NASCAR Announces Drug Policy Changes
September 21, 2008
NASCAR Announces Drug Policy Changes
NASCAR today announced a change in the body’s drug and substance abuse policies, with changes becoming effective prior to the beginning of the 2009 season. Read more
What Would You Change About The Chase?
September 21, 2008
As the second race of the 2008 Chase gets closer, there is no doubt that the Chase format, overall, has been a successful one since NASCAR switched to it back in 2004. NASCAR (and motor sports in general) don’t lend themselves well to a playoff system, but on the whole, I think that the folks at NASCAR have done a good job at making the Chase interesting and of being proactive whenever a change in the formula needs to be made.
However; I’m the kind of person that likes to gripe and there are some changes that I’d make if I were in charge (scary thought). But, I write this with the understanding that there are reasons that you will never-ever see these changes made, and I’ll go into that a little bit as well.
My biggest change isn’t the one that a lot of people are talking about. I’ve read in several places that Kyle Busch shouldn’t have had one bad finish cost him his entire lead in the Chase. Why should every thing he’s gained go down the tubes? Because that’s the way a playoff works. It’s the same in all other sports. It doesn’t matter if a baseball team is 30 games over .500 or 10 games over; whoever has the hot hand during the playoffs is going to win and it doesn’t really matter what they did in the regular season. So, I don’t have a problem with the way the points are broken down (plus, I’m not really smart enough to understand the math anyways).
My biggest problem with the Chase is this: NASCAR may be the only sport that allows teams that are not mathematically in the playoffs to participate and have an effect on the outcome of their championship. It’s kind of like going to a playoff game between the Patriots and the Colts and the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars are sitting on the sideline throwing snowballs at the teams while they play. It’s just not logical.
Now, I know that you can’t cut the field down to just the 12 racers in the Chase. That would be about as entertaining as watching a hamster run around inside a barrel. But, there do need to be some drivers that are not on the track come Chase time. Why should guys like Michael Waltrip be able to clutter the track when they did nothing to earn their way there? I understand that some of the teams that are out of the Chase use the last few races to practice for next season. What have they done to earn this possible advantage for next season? Lose? I understand there’s going to be the argument that these teams need the races in order to make money to survive and to that I simply say that it’s not NASCAR’s responsibility to make sure that teams succeed. It’s the team’s responsibility to be competitive.
What I propose, if I were the man, is this:
I would increase the number of drivers in the Chase to 14.
I would next make a secondary cut-off for the next 14 drivers. This would give the second tier of drivers something to actually race for down the stretch before the Chase. It would give teams that aren’t in contention are reason to keep putting their best car on the track, because even though they may be out of the Chase, they would still have to earn their right to be on the track during the final races.
And the last 15? They go home. Better luck next year. Hey, this isn’t Little League, and not everyone can get a trophy. Go home, get better, and come back serious next year. Yes, this would cause some of the smaller teams to have to leave, but I’m looking at this from purely a competitive stand-point and if they’re not good enough, they’re not good enough.
This limitation would increase the quality of the drivers still on the track, and it would allow for less of a chance that a driver at the back of the pack could influence the outcome of the Chase, either directly or indirectly. To my way of thinking a 28-driver field would allow for more wide-open racing and would be a better product to watch.
Now, like I said before, the chances of this happening are about the same as the chance that this year’s Super Bowl will take place in my back yard. The money involved is just too big for NASCAR to do anything even remotely similar to my suggestion, but I figured I would share, anyways. As for you, I’d like to hear some suggestions.
What would you do to make the Chase more entertaining? Or do you like it the way it is? Chime in, comments are free of charge and encouraged (for the most part).
I’ll be back with a recap of today’s race sometime in the near future; until then, enjoy the races.
Friday performances hold at Fall Nationals
September 20, 2008
It’s hard to beat the cooler weather and cooler track temperatures that accompany Friday night qualifying, so whoever blasts to the provisional low qualifier pole on Friday often still holds that position at the end of Saturday’s runs.
That has been true here at the NHRA Fall Nationals drag race just south of Dallas.
In Top Fuel, Larry Dixon is the pole winner for the third time in a row, and he will match up with Morgan Lucas in Round One. The Smokeless Tobacco dragster sat out the final elimination round.
“We had a fuel-system malfunction on our first run today and it hurt the engine pretty good, so instead of hurrying up just to come out here and just make a run, the guys wanted to stay in the pits and make the car perfect for tomorrow,” said Dixon. “We knew that even if we got bumped down it would only to be second or third. I’d rather have a perfect horse for tomorrow. Read more
Funny Car driver Scelzi to step away again
September 20, 2008
We’ve seen this move before from the “Wild Thing.”
Maybe the rather disappointing 2008 season has sealed the deal for him, but Funny Car driver Gary Scelzi says he’s going to stop drag racing after this season.
Press release from Don Schumacher Racing below….
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GARY SCELZI TO STEP AWAY AT END OF 2008 NHRA SEASON
ENNIS, Texas (Sept. 20, 2008) - Four-time NHRA world champion Gary Scelzi announced today that he will step down from NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series competition at the end of the 2008 season.
