So far you could call
the 2007 Nextel Cup season the year of the dog-eared rule book.Time-and-time
again NASCAR Officials have flogged crew chiefs and drivers with the said rule book.Penalties and fines are as common as motor oil and lug nuts.Some of these
penalties have been brutal.After the Kurt Busch show at Pocono this weekend,
I’m sure Dale Earnhardt Jr. is wishing he had those 100 points he lost earlier this season back in his pocket.With the race to the chase coming down to the wire, every point counts.
With the race to the
chase format, it is conceivable that the standings could be manipulated by NASCAR’s heavy handed enforcement and interpretation
of the rules.Now, I don’t believe for a second that the sanctioning body
is intentionally and knowingly creating advantages or disadvantages by selective enforcement of the rules.Under the status quo it’s possible that they could, and there in lies the issue.With the millions of dollars at stake week in and week out, it is imperative that NASCAR remains one hundred
percent unbiased and immune to external pressure from car owners and sponsors.Perception
is everything.
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NASCAR spent millions
of dollars and several years designing, testing and building the Car of Tomorrow (COT).Perhaps it’s time to put the same level of commitment to a complete overhaul of the rulebook.Put together a small team of engineers, lawyers, maybe some ex-drivers and past officials to go over the
rule book with a fine tooth comb and give it an extreme makeover that will ensure the rules are fair, consistent, and good
for the sport.List the penalty for violating each and every line item in the
book.Enforcement can not be subjective and open to interpretation.Penalties must be well defined and appropriate for the level of offense.I like the old adage, “Keep It Simple.”
The Robby Gordon situation
in Montreal
was a symptom of the problem.He viewed the positioning situation one way.NASCAR viewed it another.I can stand
back and see both sides of the story and see where they were both right, and at the same time, they were both wrong depending
on how you interrupt the rules.When rules need to be “Interpreted,”
that tells me they are not clear in their meaning.
The time has come for
a rule book extreme makeover before the rule book becomes a “Detriment to the Sport.”
If you sat on the committee,
what are some of the things you would take a look at?Here’s a few of the
things I would consider changing:
Past Champions Provisional
Thirty Five Car Guaranteed
Spot
The Green/White/Checker
Rule
The Lucky Dog Rule
and
The Impound Race
Rule
I would also consider
making it illegal to say “Boogity, Boogity, Boogity” within the confines of the speedway (Okay, maybe we don’t
need a rule for that).
2006 StockCar Review.
