NASCAR’s rules change on a yearly basis, and sometimes rules change in-season. Below are eight ideas that would bring value and entertainment to NASCAR.
1) Last weekend, Josh Wise, driving for underfunded Phil Parsons Racing qualified for the All-Star race via the fan vote. These votes were obtained largely by the community found on Reddit.com. While this author has no qualms with Wise qualifying for the race, the whole process needs better vetting. Major League Baseball provides vote tallies for the top vote-getters for their annual all-star game. NASCAR should do likewise for the all-star race. It would provide transparency in the process and fans of other drivers would be able to see how much support they need to drum up for next year’s race. That also leads into my next proposal.
2) When I was in high school, the student body participated in an event called “Penny Wars” during pride week. The gist of this competition was to see which class could accumulate the most spare change for charity. However, certain days have special designations, such as “Negative Dime Day”. On that day, students dumped dimes into competing classes’ jars and that money was deducted from their total. NASCAR should bring this concept to All-Star weeks. Fans willing to donate a dollar to a NASCAR-designated charity could subtract a vote from a driver they didn’t wish to see in the race. NASCAR charities would win and fans would have fun in the process.
3) My last comment on the All-Star race is that the format needs some tweaking. Some of the best races occurred in the early 2000’s when a knockout format was used. As each segment progressed, drivers at the back of the pack were eliminated. This meant drivers were racing hard for every position on the track. Additionally, the second place finisher in the Sprint Showdown should not receive an automatic berth in the race. From 2000-2002, a second race was run after the initial qualifying race. The winner of the No Bull Sprint also received a berth. With the emphasis on winning, a return to this format would be welcome. Second place should be viewed with derision, not rewarded. There’s less incentive to race hard for the lead when a driver can cruise around the track in second. Finally, the ten-year exemption for past winners and champions needs to go. The NBA all-star game likely won’t feature LeBron James ten years from now and the Pro Bowl won’t feature Tom Brady nor Peyton Manning in the starting lineup. Current success should be celebrated; not success from a decade earlier.
4) While multiple rounds of qualifying are a welcome sight over single car runs, drivers and teams should be rewarded for the additional wear-and-tear on their equipment. NASCAR should award points to those that qualify at the head of the pack. The pole sitter should be awarded seven bonus points, with second place earning four points and each position after second earning one point less through fifth place.
5) It’s high time that NASCAR place strict limits on how many lower-level races Sprint Cup drivers can compete in. Watching Kyle Busch trounce the field during last week’s Camping World Truck Series race does little for fans and competitors alike. Ideally, Sprint Cup Series drivers shouldn’t be allowed to compete in lower-level series at all, but track promoters would likely bemoan the effect on their gate receipts. A cap should be placed that drivers may run no more than 20 percent of the scheduled races in a lower series, rounded down. For 2014, this would permit Cup drivers to race six Nationwide Series races and four races in the Camping World Truck Series. Drivers running for Rookie of the Year should receive a one-year exemption from this rule in an effort to gain additional experience on tracks they may not have raced on previously.
6) When viewing the race results for the Nationwide Series race, astute fans will notice last place was awarded four points. In the Camping World Truck Series race, the last eligible driver to receive points was awarded 13. Its a minor change, but the point structure should be amended so last place always receives one point.
I think that drivers 5 laps down should get zero points.