January 5, 2009
By Matthew Pizzolato
Matthew Pizzolato
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Traditionally, NASCAR fields a 43 car field every race weekend, but that is subject to change next season due to the mergers that have occurred this off season. So far, there are only 37 cars committed to running a full schedule next season, and just 29 of those cars have full sponsorship.
This leaves two alternatives for the races next year. Either there will be a lot of drivers no one has ever heard of, filling out the field and causing wrecks and other assorted mayhem on the track, or there won’t be 43 cars racing. It’s as simple as that.
The Daytona 500 will have a full field because the purse is so large that finishing last at Daytona pays more than winning at some other race tracks. More than likely, the Top-35 rule, where cars are guaranteed a starting position, will be a non issue next season.
It was not that long ago when fans discussed the need to expand the field so that so many quality cars would not have to go home. Now, there will not be enough quality cars to make a full field.
NASCAR’s recent effort to level the playing field between the upper and lower tier of the racing teams with the Car of Tomorrow, will fall to the wayside because of the drastic difference in the quality of the teams that will qualify for the races. It’s a good thing NASCAR has devised the Chase for the Championship, or else the title would be decided halfway through the season.
And the jury is still out as to whether or not the testing ban will help or hurt the smaller teams. Jimmie Johnson certainly doesn’t agree with banning testing.
"I think the teams need a chance to work on their cars to improve their programs to put on a better show," Johnson said in a Dustin Long article for The Virginian-Pilot.
Mike Helton believes that the rule could save teams tens of millions of dollars, while others think the ban will only farther the gap between the top teams and the smaller teams.
However, Len Wood, the co-owner of Wood Brothers Racing agreed with the new NASCAR rule which bans testing at all tracks that host a Cup race. Teams are still allowed to test at any other track.
"NASCAR made the right call," Wood said in the same article. "It's a tough time and I think tougher times are coming."
Next year, NASCAR will become more and more like Formula 1. The same two or three teams will be winning all the races, the only thing that will change will be the driver of the car.
Jimmie Johnson stands an excellent chance to repeat as champion for the fourth in a row simply because of the lack of competition he will face. The Race for the Chase will be filled out with Hendrick, Gibbs, Roush, and maybe an RCR car or two. The smaller teams won’t stand a chance.
Take last season as an example. Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson combined to win 24 of the 36 races. That statistic will only get worse, if that’s possible.
If you would like to learn more about Matthew, please check out his web site at matthew-pizzolato.com.
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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