Rule concerning double-file restarts could inject excitement into racing

By Jeff Owens - Executive Editor

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

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By the time NASCAR teams get to Pocono Raceway this weekend, they could have a new rule in place, a rule that could have a profound impact on the sport, perhaps stirring up the competition on the track and creating much more excitement, something the sport desperately needs these days.

NASCAR is seriously considering lining up the leaders for double-file restarts from the first green flag to the checkered flag and appears on the verge of implementing the rule change, if not this weekend then possibly by the June 14 race at Michigan.

It couldn’t come at a better time.

As NASCAR teams continue to struggle to get a handle on the new-model Sprint Cup car, which is really not so new anymore, the competition on the track has been lackluster at times.

The car and the competition are both gradually getting better, but it has been a slow process, turning many fans off.

TV ratings continue to be down by double-digit numbers nearly every week, and many fans attribute their lack of interest to the new car and the lack of exciting competition on the track.

So NASCAR must react – and fast.

NASCAR officials deserve a lot of credit for last week’s town-hall-style meeting with drivers and teams, in which it held an open forum to discuss many issues in the sport, including the new car and potential rule changes.

The one that makes the most immediate sense would set up double-file restarts for the leaders.

Tweaking the new car to make it more raceable and to give drivers and teams more adjustability will take time. And once NASCAR figures out what to do, it will take the teams time to adapt.

Double-file restarts, on the other hand, could have an immediate impact on the competition.

NASCAR has used double-file restarts for years, but it allows only lapped cars to line up to the inside of the leader and the lead-lap cars.

That causes two glaring problems: One, it allows the usually slower, lap-down cars to get in the way of drivers battling for the lead, often clogging up traffic and creating chaos for those trying to catch the leader.

While lapped cars have a right to try and get back on the lead lap, with the lucky dog rule, it is no longer necessary to race the leader to do it. Plus, how many times recently have you seen a lapped car outrun the leader?

Two, the procedure typically allows the leader to pull away, opening up a big advantage while his challengers have to battle lapped traffic.

With NASCAR’s new car, the leader already has an advantage, using clean air to generate more downforce and to pull away from the pack. The leader often opens up a 1- or 2-second lead before the second-place car even clears lapped traffic.

By allowing lapped cars to line up double-file, and then using single-file restarts over the final 20 laps, NASCAR has set itself up for some anti-climactic finishes, allowing the leader to pull away and often win easily without much of a challenge.

Though some races recently have had exciting finishes – such as Sunday’s race at Dover – the best 10 laps of the season came in the May 16 all-star race at Charlotte, the only event in which double-file restarts for the leaders are used throughout the race.

Since then, competitors, the media and fans have all called for NASCAR to implement the same procedure for all races, from start to finish.

Wisely, NASCAR is listening and appears to be on the verge of making the change.

Some time in the next two weeks, it will likely implement double-file restarts, allowing all lead-lap cars to line up two by two at the front of the field, with lapped cars falling in behind them. The leader will have the option of starting on the inside or outside, with the third-place car and the rest of the leaders lined up double-file behind him.

The change should give challengers a much better shot at passing the leader and should generate plenty of excitement on every restart.

It should also practically guarantee an exciting finish when there are late caution flags.

Whereas the leader is now allowed to pull away during single-file restarts, there should be plenty of dicing for position and the distinct possibility that someone in the top 10 can make a daring move and a late charge for the lead and the win.

The rule should also make pit strategy even more important. With double-file restarts and the possibility of challenging for the lead, crew chiefs will be under even more pressure to take two tires to gain track position, or to take four to allow for more grip and more of an opportunity to make a late pass.

The bottom line is that it should make each and every restart during a race much more exciting, particularly when the race is on the line.

The upcoming races at Pocono and Michigan should be good tests for the rule, should it be in place.

Pocono is a long event in which single-file racing is typically the norm. It is difficult to pass on the odd, triangular track, so drivers need all the help they can get when challenging for the lead.

Michigan is a wider track that lends itself to side-by-side racing, but the field there can get spread out during long green-flag runs. Adding double-file restarts could really spice up the action on that track, creating three- and possibly four-wide battles for the lead.

NASCAR is right to listen to fans and competitors and seriously consider the change. Now it needs to act quickly to implement it.