So when do we

[20forLogano]

Start talking about qualifying on Saturday when Friday is a washout and the weather is going to be fine the next day?  Reduce practice time or better yet, practice before qualifying and then impound.  Nine times this year we have been washed out on Friday.  Thoughts?

[KurtBuschFan]

Actually we've already starting talking about it in the go or go home thread for this week

[Chris]

yep yep yep...
gee man.. you gotta keep up... ROFLOL

[DougS]

Talk about qualifying as the only reason to get in line to pick a pit stall? I think qualifiying these cars means less and less as the talent differential and money spreads more and more. 

Dale had to go to the 41st position after a speeding penalty, finished 2nd. David Regan 43rd after changing an engine climbed to 7th before his teammate punted him and he still finished 13th. The cream will rise to the top and the mediocres will fall to the middle and end. And lady luck still rears her head in there at times.

Impound races are a joke and force the go or go homers to set cars up for a fast lap and not race trim while the top teams are quallifying in race trim knowing that they'll be able to move through the field. The reason for impound races was to save money. Ask any team how much more it spends in testing due to impound racers to know where to put the car for the race and have an advantage over the teams that can't afford to test.

We see a top 35 rule in qualifying that even if you get caught cheating, you get to still show up on sunday instead of being sent home.

Pole position means less due to NA$CAR's brillant decision to sell off an offical beer sponsorship to a company that doesn't even sponsor a car anymore. And didn't think full circle about the other beer company that still owns the naming rights to one of the most exciting opening races of the year.

[Busch Babe 899]

Actually, I may be wrong, but I think Coors is taking over the Shootout next year.

[Chris]

YOU know.. you have to consider something about qualifying here...
You can't have your cake and eat it too...

In all practicality if qualifying gets rained out Friday and they do as so many folks are saying (push it back to Saturday)... then there are so many hours in a day.  Something has to go.
IN a large portion of situations if qualifying gets rained out on Friday... so with Fridays practice.
Then the ONLY way to have qualifying on Saturday is to ELIMINATE a practice session on Saturday.
Qualifying takes a MUCH greater time for everyone than practice does.  With practcie they pretty much open the gates and send everyone out.  yeah theres some minor tech, but thats it.   
With qualifying all the cars go threw VERY EXTENSIVE tech all over the whole car... very time consuming,... the in post qualifying, many go threw tech again.  SO from a time standpoint. Qualifying takes much much longer than practice.  THAT is why they have one practice session and qualifying on ONE day (and it is a VERY busy day)

SO to push qualifying back a day would HAVE to eliminate a qualifying session. (after most likely having already missed a practice session on Friday)

NOW as Greg Biffle pointed out this weekend.  PRACTICE is the ONLY thing that helps make the races competative.  SO you eliminate practice sessions, and you should EXPECT the race to be less competitive.  Needless to say thats common sense.  Of course as was pointed out... The same folks that complain about not having qualifying are ALSO gonna be the same ones to jump and complain about the race being "boring".

I'm sure some of you here know there used to be "second round qualifying" on Saturday.  If many of you don't know the details of how that worked... mostly all that qualified was just a hand full of cars.  What happened was EVERYONE qualified on Friday.  Then come Saturday they had the option of standing on their time, or disallowing it and trying to improve it Saturday.  Of course if they decided to run again Saturday and ran SLOWER... so sorry, you just shot yourself in the foot.
MOSTLY all that re-ran were guys that missed the field or had some sort of problem.  In most cases just a hand full of cars re-ran.... and in many instances nothing changed.  THATS why NASCAR decided to finally do away with Saturday round 2 qualifying...

IMO to REALLY have time set aside IN CASE it rained out qualifying... NASCAR would have to get to the track on day earlier. Open the track on Thursday instead of Friday.  Maybe then go back to having a second day of qualifying on Friday.  If Thursday got rained out, then Friday could be all one round.  They could have a practice session Thursday,.. and also one on Friday.
NOW here is where the problem comes in... remember you can't have your cake and eat it too..??

IF the teams have to be at the track a day earlier ... that means NO rain out day if the race is rained out on Sunday.  Teams would HAVE to leave on Sunday night to get back to the shop, get the cars turned around, new motors, etc etc... and get back to the new track by Wed night (when the teams "actually" to into the track usually.)
SO... maybe you could have a better race.. extra practice on a weekend, and even get qualifying ion every week... IF you are able to get the race in.   And if the race gets rained out WHEN do you make it up.    What if the situations were reversed and this year instead of raining on Fridays... it rained on Sundays.  How would you find 10 Sundays to make up in a season.  The Cup season wouldn't be over until January.
IMO some people ask for too many things in many instances...  You can't have EVERYTHING.  And if you have to give up qualifying to get extra practice... that "should" make the racing better.  People pay to see a 4 hour event, and thats what pays the points and the money.  Given the choice between one and the other... I'd rather see the teams get more practice.


