Not5For48's NASCAR Blog

Sometimes Bad Things Happen...........

2011-05-20T11:13:00.000-05:00

I have not posted in sometime now and I want to explain why in hopes that someone else will take something good from my experience.

At the end of August 2010 my wife began complaining of very bad back and hip pain. It got progressively worse and after 3 trips to the E.R.with little insight into the root cause we finally got a shocking diagnosis. My wife of almost 30 years was diagnosed with stage 4 Lung and Abdominal Cancer, she was experiencing kidney shut down which was misdiagnosed even though I told the E.R. doctors on the first to E.R. visits I thought that was the problem.

She spent 2 weeks in the hospital, most of it in the Critical Care Unit and after just a couple days in a regular room she was sent home only to be rushed back to the hospital the next morning. She spent another week in CCU and then 2 weeks in a regular room. My wife came home the first full week of Oct. 2010. She was enrolled in Hospice Home Care and the Hospice folks did all they could to make her remaining days as comfortable as possible.

The week of Thanksgiving 2010 her condition started a quick decline, Thanksgiving Day was terrible. The night of Thanksgiving she started having trouble breathing, in the middle of the night I had to call the Hospice Nurse to come to the house to try and make my wife more comfortable. Friday morning the day after Thanks giving I was told it would be best for my wife and I if she was transferred to a Hospice Inpatient Care Facility in a Local Hospital. After a brief discussion it was agreed we would do this.

Saturday morning, November 27, 2010, 15 years to the day after a near fatal car wreck my wife passed away in my arms as she inhaled and exhaled for the last time. She was 55 years 10 months and 27 days old when she passed, we had been living together as a couple for almost 31 years and been married for almost 30 years. I miss her dearly and wished we had more time together both recently and through our years together. Her Oncologist told me if they had detected the cancer in it's first stage she might have lived another 10 or 20 years.

Early detection and treatment is truly the only answer, at this point in time, in the battle against most Cancer. Have a Cancer screening for yourself and your loved ones whether at risk or not regularly the life saved may mean everything in the world to you like my wife's did to me.

Not5For48

So NASCAR wants to change the chase, here is some real change...(Part 2)

2010-07-30T20:46:00.000-05:00

In this installment I will talk about Past Champions and how they might be placed in the Chase if I were to make the changes. If a Past Champion that competed in the Full Season up to the start of the Chase Playoff and was not qualified through points position or race win but managed to maintain a Top 25 Points position then that Past Champion would be given a Chase Spot but seeded last no matter how the seeding was determined.

I think it is fair to say that a driver who managed at 1 time to win the Championship deserves to have the opportunity to at least have a shot at it again. Whether it be a Team change, Manufacturer change, a Large Number of DNF's, or what ever the case a recently crowned Champ deserves to have a shot. Let's face it if Jimmie Johnson had a very off year after winning 4 Straight Championships and did not qualify for the chase it would cause people to question the validity of the sport and the Chase format. This could probably tweaked slightly to be the most recent champ not already in like the race qualifying rule. Maybe it should also have a time limit like 5 or 10 years back so we don't have a driver champ from 16 or 22 years ago working the system for a Chase spot like they do now for a Race spot.

I want to add a Owners Points Champion should also have a chance at this if implemented. Again using the 48 car as an example if for some reason Jimmie Johnson was unable to compete after the car won 4 straight titles it is only fair that the car be given a chase spot whomever the current driver may be under my Chase format.

Next Part of this Series will cover my thoughts on the Points System once the Chase starts and maybe some hints on what tracks the Chase should be run at.

Comments Detrimental to Stock Car Racing, Really?

2010-07-29T14:09:00.001-05:00

Comments Detrimental to Stock Car Racing!

Really?

or is it:

Comments Detrimental to NASCAR?

The people at NASCAR Corp. HQ should all by fined, suspended, or even banned from the sport for life with what they have said and/or done to it.

"Boys Have At It!" was supposed to be the theme of the new age of NASCAR this year. They sold it to Fans, Teams, and Drivers through broadcasts and the Media. They didn't bother to tell the fans however their favorite driver could wreck another guy at 180 mph but he could not tell us what we already know, "NASCAR manufacturers the race results similar to the WWE predetermining the outcome of it wrestling matches.".

Because NASCAR secretly fines drivers for saying things that the fans can see does not negate the facts.

Since Hamlin made the mystery caution comment G-W-C finishes at the end of race went from happening every week to once every few races.

This should give us fans something to think about.

