Okay. its time to get rid of the "Lucky Dog" rule!  When you're lapped, you're lapped!  
For those of you who are new to the sport, the "Lucky Dog" rule was adopted when NASCAR outlawed racing back to the Start-Finish line when the Caution Flag came out.  Drivers are supposed to immediately slow down when they see the Caution come out, but there used to be a sort of "gentleman's agreement", that if there was a car or two within striking distance, when the Caution Flag was waved, then the lead car would slow way down, while those who were a lap down kept going full bore until they passed the leader before he crossed the Start-Finish line, thus enabling them to get a lap back.
What started happening, though, is that for a few drivers, that "gentleman's agreement" sort went out the window, if they knew that a certain driver, or drivers stood to get their laps back.  So, they decided not to let up when the Caution came out, and a few dangerous situations ensued, where drivers who were a lap down kept going full bore, thinking they were going to get their laps back, while the leader kept going full bore, as well, because he didn't want those other guys to get their laps back.  Meanwhile, all the other drivers would slow down, like they were supposed to, making for an extremely dangerous situation racing back to the line.  You had some drivers slowing down, while others were still going 180 MPH.  As you might imagine, this was not a good thing, and it led to a wreck or two.  NASCAR got smart and said, "NO MORE!", and thus the "Lucky Dog" was born as a way to placate drivers and still keep the sport a little safer.



But, now every track has new technology in the form of timing sensors around the track, so that they can tell which car is in which position on the Cautions.  This new technology, one would think, would be a far cry better, in determining who should get a lap back, than the "Lucky Dog" ruling.  Now, that there are timing loops installed at all the tracks, NASCAR should allow all the cars that are within certain timing loops to have a lap back, the same as it would have been back when they could race to the Start-Finish line.  If cars are not within those timing loops, they don't get a lap back.  I am sick and tired of seeing guys get a lap or two down, yet come back with 10 laps to go, and get within striking distance, or worse yet, they win it!  This is just another reason why you cannot compare modern racing to "back in the day".

I had some shocked and disbelieving comments concerning my blog entry last Thursday, but one look at Lee Spencer's latest headline and I'm sure the view will become a little more focused.  NASCAR is in trouble people, and I, and a few others in these blogs, have been saying it for about 3 or 4 years, now.  There is no way that NASCAR can keep operating at the fever pitch it has been and sustain itself.

       

Cuts are being made all over the garages and across all teams, including Roush and Hendrick stables.  That says a lot about the predicament we're in.  And, its going to get a lot worse before it gets better.  I know a lot of people are going to pooh-pooh this entry and say something along the lines of, "its just the economy, stupid!"  When the economy picks up, things will perk right back up to where they once were. 

                                    

 

My advice to those people?  Put down whatever it is you're smoking and ask any major business owner or corporate CEO, and they'll tell you that its never the same when an organization restructures and comes out of a bad situation.  Changes have to be made, just in case something catastrophic or unfortuitous were to ever happen again.

 

There is an awful lot at stake, here.  The France's have create this huge empire and controlled it with an iron fist, right up until the point where King Brian started driving it into the ground.  He's alienated his racing "base", his new "base" is leaving in droves, the schedule is messed up, there's no parity, fans are starting to think that races are being scripted, much like the WWE, and seats and tracks are only half-full anymore. 

 

So, now go back and read my "Top 10 Ways to Save NASCAR" and see if it makes a little more sense.  You could also make an argument to change a couple of my points and add your own to it.  Jay Jay Dean, I'm sure your point system might appeal to the NASCAR bubba's, and klvalus, you pretty much just spent an entire summer "on tour" with the 2 team.  Hot Foot Lori, Forensic, Hanahan, Noah's Pop, feel free to chime in at any time, even if you disagree.  Am I way off base, here?  Am I armchair quarterbacking it too much?  Or, maybe NASCAR should bring all of us in and let us "fix it". 

 

Thoughts?

 

 

My disdain for "The Chase" and this year's NASCAR season is no secret to anyone who regularly reads my blog.  And, though my last couple of entries have bordered on being a bit juvenile, I just could not think of any other way to express my disgust with NASCAR and the way they have ruined my once-favorite sport, other than to simply say how I felt:  I don't care.  



Well, at least for the rest of this year, I don't care.  And, anyone who has followed the scene, or been a NASCAR-blog regular for the past few years, knows this is not new for me.  I have been disgusted for a few years, now; but come February, my blood starts pumping and my palms start getting sweaty with anticipation, and the smell of high-octane fuel burning just sends me into a tizzy for the start of a new year, a new season.  And then, November comes and I'm disappointed, again.  



I'm disappointed because nobody has the cohunes to stand up to King Brian France and put the NASCAR big wigs in their respective place.  Nobody has the gumption to say it like it ought to be said.  Nobody has the brass to gather all the owners together and say, "let's unify on some common ground, and tell Mr. France to get his shit together, or we're going to take our teams and form our own league".
                                              


Or, at least come up with 10 major points that could be inculcated to transform NASCAR and return it to its former glory.  And, I'm not talking about the fleeting glory heaped on NASCAR when that stupidity called "The Chase" was launched; I'm talking about the glory days when Winston used to own The Cup and it was revered more than the trophy for the Super Bowl.  So, here is my list of 10 major changes to restore NASCAR to its former glory:



#1 - Go back to "stock" car racing.  Guess what?  Stock cars used to mean that cars and car parts had to be purchased from what was "in stock". just like any consumer could go out and buy.  Granted, there are more high-performance parts out there that are deemed to be "in stock", but your average Joe can't afford the specialty items found on the cars used today.  Make the sport cheaper to encourage new ownership and more and better competition.