 

[CodeBlueEMT]

 I think in some instances, qualifying could be done on Saturday without messing up the day's schedule. Let's hope the last 3 races are rain free weekends.

 Shayne

[Chris]

well.. that depends...
I know in all the races we participated in... there wasn't a spare minute to do anything.  Starting from 8:00 (or 7) when the garage opened to at night when it closed.
Even us as a team... we went wide open... IF we even got a spare minute it was because we got caught up on what we were doing, and the CUP cars were out on the track, and we were waiting to be next out.  USUALLY that never happened, and we were so busy we had to send the wives, etc...  just to get us something to eat at the concession stands because we were so busys no one could stop long enough to go ourselves.

NOW... I'm not saying that there wasn't time when the track didn't sit silent and it didn't "look" like nothing was going on... but if you are involved and with a team or are an official, the day is pretty cram packed.  To all of a sudden have to figure out where to move in something thats gonna take 4 to 6 hours... thats a tall order (including pre-tech, qualifying and post tech).
When the track is quiet there is usually some sort of "meeting" going on, (drivers meeting, crew chiefs meeting, rookie meeting, etc).. some sort of 'tech' or something.  It's amazing what all goes on behind the scenes to put one of these shows on.  You have to consider you usually have TWO series racing at a facility each weekend (sometimes like next weekend all THREE major series will be there).  SO you have three separate drivers meetings, three separate rookie meetings, etc.  Tech for each series, usually the CUP officials and NNS series are the same guys.  (Especially on race days)

NOW I'm not saying it couldn't be done... lets assume it WAS possible.  But the few race weeks where a weekend did have 'short' schedule and some 'down' time for everyone... it would just have to be an sheer coincidence that it happened to be the SAME weekend that qualifying got rained out and it all meshed together.
Long story short,... usually it won't work together that way. 

[FS_Amy]

Chris, you said what I've been trying to put words to-thanks!

I would be okay with having qualifying the next day if and only if: A) NO practice time was taken from support series, and B) if it ONLY infringed on Cup practice IF they had been able to practice before the rainout-otherwise they need the practice, and it's my guess that the vast majority of teams would choose the practice time over qualifying if they had the choice.  The support series already get shafted by the Cup series enough without losing THIER practice time.

Which would generally leave qualifying at about 7am on Saturday.  Add a minimum of two hours to tech those cars and that means the garage would have to open before 5 am.  Assuming that the support series has 9 am practice, that doesn't leave any room for a wreck or any cleanup of the track, and if Cup had the 9 am practice, even if they teched each car IMMEDIATELY after it's run, it's unlikely all the Cup teams would get their fair practice time.  So the solution is not as easy as it seems.

[Chris]

Amy.. no thanks necessary...
Like you said... about the only way to find time is to "make" time by opening the garage early (like at 5 am)
NOt fair to screw the lesser series out of their qualifying or practice time just because of weather conditions, and the cater to the CUP teams.
Like you said... Not as easy a solution as it may first appear.

[SMOKEN14]

I still say if qualifying is rained out line up should go back to qualifying order or if you like luck of the draw

[Chris]

Oh I agree... given all the posible options we have...
I'd rather see that than anything... forget starting by points and letting cars start by points, (and pick pit road spots that way)
They ALREADT do the process of having to go and pick a ball for qualifying position (order)... so it qualifying gets rained out,.. then just convert that to the starting line up... and pick pit stall from that line up.

[skool]

You forget.....we're talking NASCAR here.

Anything that would be soooooooo simple, such as drawing for a spot, just can't be right. Much the same as they simply could have made a WIN worth, say 50 more points, more than 2nd. But noooooooooo!  Had to go and invent this whole hokie BS Chase thing.

[CodeBlueEMT]

You forget.....we're talking NASCAR here.

Anything that would be soooooooo simple, such as drawing for a spot, just can't be right. Much the same as they simply could have made a WIN worth, say 50 more points, more than 2nd. But noooooooooo!  Had to go and invent this whole hokie BS Chase thing.

 Man, you really need to open up and start expressing yourself more often. 

 Shayne

[PlanoHarvickFan]

Well, I don't think you have to be worried about qualifying this week...we haven't had rain in north Texas in a LONG time.