Brian France creates chaos in the sport to distract everyone from his greed and lack of sense to run the sport.

I will expect to be notified I am being fined $50 K for telling the truth just like those 2 unnamed drivers, for "Comment Detrimental to NASCAR!".

Should Jack Roush Stop Flying His Own Plane and Other News Topics of the Day

2010-07-28T18:06:00.001-05:00

Well Jack Roush crashed another one of his Aircraft. This time a small private jet owned by Roush-Fenway Racing. While I wish Jack and his passenger, a woman not his wife, I can't help asking some questions:

Should Jack have his pilots license reviewed or revoked?

Did Jack's wife know he was traveling with this women before the crash?

Was Brad Keselowski or 1 of his fans in the control tower or doing maintenance on the jet?

Where was Carl Edwards when the wreck happened?

Should Jack think about leaving the flying to corporate pilots?

It was announced that Jeff Gordon's #24 team acquired the services of Kyle Busch's former spotter effective immediately.

Will this help the #24 win races instead of finishing 2nd or 3rd so much?

Will there be a long adjustment period to this change?

Can a spotter change make a big difference in team performance?

Why didn't Jeff Dickerson, Kyle's former spotter and business manager, stay at HMS when Kyle left the Team?

It was announced that Bobby Labonte would drive the #47 car in 2011.

Will this improve Bobby's points position at the 2011 seasons end over the last few years?

Will this reduce the chances of the #47 winning a race?

Will the sponsors demand a driver change midway through the 2011 season because of performance issues?

Will Bobby retire after 2011 if his on track performance doesn't improve significantly or will he keep hanging on and shame himself like other former champions have in the past?

It was just announced that Gateway is off the Truck series and Nationwide Series schedules next year.

Did Dover Motorsports close the wrong track when they shut down Memphis?

Was it because of poor attendance?

Was it because of the track lighting problems?

Where will these races end up going on the schedule?

Was Brad Keselowski or Penske Racing behind this to payback Carl Edwards or his fans in St. Louis?

ESPN's NASCAR Now said IMS was reducing ticket prices for the 2011 Brickyard 400.

Is it because of poor attendance?

Is it because of track operator embarrassment over poor attendance?

Is it because of NASCAR embarrassment over poor attendance?

Is it because the track operator lost money after paying out the race purse money?

Jon Wreck Townley is back in the #09 Nationwide car this weekend at Iowa.

How many cars will he wreck this weekend?

On what lap of the race will he wreck out of the race?

Will the Franchisees ever get tired of Tony Townley spending their advertising money on his kids racing career?

Is RAB really that desperate for sponsor money?

Does RAB have enough cars built to keep Townley on the track for the rest of the season?

Remember the NNS and Cup double duty drivers have to travel between Iowa and Pennsylvania this weekend so that should make for some interesting issues. The Truck Series has a Few Cup drivers entered and runs at Pocono with the Cup series.

Just a couple of random thoughts about todays news.......

2010-07-27T22:08:00.000-05:00

Does Marcos Anbrose really expect us to believe he is leaving JTG without something else in the works or already set?

I think a Ford may be in his future.

Does NASCAR really think they gained anything by keep the fines of Top Level Drivers for putting down NASCAR to be OK with the Media and fans?

I am not OK with it but NASCAR has done things behind closed doors forever. it is nothing new, but I believe it hurts the sport and the sanctioning bodies credibility especially with newer fans.

Where will Sadler, Hornish, and Speed end up next year?

Hard to say with Sadler, but there are some Nationwide and truck seats he may be able to fill, maybe a bottom tier Cup team or Start and Park team will scoop him up. He could end up in the 47 car with today's Ambrose announcement.

Hornish has no Cup sponsor for next year yet so lots of speculation there.

Speed looks like he may be staying with Red Bull.

Where are the Mobil1 and Bud sponsorships going next year?

It looks like Bud may be going to the #29 RCR car with Harvick and Mobil1 is rumored to be talking with Stewart-Haas as an alternating primary on both cars and secondary when not the primary on the other car.

I should be posting the second part of my "Chase Changes I Would Like To See" series Thursday or Friday.

What is Hooking a Car and Why is it Bad?

2010-07-26T23:50:00.000-05:00

What is Hooking a Car?

Hooking a car, simply put, is contact with the rear quarter panel of a car in front of your car and accelerating to deliberately spin the car out. It can be done to either side but doing on the left side normally results in more damage, due to contact with the outside track wall, then the car it is being done to. This is why hooking is most commonly referred to has contact by a cars right rear quarter panel by the car behind it and that car accelerating to spin or hook the front car into the outside wall nose first.

