Bob Pockrass: Rain-shortened races unacceptable in Chase
COMMENTARY
LOUDON, N.H. – There’s the possibility of rain this weekend, and it will be a sad situation if the first race in NASCAR’s heralded Chase For The Sprint Cup is determined in the same manner the last race was at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The race in July was cut short by a rain shower. Drivers had to determine whether to pit or not when they knew the rain was coming. Kurt Busch stayed out and won the race. Good for him. Congratulations for being the best car with the best weatherman and the best fuel strategy – for a race that ended up 17 laps shorter than scheduled.
Should NASCAR have a race in the playoffs determined in that manner? Absolutely not.
There are two remedies that could keep this from happening.
The first would be to institute a rule that would require all Chase races to be run to completion. If it rains with 10 laps remaining and the track can’t get dry, then bring everyone back the next day for the final 10 laps.
It might sound a little crazy, but should a champion be determined by a race because of the way the team predicts the weather? Granted, luck and circumstance play into any race, but an NFL playoff game wouldn’t get stopped in the third quarter just because of lightning and never get finished. If the lights go out in an NBA arena early in the second half of a playoff game, the league isn’t going to throw its arms up and say, “Game over.”
There would be arguments that fans shouldn’t have to stick around another night just to see the end of the race. No, they shouldn’t. But this is a time where the competition factor needs to be considered.
Which brings us to the next point: All Chase tracks need lights. No ifs, ands or buts. If a track wants a Chase race, it needs to have the ability to light the track. That likely would give NASCAR about another four or five hours to complete a race. If it rains, there is still a chance the track could be dried to complete the race on the scheduled day without darkness becoming an issue.
It’s mind-boggling that no one has come up with a way to tarp a track so that track drying can be a much quicker process. It seems archaic that we sit around for an hour or two after the rain stops as six or seven slow-moving vehicles dry a track along with a string of emergency vehicles and tow trucks doing as many laps as they can to put heat in the surface.
These are the playoffs. The championship is on the line. The participants deserve more than just people crossing their fingers for luck or kneeling in prayer and trying to keep rain from playing an integral role in the Chase.
