Speedweeks, the annual kick-off to the NASCAR season, is still over a month away, as preseason testing is scheduled to begin in less than a week. NASCAR is scheduled to test at Daytona International Speedway from Jan. 9-14.
Leading into the commencement of the 2014 season, NASCAR has been working rigorously to make the competition tighter than ever. Last season was the debut of the Gen. 6 car. However, the quality of racing did not change much from the Gen. 5 car. Some people may disagree with this, as many fans that I have spoken to, feel that faster speeds add to the quality of racing.
Do not get me wrong. I do see where these fans are coming from, I do. But, I simply have a different viewpoint. For example, the 2012 Auto Club 400 was criticized heavily because the racing was seen as “boring.” Now, imagine if the speeds were faster in that particular race. The quality of racing would have been the same but the race would have been completed at a much faster rate. Compared to the Auto Club 400 race we saw in 2013, there were tremendous improvements. Although Denny Hamlin suffered an injury at the conclusion of the event, the race was one of the best of the season.
During the final test of the Generation 6 car before finalizing rules for the upcoming season, 30 cars took part in four sprint races as NASCAR tried a variety of aerodynamic, engine and suspension combinations for each race.
According to Vice President of Innovation, Gene Stefanyshyn, NASCAR was pleased with the overall turnout of the test. Six cars tested at Charlotte Motor Speedway in mid-October. However, the 30 car test was designed to improve “competition” at the 1.5 mile tracks in 2014.
For those of you reading, you probably noticed that I put quotations around the word “competition.” What is your definition of that word? This is where there is a huge separation between NASCAR’s definition and the average fan.
Vice President of Competition, Robin Pemberton, described the new package as the “tightest,” which was entirely intended to measure the impact of a rear-oriented package in traffic. NASCAR’s goal is not to make the racing more realistic. In reality, the racing that fans saw in the 1990′s was some of the most realistic racing they’ll ever see.
Today, innovation is practically frowned upon in the sport. If NASCAR is serious about trying to lure foreign drivers away from Formula One and into NASCAR, they will have to stop regulating the teams. Formula One teams are encouraged to build the best race cars in the world and make the technology better. However, in NASCAR, it is, “This is what you got. This is what you can do. This is what you can’t do. Good luck to you.”
It’s extremely ironic because we, as Americans, complain so much about the socialistic government that exists in Europe, yet NASCAR governs like a socialistic government. Did NASCAR make any progress with this test? I did not see anything that was necessarily eye-opening. If the goal was to make the competition tighter, they certainly have work to do as Kevin Harvick won the first mini-race by 4.975 seconds over Ryan Newman.
Therefore, there should be more tests conducted. However, these teams need to be allowed to try different options. I absolutely hate the fact that last sentence has to be mentioned. Why is NASCAR limiting the teams from doing better? From my knowledge, NASCAR only allows teams to test four times a year without NASCAR’s supervision. I don’t believe that is good business. Like I stated before, if you really want to improve the competition, you make the teams go out and make the best car in the business. That is real competition. Until NASCAR decides to lay off the regulations, the small teams will always be small and the mega teams, like Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, will always be the teams to beat. That is what made the 90s racing the best, in my opinion. There were teams across the board coming up with something new and better that opened up the eyes of the whole industry.
Will NASCAR deliver the goods in 2014? It depends on your definition of ‘quality racing.’
I’m afraid Ryan has this issue backwards.
While it’s certainly true that the mega teams have an advantage under today’s rules, as a result of their greater resources, that advantage would balloon to enormous proportions if they were permitted to bring to the track all the technical innovation that money would buy.
I couldn’t agree with you more.
The problem is that the very concept of “parity” is flawed. In making it so equal they have made it a succesion of parades. That isn’t going to change by making it more “equal”.
Just more of the same coming.