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A NASCAR BLOG BY Art Weinstein
Worst change NASCAR has made in recent years is…
After learning that I worked in the NASCAR business, a fan asked me point blank: What’s the worst change NASCAR has made to the sport in the last few years?
“How much time do you have?” I asked, as we stood facing each other.
It was a joke, as I stalled for time searching for an answer. There were too many choices. Luckily, I’ve spent plenty of time pondering the pros and cons of all of NASCAR’s decisions in the past few years, so I quickly considered and discarded some possible answers, thinking out loud (not a pretty sight).
Car of tomorrow? No, as much as I dislike the aesthetics of the car and the fact that all four manufacturers’ models now look alike, I believe it puts the racing more in the drivers’ hands, instead of yielding results to the team with the best engineers and biggest wind-tunnel budget. The car is much safer and with time, hopefully, the racing will improve.
“OK,” said the fan who posed the question.
I know some fans hate the championship format known as the Chase For The Sprint Cup, but I think it makes the end of the season more exciting and unpredictable. I can understand fans who argue that in resetting the points for the final 10 races, the season’s most consistent driver may not be crowned champion. But almost every other sport resets its system late in the season for playoffs. As I recall, I was a Chase basher when the new format was first introduced, but it has grown on me.
“Um, OK,” said the fan.
Let’s see, worst change … worst change. I don’t care for later starting times for races, but NASCAR and the networks believe more fans will watch later in the day, so I can rationalize them.
By now, I was talking non-stop, thinking out loud, and I sensed the person who asked the question had begun edging away, the way you’d back away from a snarling dog that was foaming at the mouth.
Ah, I said, the lucky dog rule. Worst change in the sport in recent years. You’re giving something to someone who has not earned it. Before the lucky dog, remember those tough battles as drivers fought to stay ahead of the leaders? Cars that fall a lap down go a lap down for a reason, and they shouldn’t be rewarded with a free pass. NASCAR initiated the rule partly for safety, but also to help ensure that if a fan favorite such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Jeff Gordon loses a lap as the result of a fluke incident, they can more easily get back on the lead lap and contend for the win. Obviously, that helps keep fans in front of the TV and in the grandstands. But it’s a bad rule. So, I’m not a fan of the lucky dog rule.
“Oh,” said the fan, who was probably in his early 50s. “I thought you’d say NASCAR’s new car. I hate it. I remember back in the day, when I had a Ford, that looked like the cars they raced on the track, and …”
Five minutes later, after politely nodding at the fan’s lengthy reminiscence of how great NASCAR was in the 1970s and ’80s, I was the one who politely begged out of the conversation and walked away. Hey, we all have our likes and dislikes about the sport, and it’s fun to talk about them. To a point.
Art Weinstein
Managing Editor Art Weinstein has been covering NASCAR since 1995 and has worked at NASCAR Scene for 11 years.
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Comments
26 responses to "Worst change NASCAR has made in recent years is… ". Post a Comment.
phillip wafford said:
Mar 17, 2009 at 2:39 PMyou can argue that the COT is a lot safer but in the same breath you could also ask why they could'nt put all those safty features in a real car?
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» Confirm Abuse Reportrandy hayes said:
Mar 17, 2009 at 11:32 PMThe Chase is far and away the worst innovation
Report as AbuseCOT certainly comes in second place
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJohn Coman said:
Mar 18, 2009 at 7:23 AMThe worst change in NASCAR wasn't in the rule book, it was in the board room.
Report as AbuseAt one time NASCAR was run by racers who wanted to make money. Now it is run by people who want to make money racing.
Big difference.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportjim blazek said:
Mar 18, 2009 at 10:20 AMThe COT would be a lot better if NASCAR let the teams tweak on it more. The 'old car'was a down sized version of the original stock cars and was not liked at all till they tweaked on it for years-and still it had the dreaded 'aero push'.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDon Good said:
Mar 18, 2009 at 12:50 PMMy vote for the worst change is the "realignment" of the schedule - especially the removal of Rockingham and the reduction of races, including losing the Southern 500, at Darlington.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMeg said:
Mar 18, 2009 at 3:07 PMI hate the lucky dog rule. Let them race back to the yellow. No wait.. I hate the pit road speed, or even the commitment cone violation. Maybe I hate that they can't work on the car setup after qualifying sometimes, or that they can't have a qualifying engine and a race engine (Naww, I don't care about that one)... I hate the restrictor plates, and no going below the yellow line, etc. etc. etc... Why doesn't someone start a racing series with the old rules.. It was more fun !
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMeg said:
Mar 18, 2009 at 3:07 PMI hate the lucky dog rule. Let them race back to the yellow. No wait.. I hate the pit road speed, or even the commitment cone violation. Maybe I hate that they can't work on the car setup after qualifying sometimes, or that they can't have a qualifying engine and a race engine (Naww, I don't care about that one)... I hate the restrictor plates, no going below the yellow line, etc. etc. etc... Why doesn't someone start a racing series with the old rules.. It was more fun !
