| Raise The Roof! |
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I wanted to wait until the dust settled, until all the anger had cleared and everyone came back down to reality. That doesn't seem to be happening any time soon, so I figured I would post this story now. I would like to address several issues concerning this past weekend's race and then move on to some things brought to my attention by some e-mails I received.
I guess the biggest thing to address first, is the fact that Nascar HAS agreed to revamp the rules regarding restrictor plates and promises to have something in place by Daytona in February. They have admitted that there definitely is a problem and they don't have a solution, but they will make it their top priority and fix it. Here is the problem. If you remember, the last time Nascar "fixed' the problem, they came up with the rules we have now :Roof Deflectors, Spoiler angle, etc. This "fix" was applauded and everyone thought it was great, until they actually raced it. Then it got ugly. I am looking forward to the changes they will make, but, I don't know if they can get it right first time out and it may result in some of the most boring racing we have seen. This, however, when compared to driver's safety is a trade off that I am willing to take. My suggestion would be to take the restrictor plates off completely. Scrap the roof deflectors and drop the rear spoilers to around 50 degrees. Basically, let the air flow over the cars smoothly without punching a huge whole allowing other cars to stack in. Now, to be the art of "racing" back into it, we need to have it so the drivers can not flat foot it and have to drive and finesse their cars. How do we do that? Suspension. Change the shock and spring rules to give the cars less bite in the corners and the drivers will have to let up in the corners and work the gas pedal. Now, as I always ask, don't e-mail me to tell me how stupid I am unless you have a better idea. I already know how stupid I am. Next, "Oh my God, Dale Jr won the race and the million, but he cheated." and "I'd pay $25,000 for a million dollar win any day". How much of this have we heard? Do people realize what we are talking about when we say 1/8th inch too low? Do you realize how many parts are involved in determining a cars' height? Tires, Shocks, Springs, Body, Bushings, and more. This infraction is actually very minor and I do not feel it was the cause off Dale's dominance. That 1/8th of inch definitely helps, but it would not have made the huge difference everyone is ranting about. Now, on to my favorite subject. Tony Stewart. Tony, by the way, will be in Tampa next week and I plan on asking him if he reads my articles. Anyhow, I received quite a few e-mails about Tony this past week, but the ones from Martha M. Wilson were very informative and I will try to address the issues that were brought forward. The following is a quote from Mike Helton regarding Tony. "I don't yet see it as a concern," Helton said. "It's a challenge, certainly. Tony is a great guy, he really is. Seeing him in different environments gives you the opportunity to see what a neat guy he is. When it comes to competing in a race car, he is as emotionally driven as anybody we've got right now, and it's worth the challenge to keep him in this garage area. In the meantime, we haven't reached a stone wall yet that keeps that from not being workable. It's a challenge." Is Mike saying that if Tony becomes a problem (in his eyes) that they WILL run him out of the sport? Maybe Tony was right likening Nascar to the Mafia. No, wait. Have you seen all the vowels in my last name? I know what the Mafia is about and Nascar isn't as classy as the Mafia. Nascar has appeared to have grown into only caring about ticket sales and TV time. Don't they realize that Tony Stewart is responsible for a good portion of the sports' popularity right now? There are those that love him and go to see him win, those that hate him and love to boo him. And those that can't wait to hear or see what his next move is. He is exciting on and off the track and it helps the sport. I found this quote from Kevin Harvick interesting. This was in response to a question asked as to how Kevin felt about Tony standing down with Nascar over Head and Neck restraints. "The one thing I have learned this year is that you pick and choose to fight your battles," fellow driver Kevin Harvick said. "And I don't think that was one battle that needed to be fought. I told them I'd practice their car for them while he was getting reprimanded, but they didn't think I'd fit in the seat." As Martha put it in her e-mail. "One thing he did get right...he can't fit in the seat of the #20 car." Granted Kevin has exceptional talent and is proving it, however, with all the controversy around his aggressive driving and post race altercations in the pits, he didn't need to add the comment about offering to practice the car. I don't think he did learn how to "pick and choose his battles" or else he wouldn't keep putting his foot in his mouth. Speaking of feet in mouth. Gary Nelson comes to mind. Gary, Nascar's Winston Cup inspector, had this to say: Nelson said no consideration was given to allowing Stewart more time to find a restraint that worked for him. "That's what rules are about," he said. "For the series to be strong, the rules have to be enforced across the board. You can't make exceptions." Can't make exceptions?? Come on Gary, when was the last time that similar incidents were treated the same? Gordon/Stewart at Bristol, Stewart fined. Rudd/Wallace at Bristol, nothing. Hamilton/Harvick at Martinsville, Harvick penalized. Rudd/Harvick at Dover, nothing. How about last year. Mayfield has a roof too low and keeps his win, but crew chief gets docked $25,000. Gordon wins Richmond, has unapproved manifold. Not illegal, strictly within the rules, just different than normal and Nascar wasn't made aware of it and he gets fined plus loses 100 points. How about late race red flags when it will make for a tight finish vs. letting it finish under caution. I have yet to see any consistency there. You may argue with me that Nelson was talking about Rules of the cars and the other things were rules of competition. But to quote Mr. nelson "For the series to be strong, the rules have to be enforced across the board. You can't make exceptions." In other words, all aspects of Nascar, from competition, to car rules, to safety, to media coverage all has to have set standards and follow them. Not just the ones that benefit Nascar. Ok, I rambled enough. Let me close with this. Tony Stewart is not the big jerk everyone makes him out to be. Tony put it best when he said "People think I don't care about this sport, the problem is, I care too much!" Think about that. He makes waves because he wants to see it done better. Because he feels the drivers are being taken advantage of at times. Because he sees favoritism and inconsistency. Tony, like many other drivers, does a TON for charities and is a very humane person off the track. You don't see the media covering that. Why? Because Tony does it because he feels he can make a difference. Not because he wants the recognition. Just as the tracks are becoming cookie-cutter, so are the drivers and crew chiefs. Let's be thankful we have Tony and Harvick, otherwise we might as well watch Formula One or Cart where team orders are given and drivers aren't allowed their own identity. Wow, I bet I get some heat on that... That is all.... Feel free to write and thanks for reading.. Rob |