go of some of the control and let the drivers speak their minds and teams set up the car that is being run. Basically
if NASCAR lets the driver’s race the fans will come back.
Questions, Comments;
Email Joe
The views and opinions in this article are that of the writer(s) and not necessarily that of SCR
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2006 StockCar Review.