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» Confirm Abuse ReportBob Koba said:
Mar 18, 2009 at 6:55 PMThe chase is the worst. Nascar has lowered itself to stick and ball sports-the best loser can be a champion. It means very little.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportGrover rickman said:
Mar 18, 2009 at 7:26 PMI haven't for 2 years and will not spend 1 penny on anything Nascar until the day the COT is history.The trucks and nationwide are the only races I watch,oh yea!the last 15 laps of Cup is sometimes good.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMichael Daly said:
Mar 19, 2009 at 11:49 AMThe COT is not safer and it has not put the racing into drivers' hands - it has put engineering more, not less, into the forefront.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMichael Daly said:
Mar 19, 2009 at 11:50 AMThe worst change is letting multicar teams take over the sport - it is long past time to force contraction by multicar teams.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMichael Daly said:
Mar 19, 2009 at 11:51 AMJim Blazek, you know why it had aeropush? Because dirty air was not pulling trailing cars forward as it had done in the 1970s and 1980s and even the mid-1990s. A bigger rear spoiler and bolt-on roof rail would have solved that, not the COT.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportjim blazek said:
Mar 19, 2009 at 4:18 PMMichael, A lot of people don,t like the COT. Wait til you see the COT for nationwide cars.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportGeorgia Ross said:
Mar 19, 2009 at 6:44 PM(1) the COT (2) the Chase (3) the Lucky Dog (4) million dollar multi-car teams, leaving all but no room for the small-team competitors that deserve to have a chance to race...that's a good start for WORST CHANGE(S)!!!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportStephen Stamper said:
Mar 21, 2009 at 4:07 PMThe chase and COT. Moving out of the south, is another, hate the boring CA, and Vegas tracks.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDan Seibert said:
Mar 21, 2009 at 9:31 PMAll the above plus nascar should not own tracks. THEY are the driver voice and as a owner they can not do their job for the drivers!!!!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDavid Clark said:
Mar 22, 2009 at 7:20 PMThe worst Nascar did was not implement more safty rules before the 2001 Daytona 500!!3
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDavid Clark said:
Mar 22, 2009 at 7:28 PMThe worst thing Nascar did was not implement more safety rules before the 2001 Daytona 500!!!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportRex Lee said:
Mar 23, 2009 at 11:40 AMRestrictor plates and the lucky dog rule. I like the cars, there safe and the drivers have to drive them. I like the chase, it means there's a reason to be racing. Oh yea not racing back to the yellow line, thats why the lucky dog rule I guess and them dad-burn restictor plates. Hate them forsure!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSam Steadman said:
Mar 23, 2009 at 9:03 PMThe worst thing that happened was when Big Bill France passed away. He must be rolling over in his grave. RIP big Bill.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSunday Money said:
Mar 23, 2009 at 10:28 PMI think of the past drivers that had so much more do. Some of them drove the car to the race that they were going to race. We seem to have gotten away from the history of the sport and what it was founded on. Dale Sr. did not the burn-outs because I know to him that was wasting money. He remembered the day HE had to buy the tires. Even though he could buy Goodyear he did not like burn-outs. The sport began in the south and now the revenue seems greater in other states. If you take the sport from the South you will lose fans.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSunday Money said:
Mar 23, 2009 at 10:30 PMI think of the past drivers that had so much more to do. Some of them drove the car to the race that they were going to race. We seem to have gotten away from the history of the sport and what it was founded on. Dale Sr. did not like the burn-outs because I know to him that was wasting money. He remembered the day HE had to buy the tires. Even though he could buy Goodyear he did not like burn-outs. The sport began in the south and now the revenue seems greater in other states. If you take the sport from the South you will lose fans.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSunday Money said:
Mar 23, 2009 at 10:30 PMI think of the past drivers that had so much more to do. Some of them drove the car to the race that they were going to race. We seem to have gotten away from the history of the sport and what it was founded on. Dale Sr. did not like the burn-outs because I know to him that was wasting money. He remembered the day HE had to buy the tires. Even though he could buy Goodyear he did not like burn-outs. The sport began in the south and now the revenue seems greater in other states. If you take the sport from the South you will lose fans.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportBetty Dodson said:
Mar 24, 2009 at 7:21 AMMeg, Bob, Grover, Michael & Sam You said it
Report as Abuseall -- TV rating are down!! No wonder when
you have 18 cars on the lead lap before half
the race is over. That is not racing. Go
back to the old cars and left the guys race.
Maybe you will get your fans back and get
Brian France out of the Mix. He has ruined
this sport if you can call it a sport any
more.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSib Howell said:
Apr 1, 2009 at 9:06 PMBiggest mistakes of NASCAR: The last 5 years of decissions plus trying to control EVERYTHING!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMichael Daly said:
Apr 7, 2009 at 9:58 AMRex Lee, restrictor plates made the racing safer and made it much better.
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» Confirm Abuse Report