So now that we have established what hooking is, why is it bad?

Because Hooking is normally done coming off a turn on to the straight-aways or on the straight-aways themselves it is done at a tracks highest speeds. Making contact with the outside wall nose first at high speeds results in some pretty amazing energy dissipation to both car and driver. It has also resulted in the deaths of many drivers over time, including Dale Earnhardt Sr., and caused NASCAR to enhance safety features including the mandatory use of a Head and Neck restraint Systems or HANS device. This Hooking move is most dangerous when it is performed on the straight-aways which is where it can have the most devastating results including severe injury or death not only to drivers , but also to fans in the stands.

We lost the sports biggest Icon in the 2001 Daytona 500 by an incident of accidental hooking coming to the checkered flag at the exit of turn 4. It would be tragic and could greatly effect NASCAR racing and some drivers careers if we had another incident, deliberate or accidental, like that.

So why do I bring this up and write about it now?

Carl Edwards choice of payback at Gateway to Brad Keselowski is a clear demonstration of what hooking is. The possible result is why it was considered to be wrong, it has really become fairly obvious that many fans do not know or understand why. Hopefully this article will give a better understanding to all the fans of the seriousness of the Hooking move and why it is not well liked or received. The article should also explain the claim of attempted murder against Carl by many.

But wasn't this done throughout NASCAR and Auto racing history without any penalties?

I have heard many argue that Dale Earnhardt Sr did this type of move many times and it seemed OK then so why isn't it OK now. When it was done by Dale Sr. it was typically done at short tracks with lower speeds but it still was not OK even then. At that time NASCAR was still a budding sport on a national level and much of the internal operations including penalties were not discussed in the media or disclosed to the fans. This was common practice and very true until the Mid to Late 1990s when TV broadcasts and dedicated shows focusing on NASCAR news started. Even to this day we most commonly get the standard explanation by the sanctioning body of "Actions Detrimental to Stock Car Racing" then a extremely brief description of the actual infraction such as "Aggressive Driving" in the case of the Gateway race penalties.

NASCAR and the rest of world of auto racing have made a great deal of effort to make the sport safer then it ever had been before. This is partly because of safety innovations but also because of rules and the basic understanding of the dangers involved in certain actions. It could quickly become tragic when just one driver, either during a moment of rage or a lapse of reason, pays back another driver on track with such a move.

No one involved in the sport, be it a Driver, team, track operator, promoter, sanctioning organization, or fan, should ever have to worry about a deliberate act causing injury or death.

Brickyard 400 after thoughts.....

2010-07-25T23:52:00.001-05:00

Just some random thoughts about the Brickyard 400 at IMS.

Was the track too green to start the race, did it cause the first lap wreck, and could the track operator and NASCAR have done more to prevent it?

I believe the answer to all 3 portions of the above question is Yes without hesitation.

If either NASCAR or the Track officials thought it was not too green there would not have been a planned competition caution or mentioned concerns over tire wear.

Some drivers felt that the green track caused the car setups they worked on for 2 days to be worthless. Kyle Busch said the adjustments made late Saturday just did not work on such a green track. That is all I needed to hear from a driver who usually drives a car so loose that he nearly wrecks on every lap but wins races with that same loose car.

Years ago before Jet Dryers a large bunch of tires were dragged around the tracks to put rubber down that was washed away by rain before a race. Track vehicles were also run around the track to dry them as well as running the cars themselves around the track but I guess NASCAR and the Track Operators are too high tech in what tries to be a low tech sport now.

Did the track crew do a good job cleaning up the track before and during the race?

Absolutely no!

The grass in the corners either grew extremely fast over night from the rain or the grounds keeper should be fired. The TV commentators were quick to point out during the opening laps that way too much grass was on the track from drivers running at the edge of the track bottom and it caused many cars to have overheating issues.

Likewise with accident clean up, we saw many pieces of debris on the track during the broadcast. We witnessed cars coming in with damage from debris left on the track and all but 1 tire failure during the race was caused by cars driving over debris left on the track.

Were the stands noticeably and surprisingly empty?

I think yes to a point that ESPN addressed it because it was impossible to show on track action without getting shots of amazingly empty stands. It seemed to embarrass Allen Bestwick when he mentioned it and I wonder if ESPN was pressured to limit shots of the stands by NASCAR and IMS.

