A few tweaks in the format
and equipment could add the excitement back to a race that has been lacking excitement for years.
The race should stay in Charlotte as
most teams are located I the area so it does give the drivers some time at home. But that is about all that should stay the
same.
Next year NASCAR needs to let
the teams run the Car of Tomorrow (COT) with a softer tire, that would add some parity and maybe give a second tier team when
the race.
Past All-Star winners and series
champions should still be allowed to race but the fan vote needs to be scrapped. As this year it looked to be totally biased
as Kenny Wallace could plug himself weekly on TV. That right there shows the vote needs tweaked.
Instead of letting the fans
vote a driver in to the race, how about letting them vote for a finishing position in the open between 3rd and 15th. The driver
that finishes in the position that receives the most votes would make it into the Nextel Open. That would level the playing
field and give all drivers a chance to make the field.
The format also has to be changed;
the lengths of each of the segments should be different. Make the race three segments one segment of 20 laps one of 15 laps
and the final one, the one for the money 25 laps and put the inversion back in the race somewhere, it must happen once.
It is a good thing to try and
get the fans involved but we know fans like to always see a complete inversion. So to keep that from happening year after
year have the fans pick a random number but don’t tell the fans what the number is for, then switch it around. Make
the number 2 actually be the number 15 and then invert that many cars.
Another option NASCAR should
look into should be eliminations after each segment. If segment number one starts with 22 cars after the first segment eliminate
the seven cars and only have 15 cars start segment two (this is based on the three segments above). Then after segment two
cut eliminate five more cars. This way at the start of the final segment you would have 10 cars going at it for the money.
This would not just be 10 cars but the best 10 cars as they would have to finish in the upper half of each segment to make
it to the final segment.
With just a few changes like
described above NASCAR can bring back the excitement to the All-Star race, and make it so fans and drivers will be truly excited
about it again.
Questions, Comments;
Email Joe
The views and opinions in this article are that of the writer(s) and not necessarily that of SCR
2006 StockCar Review.
