Lucky Dog Rule again a hot topic.

[DougS]

Well after this weekends race at Pocono the lucky dog rule has been mentioned in almost all the articles this week on the front page, including an entire segment in this weeks Mirror Driving and Vexxing Vito.

There is a wide range of suggestions and with the advent of double files restarts added the chance of a lap down driver getting a lap back "the hard way" is now between slim and none.

I think that the rule has garnered so much attention, this week, is because the three time defending cup champion was the recipient of the Lucky Dog three times and ended up with a top 15 finish on the lead lap. I asked this simple question on the front page: Would Jimmie Johnson have the same result if he had to spend the EXACT same time on pit road as he did this weekend at Pocono fixing the same problem at Martinsville?

I think the rule in place is fine as it is and needs no tweaking what so ever. It removes a potential accident from occuring. It gives the competition a chance to get back on the lead lap and it's clear who is the lucky dog recipient and it gives the TV crews a little drama for a race within the race.

It was brought up that this was not the first time someone has explioted the lucky dog rule. Kyle Busch's adventure at Watkins Glenn was brought up along with Tony Stewart. I'd like to counter the exploited claim by clearly stating that I don't think in any team meeting has the plan been to have a mechanical failure and go several laps down and strategically position themselves for the lucky dog to make themselves looks like superman and finish with decent points salvaging the day.

And finally Tom Bolwes summed it all up. It's bound to happen again at the road course and big tracks. And that is where the rub lies. We have one rule but race on a plethora of race tracks with a multitude of distances. There is no perfect answer or rule that can be all encompassing.

[Busch Babe 899]

Well, in all fairness, I've been told (wasn't actually paying attention to JJ that much, except to gripe about what I'd do if he came back from 3 laps down to win the race!!) he used the "come around" rule, with the double-file restarts, twice, and got the lucky dog the last time...but I do think that if the double-file restart with the option to stay out and get a lap back remains, then the lucky dog should at least be limited to once a race....although that would not have changed things in this case.

The new restarts with that option to stay out, really make the "Lucky Dog" rule fairly obsolete....but in a way, it's a bonus now. You can come around on the restart, without pitting, but still have to pit a while later (in some cases, this would work out, with a caution coming out), OR you can get the lucky dog, come around, and be allowed to pit.....and be at the tail end of the lead lap. I guess in a way, it is still an added bonus, because it takes the risk of not pitting out of the equation.

Sorry, just thinking out loud...that, and conversations I have out loud with myself, are the best ways to think things through. LOL

[CodeBlueEMT]

 I guess Aaron's pays NA$CAR tons of money...

 The "Lucky Dog" is a gimmick. Folks complain about Digger, yet accept giving someone a free pass without question.

 Who says someone like Jimmie Johnson deserves a chance to stay on the lead lap because he had a problem? What about the other guys that ARE running well? Sorry, gotta keep Superman up front.   

 If you want a mulligan, stick to golf.

 Shayne

[Chris]

I can understand where you are coming from Shayne...
I think all of us remember the field bearing down still racing at full speed toward a stranded Dale Jarrett sitting right in the middle of the track...
Heart in your throat stuff to say the least.

IMO THAT wasn't the thing that got the "lucky Dog" rule reinstated.
I think the teams/drivers did that to THEMSELVES
Well back before Jarrett almost got t-boned... and they still "raced" back to the yellow flag.
Teams (leaders) had taken to slowing down intentally giving team-mates, etc a chance to get back on the lead lap.  We have the leader almost come to a slow roll trying to get a teammate back from being one lap down.  J Johnson slowing for J Gordon immedialy come to mind.  He slowed so much he asmost got run over by cars coming up behind him.  Whne the yellow flew, Johnson was almost to turn #3, and Gordon was going into turn #1 1/2 a lap behind.  Johnson had to get on the binders to give Gordon time to get around him...

So seeing what was going on, IMO is why we ended up with the lucky dog.  It made it worthless for the leader to slow down and wait on a teammate because the FIRST car a lap down was the only one that was going to get back on the lead lap...
I'm sure NASCAR wishes they could of come up with a way to get the OTHER cars back on the lead lap (ones also a lad down but between the leader and his teammate)  Whne the leader slowed it added a LOT of cars back on the lead lap...  Maybe the wave around is the 'new' way of getting cars back on the lead lap and keeping more cars in competition.

[Montvale]

 Leave the lucky dog alone, it's the only thing Dale Jr can win. Sometimes, anyhow.

[CodeBlueEMT]

Leave the lucky dog alone, it's the only thing Dale Jr can win. Sometimes, anyhow.

 Ouch. It burns, it burns. LOL.

 Shayne

[skool]

Leave the lucky dog alone, it's the only thing Dale Jr can win. Sometimes, anyhow.

Yeah, That IS a good one!