Did a Indy Car Race being broadcast on another cable network effect activities at IMS?

Well many would say no but I believe the answer is yes, I will give my reasons and everyone can draw their own conclusions.

The same people that own IMS also own the Indy Car series.

They run many races on tracks owned by International Speedway Corporation which is owned by the France family and they also own NASCAR.

While most Indy Car series races are broadcast on the Versus cable channel the biggest races including the Indy 500 are broadcast on ABC/ESPN.

Everyone involved seemed to be committed to getting the race started and finished in the scheduled times with little attention to track prep before the race or clean up after wrecks. The other thing noticeably absent was the end of the race Green-White-Checkered Finish that has become the normal end to most NASCAR races these days.

Those are just a few of the burning questions I have about the Cup race and it's broadcast this week.

Congrats to the #1 team of Jamie McMurray on his Brickyard 400 win.

The Carl and BK Talladega Incident revisited......

2010-07-24T00:12:00.002-05:00

I have been hearing from Carl's fan and supporters as well as the BK haters that Brad started all this with Carl at the Spring of 09 Talladega Cup Race. I know this has been covered on many other sites many times before but the lack of a firm grasp of the concepts and principles of what happened seems to have escaped the people that keep pointing back to it.

Because of the confusion, sheer inability to comprehend, or ignorance of these people I decided to go over it once more in simple language that even Carl or his fans could understand. So here we go:

Coming out of Turn 4 on the last lap the 99 lead the 09 but they were draft locked bumper to nose because they had drafted down the back straightaway and through Turns 3 and 4 together. Once on the front straightaway Carl tried to break the draft to prevent a slingshot move by the 09 car, he went high but the 09 had a full head to steam and was gaining on Carl. Carl knowing he was going to finish second tried, unsuccessfully I might add, to block the 09 car coming into the Tri-Oval. The 09 car was already up to the front of the left rear tire of the 99 and was not clear to get back in front of the 09. When the 99 came down the 09 knew he had 3 choices, 1) Lift and loose a chance at a Cup win, 2) Be forced below the Yellow line and be DQ'd for it and loose the Cup win, 3) Hold his line and ground and race side by side to the stripe and the checkered flag. Being the 09 was on the bottom and had more then half his car along side the 99 he chose number 3 and would race for the win as any other driver would have (Look at Harvick's win at the Coke Zero 400 of this year), but Carl tried to force him down hoping he would have scenario #1 or 2 happen instead. The 09 firmly planted in the track and with more forward momentum then the 99 did not move but Carl came down hard and turned himself just like Kyle Busch did when racing at Daytona with Tony Stewart. This caused the 99 car to turn back end towards the direction of forward motion. Due to the design of the car and rear wing this created lift which got Carl's car airborne, it happened to many other drivers of the winged COT that got turned around at on track speeds. The winged COT works just like a small airplane above a certain speed and as we know Carl got into the catch fence and went for a wild ride.

So where does this leave us you ask? If you must lay blame for Carl's flight and resulting wreck and will not accept that Carl was at fault there you must blame NASCAR. With that being said Carl, Roush, Ford, and their fans should promptly wreck NASCAR at every race (I guess he would have to wreck the pace car if he has the moxy or courage to do it.) or boycott all NASCAR competition. He should do so promptly to avoid any more competitors cars from being damaged because of his childish vendetta that is he and the fans continue to blame the guy who beat him at his own game. He should step out of his Multi-Million Dollar Contracts and let someone who will race clean without controversy and appreciate the shot at big time racing if Carl can not act like a professional and accept that he can not wreck whomever he wants when he wants. Erik Darnell would be only to happy to fill the seats of the #60 NNS and #99 Cup cars if Carl wants to continue down this disruptive and destructive path.

Does NASCAR and the NASCAR Fansite edit, censor, or Delete Comments?

2010-07-23T17:01:00.001-05:00

The answer is without a doubt yes they do 100% of the time. I have had 2 NASCAR dot com Blog posts and several comments disappear without explanation or warning in less then 24 hours. 1 Blog post made earlier today was removed in less than 1 hours time. The Turner Trolls are out in full force today. Turner runs the site for those that don't know.

I know some reading this will question the content of the removed blog posts and comments. I can say with 100% certainty the posts and comment met all outlined community standards. While it does bother me that these posts and comments were removed what concerns me more is the removal without any contact, warning, or explanation why. How is anyone going to conform to what they deem as acceptable posts and comments if they will not tell us what is or isn't acceptable. Both the removed blog posts had comments from others and several people voted they liked what I posted during the time the posts or comments were up.

