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Lennon and
McCartney said it “Can’t Buy Me Love”. Parents across the
country tell their kids it “doesn’t grow on trees”. And an old
proverb calls it “the root of all evil”. But this week, Michael
Waltrip displayed its true value by using his money to qualify
for the Coca-Cola 600.
After
failing to qualify for this weekend’s race, Waltrip made
headlines, and sparked some serious debate, by buying his way
into the NASCAR Nextel Cup race. He purchased the seat of
Derrike Cope and the #74 car, which had qualified in the final
position for the race. The car will be repainted with Waltrip’s
number and sponsors, and be driven, of course, by Waltrip.
Did he
violate any NASCAR rules? Not even close. NASCAR rules say a
car CAN change drivers between qualifying and the race.
Generally, this rule is used when a driver plans to be in the
race, but has other commitments during qualifying. It’s rare,
but it has happened in the past. The rule simply says the
driver will have to start the race at the back of the field,
instead of where the “fill-in” driver qualified. It’s much the
same as changing an engine after qualifying. What Waltrip did
was use that rule to his advantage.
Was what
he did ethical? That’s the bigger question. He’s
certainly made it look to the world like NASCAR is all about
money, and not about driving. Apparently it’s the sponsors who
are the most important. Not the car development, or the
drivers.
Shouldn’t
the 43 best drivers and cars be out on the track when the race
starts? If Waltrip and his win car didn’t make the
field, then for this week, he’s not one of those 43. If
a driver were to get injured between qualifying and race day
(such as almost happened to both Jamie McMurray and Tony Stewart
in Saturday Night’s Busch Series race) then a driver like
Waltrip who didn’t qualify could certainly fill in for the
injured driver. But buying their way in just seems wrong.
There are
also no NASCAR rules against repainting the car to change
sponsorship decals, or changing the cars number. But maybe
there should be. In this case, people have suggested
that it’s all about the sponsors. Waltrip is doing what he has
to to get his sponsors into the race. But what about Derrike
Cope’s sponors? They paid good money for the development of
their car. And their car managed to qualify the
proper way. And now they are out of the race.
If it
really is all about the sponsors, then maybe a NASCAR rule
stating that the sponsors and car number listed for a car can’t
be changed between qualifying and race day would put a stop to
deals like the one Waltrip has pulled off. If a driver really
wanted to race, because he loves racing, and not because he
wants to be a provider for his sponsors, then he might still
“buy his way in”, but it would be more for the driver and
not the sponsors.
NASCAR can
be a tricky business, and is full of loopholes in the rules that
allow for such things as Michael Waltrip buying his way into a
race. But if Waltrip had instead spent that money on his car
and team so that he ran better on the track, maybe he wouldn’t
have had to worry about buying someone else’s ride. He would
have qualified on his own. |