#2 - Owners may not have any more than 2 teams.  Part of the problem is that owners like Hendrick, Gibbs, ad Roush have so many cars that they have taken up half the field, half the testing time, half of everything, pretty much, and then everyone else gets the scraps.  Reduce the numbers of teams per owner and everyone gets more of a fair shake.



#3 - Now that you've allowed Toyota into the series, you've opened Pandora's Box.  Now, you have to open the door to any manufacturer that can meet specs, or you're labeled a bunch of hypocrites.  Then again, with the Big 3 talking bankruptcy, NASCAR may not have a choice but to open the playing field.  There may not BE an AMERICAN-made manufacturer any more!



#4 - Create two distinct leagues, with their own headquarters, governing bodies, officiating crews, etc.  Make it East versus West, or North versus South, but make two leagues and populate each league with a proportionate quantity and quality of talent. 



#5 - Bring back some of the old tracks, like Rockingham and North Carolina Speedway; adopt some existing tracks, like Kentucky Speedway, Iowa, Nashville, and Indianapolis Raceway Park; and, build a couple of new tracks in southern New Jersey and Washington state.  Then divvy up the tracks according to their respective leagues.  East Coast versus West Coast, or North versus South; just make the number of tracks equal for scheduling purposes.  This means people will get to possibly see 2-4 races per year at their favorite track.



#6 - The schedule is too long, so lets shorten it up some and take "The Chase to a different level.  Start the season as usual, with the Daytona 500, but then each league goes on to its own "league play", where drivers and teams within each league race against each other for the first 12 races of the year.  Then, after the first 12 races are completed, the top 5 drivers from each league duke it out for the mid-season championship in a 3 or 4 race shootout, culminating in the mid-season champ for either league being crowned at The All Star event in Charlotte.  Then, the two leagues swap and perform on the other leagues tracks for the second half of the season.  At the end of the second half, the same rules would apply, but after its all said and done, the top 15 drivers from both leagues and both halves of the season come together at for a 4 race shootout at a road race, a short track, an intermediate track, and a grand finale at Daytona, where the season ends with the crowning of the overall champion.



#7 - Make the races shorter.  Make them more "fan friendly".  Instead of each race being 400, 500, or 600 laps or miles, make them 200, 250, or 300 lap, or mile events, except for the major races at the end of each half of the season and both Daytona races.  Those should remain 500-mile events.  This will also make for more drama due to some drivers never having gone that distance before.  They may have been flawless all season long, but then in a major race, they make mistakes because they are not used to the longer distance.
                                


#8 - Lower your prices.  You want butts back in the stands?  Lower ticket prices.  People cannot afford the price of a ticket today, but if you cut costs for the owners then you can cut costs for fans as well.  Look, everybody is happy!

              

#9 - Put a couple of dirt tracks on the schedule, like Eldora, in Ohio, or Natural Bridge, in Virginia.  Let the drivers really show what they're made of!



And, finally #10 - Set up a bipartisan commission to govern the sport.  Let representatives from owners, drivers, engineering reps, marketing reps, and fans come together and form a coalition to govern the sport, so that the "my way, or the highway" mentality never pervades the sport again.  Form a rules committee to go over the rules and get rid of those which are antiquated and outdated, while creating new rules to enhance competition and make the sport safer and more fairly regulated.



And, for a Bonus:  Get rid of the "Lucky Dog" ruling!  When you're lapped, you're lapped!  If you can't get it back by conventional means, then you don't deserve a free pass!  Besides, back when you could race to the stripe on a caution, people didn't always used to get their laps back.  Conversely, sometimes 4 or 5 guys might get laps back, which you never see any more.  Either do away with the "Lucky Dog" ruling, or...now, that there are timing loops installed at tracks, allow all the cars that are within certain timing loops to have a lap back, the same as ii would have been back when they could race to the stripe.  If they are not within those timing loops, they don't get a lap back.  I am sick and tired of seeing guys get a lap or two down, yet come back and get within striking distance at the end of a race, or worse yet, they win it!  This is just another reason why you cannot compare modern racing to "back in the day".
            

Unless you're a Jimmy Johnson fan and want to buy into the hype about 3 championships, however tainted by this fiasco called, "The Chase", in a row and try somehow, to desperately compare them to those of Cale Yarborough, who did it legitimately.  


Still...don't care...not the same...don't care...

And, I'm throwing the Bullsh*t flag!  

There is NOOOO freaking way that 3 out of 4 Roush cars have to stop for gas with 13 laps to go, yet Carl Edwards can go the distance, even with him backing off like he did.  

I have witnessed hundreds of gas mileage races where drivers attempted just what Carl did, but nobody ever lasts more than a few laps.  Even Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ran out of gas with 2 to go, and he was trying the same strategy!  Jeff Gordon probably couldn't have gone more than another lap or two, and he was just lucky he was at the tail-end of the lead lap and could top off, when he did.


This is just another classic case of NASCAR overlooking some rules infringements for the sake of making The Chase a little bit closer and adding drama to the end of a dismal year in NASCAR.  Let the conspiracy theorists vent and roar, because NASCAR makes it so damned easy!

*** Please, before you add a comment, read the post!  Gordon and Earnhardt, Jr. received the Lucky Dog in back-to-back cautions.  That's why Earnhardt almost made it and Gordon did.  Edwards was not in either of those positions, so how did his team get that much better gas mileage?
***  Also, please note that for some strange reason, I cannot add comments to any posts on this blog or any other.  Bon appetite!