So what can I do about it, honestly nothing on their site, but I can post about it every where else. Will it change anything by protesting off site, probably not in the near future but as time goes by people will take notice and maybe someone that can do something about it will become involved.

The moral of this story is quite simple, you are not allowed to post your opinion on the NASCAR site if it is not the same as theirs.

Carl Edwards Sponsor Boycott

2010-07-22T16:36:00.002-05:00

After the word came down Saturday night from the NASCAR Nationwide Series Director that no immediate action would be taken against Carl Edwards or his #60 Race Team I decided to write the Sponsors. I would like to enlist the help of all Fans, Race Team Staff, Drivers, and Owners in expressing to Carl's sponsors that his actions are not acceptable by means of a E-mail/Letter Writing Campaign. If NASCAR will not take action a Sponsor targeted action may. We must be ready to boycott Carl's Sponsors if they decide not to act. We know that after the Atlanta incident Scott Lawn Care Products issued a statement that they would not tolerate Carl's unsportsmanlike conduct, we can now see if they really meant what they said. It is up to the Fans to let NASCAR, the Teams, the Sponsors, and the Participants know we will not accept actions like Carl's no matter what justification they may try to rationalize. It is clear that NASCAR, the Team, and Carl do not care about the safety of others including the fans, let us all speak to let them know there is no sport without the fans or the fans approval and support.

I have added a generalized form letter below that anyone is free to copy and paste to send to the sponsors. Anyone wishing to edit it to improve it or suit themselves. I am working up a list of Sponsor Contacts and will post them when complete, you may also find his sponsors names on the teams website then search for the contact information using Google or your favorite search engine.

I would like to know if [company name]'s community values include sponsoring NASCAR drivers who wreck others without regard for the safety of the fans or other competitors? After watching Saturday nights NNS race I have decided that if Carl Edwards sponsors do not make an effort to impress upon Carl that this conduct is not acceptable independently of NASCAR sanctions or lack there of I will join a boycott of all products and services Carl or his Team endorses or receives support from. A large group of NASCAR fans are organizing a national boycott as well as a online petition. I will begin to help this boycott at a local level at civic groups, church, and any other functions. Is this really the type of unsportsmanlike conduct your company wants to be associated with? Would your company prefer to have a couple of trophies and a large group of people boycott the company on a national and quite possibly international level? Keep in mind that Carl's actions effected a number of other teams and they all have fans.

There is also a online Petition calling for Disciplinary Action by NASCAR against Carl that can be found Here. I encourage everyone to sign it that believes Carl should be punished for his actions.

ADDED:

It appears the sponsors will not take any action against Carl as of Thursday, even after NASCAR stated one of the rules had been broken. NASCAR has decided to punish Carl, although it has left many of the fans wondering if the punishment was as severe as the Infraction. The fans will no doubt have to let the Sponsors and Roush-Fenway Racing know that a slap on the wrist by NASCAR is not acceptable based on Carl's action at Gateway. It would seem now is the time to contact them and express your position.

Edwards, Keselowski penalized for actions

2010-07-21T19:52:00.000-05:00

NASCAR has decided to react to the incident between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski on the front stretch at Gateway. The incident involved a right rear corner hook move by Edwards and wrecked not only the #22 Dodge but caused another crash involving several other teams. This incident was said to be payback by Edwards for the #22 car making contact with the #60 car the previous lap.

According to NASCAR dot com:

The penalties come as a result of violating Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing/aggressive driving) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book.

Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 60, has been penalized with the loss of 60 Nationwide Series championship drivers' points, fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. Car owner Jack Roush has been penalized with the loss of 60 series championship owners' points.

Roush Fenway president Geoff Smith acknowledged the penalties in a statement and said the team will look at this internally.

"We have received notification of NASCAR's penalties against Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski and Roush Fenway Racing related to Saturday night's race at Gateway," Smith said. "As with all NASCAR actions of this nature, we will internally evaluate the penalties, and the underlying explanations, prior to making any decision about next steps. We look forward to watching Carl and Brad as they continue to compete on a weekly basis for the championship in the Nationwide Series."

In addition to action against Carl and the #60 NASCAR took the following action:

Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 22, has been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

Keselowski issued the statement below through Penske PR.

