May 28, 2009
By Doug Demmons
NASCAR went and opened a can of worms by opening the floor for suggestions on how to improve the state of the sport, so here goes.
Races have become like “War and Peace” in the age of Twitter -- far too long and uneventful for the limited attention span of the average television viewer.
Even longtime fans will admit to watching the start of the race, taking a nap and waking in time to catch the last 20 laps. Not all races are snooze fests, but there’s far too much follow the leader for 100 laps while everyone waits until it counts before making a move.
So make it count earlier and more often.
Instead of one 500-mile race each weekend, have two 250-mile races -- one on Saturday and one on Sunday, each awarding points.
Qualifying for the races would be in one wide-open session on Friday. The field for the first race is set by the top 35 in owners points plus the eight fastest of those outside the top 35. The past champion’s provisional is eliminated.
The field for Race 2 is set by the 43 fastest cars -- period. If Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Carl Edwards puts it in the wall during qualifying he makes the first race but not the second.
Eliminate the impound rule and open up qualifying for every little trick a crew chief can dream up to squeeze an extra hundredth in speed without sacrificing his race day setup.
Award 25 points for winning the pole, 10 points for qualifying second through fifth and five points for qualifying sixth through 10th. Make qualifying mean something and fans might actually start showing up at the track for it. NASCAR could learn something by watching a replay of the riveting, dramatic end to Bump Day during Indy 500 qualifying.
There are at least four good reasons to do this.
1. Shorter races means less time for TV viewers to invest. Hardcore fans will watch to the bitter end but the casual fan that NASCAR is so intent on attracting does not want to block out four hours for a race.
2. Shorter races means less opportunity for follow the leader. Patience is not always a virtue -- not when it comes to putting on a good show. The quicker the race gets to crunch time the better.
3. Two races each weekend offers opportunities for redemption. A driver who blows a tire or is wrecked and finishes 41st on Saturday has the chance to come back the next day for another shot at it. Likewise, teams that miss their set-ups during Saturday’s race have a day to make adjustments and try again the next day.
4. Move the Nationwide/Truck race to Monday. Make it Monday Night NASCAR. Are you ready for some racin? This would also eliminate the practice of Cup drivers using the Nationwide race as a practice session. In fact, Cup drivers would have to think hard about whether to stick around at the track another day just to run the Nationwide race.
Doug Demmons is a writer and editor for the Birmingham News ~ he writes daily and weekly auto racing columns ranging from NASCAR to open wheel to Formula One, local tracks and more... you can read Doug's columns online at Blog of Tommorow
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
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