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Downsizing Less is more when talking about a starting lineupPosted: Tuesday June 17, 2003 2:56 PM
One astute reader recently suggested that since yours truly seemingly knows everything, I should just go away so that all the other disgruntled NASCAR fans could have a chance to gripe about how grass-roots fans have gone the way of the Buick. Thanks, Mom. I love you, too. And since we're on the subject, know this: The decision to change the Winston Cup, er, Nextel schedule is rooted in two things -- money and, maybe even more important, putting pressure on Bruton Smith/Speedway Motorsports Inc. to play a shell game with the race dates at his tracks. Now, on to what's really a burr under my saddle ... Quite frankly, there are too many cars in a Cup race. C'mon, 43 is overkill -- and has been for a while. There have been at least 10 different race winners each season for the past 18 years, including 18 in 2002 and a modern-era record 19 in '01. There have been 12 in 15 races this year. Thirty-six drivers have started each of this season's 15 points races. Four others have started 14, and two of those -- John Andretti and Mike Skinner -- are now unemployed. Of the 36 drivers who have taken the green flag each week, three rookies are among the bottom four in points: Jack Sprague, Casey Mears and Tony Raines. Think of them as the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Tigers and L.A. Clippers of going fast, turning left. While NASCAR is embracing the future (read: moving marquee races to tracks that generate mo' money, which is its choice; it's the American way), the very least the sport could do is spare fans the fringe drivers who clutter the field. Fans would see better races, sponsors would get more on-air time, and, considering the antiquated points system, a majority of the drivers wouldn't be eliminated from Cup contention by Memorial Day. Downsizing the starting lineup also would do away with "provisional" starting spots. A 30-car field, perhaps? With fewer teams committing more resources to field better teams, a premium would be placed on qualifying. Qualify or go home -- that's the way racing should be. As it stands now, if you cannot qualify for a race, you're either a) not cheating like everyone else; b) not trying hard enough to cheat; or c) don't belong in the game to begin with. After all, it's not that hard to make the current 43-car field. Each Cup race has seven provisional starting spots, Nos. 37-43. Determining those positions is done by a group of folks who think a good time is firing up the George Foreman grill, blasting Oingo Boingo from the Bose wave machine and counting the pens in their pocket protectors:
Notes: But wait, there's more!
If, after Pos. 37-42 are assigned, there remains a car owner whose driver is the current or a past Cup champ who participated as a driver in the previous season and who was entered in the event for that owner -- and in that car -- prior to the entry deadline, a 43rd provisional starting position is assigned to that car owner. Seven-time Cup champ Richard Petty needed help to make the field at the end of his career, and despite his qualifying efforts, NASCAR couldn't hold a race without The King in field. Hence, 43, Petty's car number -- get it?
More notes: So, now that that's crystal clear, does NASCAR need 43 cars in a Winston Cup field? No. It should take a page from the IROC playbook and trim the starting lineup to feature the best the sport has to offer. Teams will have an easier time securing season-long sponsors, and other businesses that want to be involved with NASCAR can spend their money in the Busch or Truck series to support those cash-strapped teams, which in turn breed the next generation of Cup drivers. It's trickle-down economics, for us fans at the grass-roots level. B. Duane Cross is a senior producer for SI.com.
Got a comment or question for Duane? Click here.
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