"The incident at the end of Saturday night's race at Gateway was unfortunate not just for Penske Racing and the No. 22 team, but for all of the teams that were caught up in the aftermath," Keselowski said in a statement. "There was unnecessary damage done to a lot of race cars as a result of the incident, including one of our best cars. We support NASCAR's decision and we look forward to putting this behind us."

I believe NASCAR did this to prevent payback to Carl from Brad, however there were other teams involved the may decide to dispense their own paybacks as a direct result of Carl wrecking the #22 and creating another wreck.

I have been told in a E-mail by a Valvoline Brands Manager that "...Even though the on-track action is out of our control, we absolutely expect racing to be conducted safely and with good sportsmanship."

He went on to say:

"Along with the race team, all of us sponsors are awaiting any word from NASCAR after their review of the incident. We will fully support any decision by NASCAR, and we fully support our race teams and a commitment to fair and safe racing. "

So I guess we will find out just how committed the sponsors are with today's announcement.

It looks like the Crazy Carl Catastrophe' is not over yet, Roush and the Sponsors will react judging by the statements being made not to mention the damage to Carl's image and future marketability. I truly hope the Trophy was worth the cost because that was the only thing Carl gained Saturday.

Sponsor Response to Carl Edwards Sponsor Boycott E-mails/Letters

2010-07-21T17:43:00.000-05:00

I have gotten some interesting replies from some of Carl's sponsors. They vary from the customary "We appreciate your concern and will look into the incident." lip service to the "We are waiting for NASCAR to decide if there was wrong doing and dispense punishment before we take action ourselves." assurances it did not go unnoticed ans was not appreciated.

There was even a lack of response by a couple of companies so far which did not surprise me being these were his largest supporters.

I won't name names but let's just say I won't be spending any money with Ford, AFLAC, Subway, and Scotts any time soon if they fail to reply to my contact with them. A automated reply would have been better then the total lack of acknowledgment.

I was very surprised by the fact that Scotts, a company that was quick to issue a statement of no tolerance for this type of act and threatened it's own actions against the driver/team, neither replied or issued a public statement.

With NASCAR looking at the incident more closely there is sure to be more fallout from it and a large number of Fans, Drivers, and Journalists in the Media expect penalties of some sort for Edwards.

The Crazy Carl Catastrophe' will continue to be a Major Topic of Conversation in NASCAR circles as the week progresses toward on-track action this weekend.

List of Carl Edwards Major Sponsors

2010-07-19T19:03:00.000-05:00

A Short List of Carl Edwards Major Sponsors for contact.

I compiled as short list of sponsors for Carl that you can contact by E-mail or online form. I have used most of these over the last day or so using my generic form letter copy and pasted in with the appropriate company name edited in.

Ford Motor Company

AFLAC Contacts Page I used Media Relations and Customer Service

Fastenal Contacts Page E-mail any/all Corporate contacts

Copart Contacts Page E-mail Copart Direct and Media Relations

Vitamin Water Use the contact Us button at bottom left of page

Coca Cola (Vitamin Waters Parent Corp)

Subway

Scotts Lawn Care

Gillette

Valvoline

Kelloggs

If you find I missed any let me know by comment so they can be added to the list.

So NASCAR wants to change the chase, here is some real change...(Part 1)

2010-07-18T23:42:00.000-05:00

If they are going to change the chase they should make changes that really mean something, I think any fan would agree to that much. I have a few suggestions of my own like most fans do but as most of us know we have little say these days. Over the next few weeks I will blog about some changes I would like to see. As I post the varying parts of the series it will reflect all the comments submitted as well. While it may be a dream that any might happen it will give a better understanding of what the average fan wants.

The first thing I think that should be changed is how the chase, If we really need one, is how a driver/team qualifies for the chase.

I would like to see a slightly different qualifying method for the chase, again if we really have to have a chase but this is another upcoming article, a driver/team that wins a race should be qualified no matter where they end up in regular season points. These teams that have won were performing perfectly and at a championship level on that race day. It works for the All Star Race in May why not the chase? Now this is not to say finishing the regular season in the top dozen in points should not be in because through consistency they have performed well enough that they probably would have won on a perfect day. Ask any driver or former driver, with the current level of the top 15 or 20 teams it is extremely difficult to win a race and the top 12 will definitely say that judging by the current win less streaks of know championship caliber drivers/teams. So now we have a legitimate tweak, as they put it, to the current format to get in the chase by expanding the number of chase spots and rewards winning. Now here is a serious point of serious consideration should there be a champions clause to qualify for the chase? I have opinions on this subject too, but I will put that off until the next part.