NASCAR looking at new qualifying procedures....

[Matt]

For beter or for the worse, this is from the AP

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QUALIFYING CHANGES: NASCAR is considering changing its qualifying procedures in response to complaints about the restrictive system.

With at least 50 drivers vying for 43 spots in the field, seven or more cars fail to make the race each week. Because NASCAR assures a spot to the top 35 drivers in points, only eight positions are actually up for grabs.

The policy has crippled several drivers this season, particularly Michael Waltrip, who missed his eighth consecutive race Sunday. Waltrip spent the past week lobbying for a variety of changes that could help him get into the field.

NASCAR is listening.

``We're looking at a lot of different scenarios,'' competition director Robin Pemberton said. ``There's things that we're looking at and we're listening to the competitors. If we were to make a change we'd have to put our own twist on it, to make it fair for all competitors.''

Qualifying has been magnified this season because so many big-money teams are going home each week. Also missing Sunday's race was Brian Vickers, who won here last October, and A.J. Allmendinger, his teammate on the new Team Red Bull.

But Pemberton said changes to the procedures would not create an automatic fix.

``At the end of the day, no matter what you do, if you have 50 teams entered, seven cars are going home no matter what,'' Pemberton said.

Sounds like Micheal is changing his tune on how infalliable NASCAR is and NASCAR is trying to get thier biggest cheerleader back into the game even if he once loudly defended the Top 35 rule everyone else thought was retarded. Don't discount the influence of all those millions Toyota is dumping into the France family's coffers. Waltrip recently said that Toyota was going to spend the money they had to get competiitive. Apparently that's the case though it seems there is no hand wringing over the fact the Ford team of Kenny Schrader (who had raced in every plate race in NASCAR modern history...Michigan used to be  a plate track) and the Wood Brothers missed this race too.

[Brian623]

I'm guessing these changes(whatever they may be, I have no clue), will be announced during All-Star/600 time in Charlotte, while all the media and owners  are around.

[Chris]

yeah.. I don't expect anything before this weeks race...
and then they got all the 'media' stuff going on at Lowes and the big build up for two weeks before the 600.

I don't think much will help Mikey... MOST of the time most of the teams are out running him anyway... same for Jarrett
Might help someone like Vickers.

Anyone want to start "guessing" how they gonna "tweak" it..??

NO TELLING who will miss the 600... especially since qualifying is coupled with a pit stop and it's a combined time.

My question would be this.... it REALLY didn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out.  Why didn't NASCAR figure out BEFORE the season started the qualifying would need some "tweaking"...
Maybe they did,.. but they had to get the folks they wanted in the 'upper positions'

[Apache Racing]

I would love to see something done about the the current qualifying situation, that being said, changing the rules midstream (midseason) is not a good idea.

I say any changes should be saved for the beginning of next season to protect the integrity of the 2007 Cup season.

Duck

[Chris]

well...
we're dealing with NASCAR so obviously THATS not gonna happen... LOL

[Apache Racing]

Sad but too often true.. 

[smyler]

Integrity?  Remember, you are talking about Brian France.  Don't insult him by talking about integrity.  Oh, the nerve.

[S.D. Grady]

This is such a circular argument.  If you backpeddle to the old days, more popular teams go home on weekends like this past one.  This upsets the 100k fans in the stands that paid $100 and up for their seat to watch an ant spin around a track.  It also ticks off the techno geek (like my husband) who has forked over the cash for the PitPass RaceDay thingy and HotPass and...well you get it.  The big Sponsors for the Top 35 become a bit more touchy when their cars get sent home because a no-name shows up with a car that can run.

There's no doubt that teams wishing to be competitive, but just aren't, believe that qualifying for a race will improve their program.  Will it?  Would Mikey really have a car that can drive just because he was able to take a green flag?  Questions, indeed.

If anything, it will be intriguing to watch NASCAR try to keep everybody happy...a near impossibility, me thinks.

[Checkeredflag]

If they realize they made a mistake by catering to a couple of sponsors who freaked when they missed a race, and go back to the provisional system with the fastest 38, and then 5 provisionals, it should be OK.  That would give teams a more fair chance to make the race, and still reward performance, by giving the provisionals out in order of owner points like they did before.  I do like the change to the past champion's provisional, though. 

Although, something like that would make sense, and lately I doubt that "NASCAR" and "sense" should be used in the same sentence.

[The Voice]

 This upsets the 100k fans in the stands that paid $100 and up for their seat to watch an ant spin around a track.

Wait, you're a "staff" member?

[PlanoHarvickFan]

Wait, you're a "staff" member?

So what does that have to do with anything?  She's also a fan

[The Voice]

So what does that have to do with anything?  She's also a fan

Even more reason she shouldn't think people are paying to see 'ants spin around a track.'

[Busch Babe 899]

They were talking about it on INC, and I think the idea of pulling back the "guaranteed in" number to the top 30 teams, or even the Top 25 teams, makes sense. It would give the smaller teams or some back runners a better chance to race their way in. And having the ones NOT in the top 25 or 30, whatever, all qualify consecutively limits the advantage of things like a late draw vrs an early draw. IMO, these are BOTH good ideas...qualify the top 25-30 teams, THEN qualify the others, or visa versa.

Mikey SHOULD have been in the fiield this week, with a top 20 qualifying spot. And that's not the FIRST time someone who qualified in the top 20 has had to go home because of the limited number of spots available for those not in the top 35.

[Racergiant]

One version I heard on Sunday was to have all the "guaranteed" spots qualify at the same time - i/e at the beginning or the end of qualifying.  This would give all the "guaranteed" spots roughly the same conditions.

I agree with that scenario except - I'd reduce the number of available "guaranteed" spots AND make them qualify first.  That'd give the teams needing to make it in on time a little longer to get the last second tweaking done and thru the Tech line.  It would also give the same teams a definite target to shoot for rather than some "arbitrary" time to shoot for.

I also agree with the second part of the story....  Why not let more than 43 cars make it into the race...  Most of the tracks can handle more than 43 cars anyways.  The benefits?  More of the younger drivers will get that extremely valuable track time.  They'll learn to run in traffic and learn to have respect for their other drivers. 

NA$CAR already mandates minimum speeds during a race...  To me - that means they are accepting of cars running @ slower than competetive speeds.

How will it work with the issuing of those valuable finishing points?  Keep it the same structure.  Finish too far down the ladder - no points...

[Butterbean]

Doesn't make any difference what NASCAR does,  people are going to find fault with it.