NASCAR: The Top 35 Rule is Most
Injurious to… YOU!
April, 1, 2008
Jay Staton - SCR
Before we get into this
weeks subject matter, it should be noted that the 2008 Car-- and the Goodyear tires as well, performed very well at Martinsville
and produced one of the best races there in memorable history.
That said, David Reutimann
now finds himself outside of the “top 35” in the points chase, and therefore no longer has a guaranteed starting
position. His team chose to exchange his points for those of Dale Jarrett’s, and a failed differential took care of
the rest. Point-exchanges are another discussion of their own, but are almost as ridiculous as the top 35 rule itself. However,
that issue aside, if Reutimann qualifies poorly at Texas or qualifying is rained
out, he is on the same downward spiral that the Wood Brothers and Kyle Petty now find themselves in.
For you see, in the real
world, if a team runs well enough to stay in the top 35 they do not have to worry about qualifying well, and the further into
the season we get, the further behind Petty (and others) will be, and unless he can qualify in the top eight of the non-top
35 teams, he will go home.
This could translate into
qualifying ninth fastest for a given weekend and having to load up and go home.
First, this is unfair to
the competitors. Cup racing is pressure that is beyond the comprehension of most of us outside of the sport, and it is a wonder
that more drivers do not have a problem dealing with it than do. The top 35 “rule” exacerbates that pressure,
and does so in a manner that is not only unfair but unnecessary.
Secondly, it is unfair to
the fans. They deserve to see the fastest 43 cars that attempt to make the race-period. If your driver is, say, Kyle Petty—and
many fans are die hard Petty followers, and many more cheer for him due to his charity work, and he has to go home, well,
the fans will not be upset with Kyle, they will be upset with NASCAR—and justifiably so.
And that brings us to the
biggest loser in this deal—NASCAR itself!
Not only is NASCAR concerned
about (outrageously priced) ticket sales being down and television ratings being off, they should be concerned about what
is going to happen to their sport if the economy has a true downturn.
As a related sidebar,
it is now widely acknowledged that the nation is in an economic “recession”. Whether that is political hype to
theoretically make candidates that proclaim to be for, say, “change”, appear stronger than the existing administration
or the real thing, potentially due to rising gasoline costs and a struggling housing market, is a matter of conjecture, but
at this point it has gained enough momentum that perception in the minds of consumers and employers has turned it into reality.
And, interestingly, there
is another comparison with politics and the top 35 rule. Just as the conservatives fought for the same primary votes and essentially
eliminated each other from the race, the same could happen to the teams that are outside of the top 35.
It is difficult enough to
get a sponsor willing to pony up a minimum of 10 million a year or so—just ask Derrike Cope, a well spoken Daytona 500
winner who has tried for years to get decent sponsorship—and found it mostly frustrating. But now, in a time of economic
downturn, the pitch has got to be: “Well, for about 30 million a year we can do the job right. For 10 or 15 million
we may or may not be able to actually get the car—and your company name—into the show at all. How does that sound,
Mr. CEO?”
It is entirely possible
that the teams outside the top 35 will fight for the remaining spots week after week, having to share them, until there are
no teams left to fight for them for them! Sound ridiculous? Ask Morgan-McClure Motorsports how they currently feel about the
top 35 rule and how much it helped their efforts.
So, in one of the biggest
ironies, NASCAR has intentionally created and perpetuated a rule theoretically intended to help guarantee to a sponsor that
their name will be in the field, but instead created the opposite situation, and ultimately this deal—read reduced car
count--will hurt an already hurting show!
This column as well as others,
and competitors and owners alike, all have called for the repeal of the rule, but it does not appear imminent at this point.
The pain is apparently not great enough—yet.
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information.
The good news is…
for the rest of us there is always the possibility of Real Change. And that change comes from within us, not from a government
or sanctioning body that insists that it knows what is best and will take care of us. Hopefully NASCAR will “see the
light” but even if they do not, we can!
We were placed here to take
a few hard knocks. It was, and is, INTENDED to be this way! But have also have been given the ability to freely choose, and
so… make decisions, both personal and political, based on your heart, remembering that the easy way out is very rarely…
the easy way out. The correct choice almost always involves personal responsibility and sacrifice, but is worth it both in
the short and long term.
Kyle Petty and David Reutimann
will not give up, and their strength is an inspiration for the rest of us to keep up the good fight as well. Race on, race
fans!
2006 StockCar Review.