Scelzi, a one-third partner with his brothers Jim and Mike in Scelzi Enterprises, a custom truck body manufacturing company based in his hometown of Fresno, Calif., said he will concentrate on maintaining and growing the family business during these tough economic times. Read more
Fast Machines is on top, with Alltop
September 20, 2008
I’m a big fan of Alltop, a new online magazine rack of “all the top” feeds from hundreds of different blogs and a mind-boggling array of content.
One of the biggest problems for Web surfers, or anyone seeking good online information, is that there is so much content out there. Who has time to figure out what stinks and what is pretty good?
Search engines like Google may or may not bring back quality links, so it’s fantastic to have some “one-stop-shopping” on everything from successfully running small businesses in small towns to being a wedding planner in Paris.
You can find beer. You can find entrepreneurship. You can find fishing. You can find outer space. You can find Moms and Dads.
And now, you can also find the Fast Machines feed under all the top auto racing news.
How cool is that?!
Here’s how Alltop works, from their FAQs: Read more
Excellent Dallas weather helps qualifying times
September 19, 2008
After sweltering through drought and hurricanes, it’s quite pleasant to be somewhere in Texas that is enjoying beautiful, slightly crisp fall weather.
Here at the Texas Motorplex (the second all-concrete track in a row after last week’s inaugural Carolinas Nationals) the temps have been in the low-mid 80s and humidity is only about 45%, with a cloudless sky. Partly as a result, some track records were set and points leads reshuffled in the first day of qualifying at the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals.
In Top Fuel, Larry Dixon out of Don “Snake” Prudhomme’s organization is holding the low qualifier position; he took advantage of a tire-smoking Tony Schumacher to run a 3.820 ET at 310.70 mph. Joe Hartley is on the bump.
“Too bad we don’t run the races on Friday night; we’ve obviously got that part down,” said Dixon. “That was a great run for us, and obviously Donnie [Bender] and Todd [Smith] are making the right calls on the tune-up. The next step would be to not smoke the tires on race day. Read more
New Jersey State Police Release Findings on Scott Kalitta Crash
September 19, 2008
The New Jersey State Police concluded its investigation into the crash that claimed the life of NHRA Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta June 21, 2008. Some of the highlights of the report include disclosing the contributing factors that could have played a role in the crash included insufficient braking, insufficient auxiliary parachute braking, fixed object impacts, engine failure and fuel flow interruption. One of the more surprising findings is that Scott Kalitta’s toxicology report revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.02, 25% of the legal limit for intoxication in the State of New Jersey and a clear violation of the NHRA’s rules. Read more
Going faster in the Middle East
September 19, 2008
I’m intrigued by the growing Middle Eastern connections in drag racing.
At the NHRA Carolinas Nationals, Top Fuel driver Hillary Will drove a dragster emblazoned with the national colors of the US and the kingdom of Bahrain, a small island nation in the Persian Gulf that is a major financial center and the future home of a state-of-the-art $200 million auto-parts manufacturing facility.
Bahrain is home to the Bahraini GP in Formula 1 racing and welcomes Western visitors — not too surprising, since it was a British protectorate until 1971 and is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters. I lived there for a few years as a preteen and have fond memories, so my ears perk up about anything Bahrain-related.
Over in Qatar, the new Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing Team will field a Funny Car and a Top Fuel rail next season (plus Al-Anabi is working some Pro Mod action.) The team announced today that Del Worsham will drive the team Funny Car and Aaron Brooks will be the crew chief.
Top Fuel driver and crew chief aren’t set yet.
Worsham loses his Checker Schuck’s Kragen (CSK) sponsorship after this season; the company was bought out by O’Reilly Auto Parts. Brooks is leaving the Roger Burgess R2B2 Racing Funny Car driven by Frank Hawley.
Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing is a partnership between Alan Johnson and His Highness Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Thani. The Sheikh wants to promote motorsports awareness in Qatar. Johnson is a seven-time NHRA Top Fuel Championship crew chief and is currently tuning the Tony Schumacher Army dragster.
The team hasn’t yet established a shop location or Web site. I’ll be interested to see if they have a satellite garage/offices in Qatar; knowing that region’s propensity for incredible buildings, any Middle Eastern race shop is going to be the Burj Al Arab of automotive facilities.
Schedule Makers Get It Right (For Once)
September 19, 2008
Making an NHRA schedule well in advance of a year is an arduous task. I get that. Trying to predict weather patterns while not conflicting with other local events that could draw fans away from the track or their television sets is nearly impossible. Include trying to inject a little orchestrated drama and pressure by way of the Countdown to the Championship and I feel sorry for those in Glendora, Calif. who are given this task. In 2008, for once, the schedule makers should be given a pat on the back for a job well done. Read more
FastMachines.com Radio Episode #11
September 18, 2008
FastMachines.com F1 commentator George Katinger joins Chris and Josh this week to go over the drama that was Monza and Sebastien Vettel and Toro Rosso’s maiden win. We also talk some MotoGP after the first USGP at Indy, and dabble in some NASCAR and sports car news as well. Show notes below the fold…
Let us know what you think by commenting on this posting, or shoot Chris and I an email by sending to radio@fastmachines.com.
Click below to listen to us right now in your browser…
Click here to download the MP3 of this week’s podcast and load it on your iPod or whatever you listen to your tunes on.
The FastMachines.com Radio Podcast is brought to you by:
Michelin - Race to Learn, Race to Win
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