Hard Turn
A NASCAR BLOG BY Jeff Owens
Double-file restarts will make NASCAR much more intriguing
NASCAR made one of the best moves it has made in a while Thursday by implementing double-file restarts among the leaders.
The move, which begins this weekend at Pocono Raceway, should spice up the competition and make things more exciting during Sprint Cup races.
For years, double-file restarts have only been allowed at the beginning of races and when lapped cars are allowed to line up to the inside of the leaders.
That creates two big problems: One, it allows lapped cars to get in the way of drivers battling for the lead or trying to run down the leader. Though drivers a lap or more down have a right to try to get their lap back, racing the leader to do it is no longer necessary with NASCAR’s Lucky Dog rule.
Second, allowing lapped cars to line up at the front of the field, mixing it up with lead-lap cars, gives the leader a big advantage, allowing him to pull away from the field.
That is particularly true at the end of races, when there are no double-file restarts, and the field takes the green flag single-file. Too
often the leader just pulls away, racing virtually unchallenged to the checkered flag.
We’ve seen way too much of that this season.
Under the new rule, that won’t happen nearly as often. Now, the drivers in third and fourth and even farther back will have a much better
chance of chasing down the leader and challenging for the lead.
It also may create more daring moves and more exciting side-by-side battles for position, especially late in the race.
With attendance down, TV ratings declining and many fans disgruntled with NASCAR’s new car and the product on the track, NASCAR needed to make a move to spice things open and generate some excitement.
This could do it no matter where they are racing.
Though some drivers don’t like it, this is a move many fans and the media have been calling for, especially after seeing a thrilling all-star
race under the same rules.
NASCAR listened to its fans and made a bold move to help improve the competition on the track. For that, it should be applauded.
It sure makes this weekend’s race at Pocono a lot more intriguing.
Jeff Owens
Jeff Owens has been covering NASCAR since 1991 and began covering the circuit full time in 1993. He has been with NASCAR Scene since 1998.
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Comments
3 responses to "Double-file restarts will make NASCAR much more intriguing". Post a Comment.
RonSchwalbe said:
Jun 5, 2009 at 9:17 PMI like the fact you used the term - -"......Generate excitement......." !
Report as AbuseThat's needed now because every single decision Brian, Mike and Robin have made over the past few years has REMOVED the excitement, creativity, traditions, intensity, spontaneity, and just about every other reason we've loved Stock car racing for the past 40 years !!
Now that they all freely ADMIT they're "putting on a show" - - by scripting every move, and trying to "manufacture" excitement - you think they'd just look back as recently as ten years ago -- when every single week, the crowds got bigger and BIGGER - -and just look at how everything was done beFORE the current "owner" inherited his new toy and decided to change what wasn't broken.
Throwing us this token bone make it appear they're actually listening to the fans - -
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSTP43FAN said:
Jun 15, 2009 at 6:02 PMRON SCHWALBE - don't let the previous administration off the hook - they didn't sufficiently address the sport's competitive ennui, either. Yes Brian and company have made it far worse by betraying mind-boggling ignorance of racing, but the Dead Lane Era of mediocre racing began in 1985 when the sport failed to produce a single race with at least 40 official lead changes for the first time since 1970. And so far double-file restarts, far from making more excitement, have failed - passing has not increased at all and actually looks to have decreased more, with drivers afraid to fight for anything on restarts more now than they were before.
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This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportHateda88 said:
Jul 29, 2009 at 12:20 AMShhhh...Don't let Nascar hear you say something might be intriguing or they will stop it. They only like BORING and dull. SHHHHH!!!!
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