54 Drivers on Las Vegas Cup entry list

[smyler]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/6532782?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=167

What are they going to do about this?  54 drivers for 43 spots.  At least eleven teams won't make the show.  There are several decent teams that are going to miss the race.  This isn't like past years where there have always been extra teams trying to qualify for Daytona and then it goes down to about 45 to 47 teams trying to make the race, for the rest of the year.

The only logical step is to either create leagues or make the field larger.  Too much money is being lost by teams that can't make the field.  The way they have it now, if you are in the top 35 it is like having a franchise.  Unless you really goof, you are in and you are going to stay in.  Remember, that top 35 carries over for the first five races of the year, which means that in order to break into this group you are going to have to both qualify and do well in all five of these races.  It is going to be very difficult for any new team to break into that core group now, no matter how well funded they are. 

It used to be that if you hired a decent driver and crew chief you could have a good shot at making the field, even if you had a start up team.  That is no longer the case.  It is now a multi year commitment to get your team into the top 35. 

Frankly, I don't see why anyone would even try to do a start up team, now.  Top 35 lock in's go to the team owner, so for you Dale Junior fans, I don't see how he could go off and start his own team.  He'd have to go to an established team and take over a seat already occupied by someone else.  If you are thinking RCR, perhaps he could take over when Jeff Burton retires.

Right now, I bet Michael Waltrip is wishing he'd started with 2 teams and not 3.  I'll be surprised if we see all three teams in the same race more than a half dozen times this year.  I'll also bet that at least a half dozen times it is one of his cars that will knock one of his other cars out of the race, just like what happened at Fontana.

Anyway, my question is what, if anything, you think NASCAR is going to do about this situation.

[No3Fan4Ever]

"Anyway, my question is what, if anything, you think NASCAR is going to do about this situation."

Nascar won't do anything UNLESS enough big dollar sponsors put pressure on them; but in reality the only 'big dollar' sponsor in this situation is NAPA and Domino's; I am sure they will stick with MWR thru this period; I would imagine Toyota expected to miss a couple of races at the start of the season

[Chris]

Let Jr get outside the top 35 in points,.. then miss a race... you'll hear something.. guaranteed.
MIGHT even get something changed.
NASCAR execs HATED when one of their golden boys missed the chase.  IMAGINE what an uproar there would be if one missed a RACE (which would automatically knock them out of the chase also)

[Chris]

oh.. and this 52+ cars entered every week is gonna be the NORM for a while....
BIg races like Indy, Dega, Daytona, and road courses will bring out more than that.

Toyotas will struggles to get one of the "remaining" spots all season.... Jarret, By virtue of using his Champions provisional the first 5 races will be in the top 35 in points after Bristol.  That may keep him in the top 35 all season..??
Everyone else will have to scrath and claw.  Vickers May break in, and be able to stay in the top 35 if he can get on a little of a roll.

Jr is 41st in points,.. and racing at a track this weekend he has struggled at in the past.  SO bad one year he even just ended up using the race as a practice session.
I thought it was interesting that Schrader is NOT driving the #21 this week... Jon Wood is,.. and that car is AHEAD of Jr in the points.  Schrader is in the #47.
Also M Wallace (#09) and also Said (#60) are not racing this weekend... so Jr should pass them in points and move up those two spots.

[flamehothead]

I'm gonna have to go with Chris on this one.

As soon as one of their Golden Boys misses a race THEN and only THEN will something happen. As for the 2 seperate leagues, Can you inagine how long it would take for Nascar to get something like that ready? IMO something like that would take at least 5 years IF they were working on it RIGHT NOW (and there not) but there hasn't even been talks about it so I would guess as of now it would be in the 10 year range. Heck most of the teams outside the Top 35 will have to Close Up Shop by then and maybe even some that are IN the Top 35. If ya think about why couldn't Nascar start a few more cars on tracks that will allow such a thing and IMO that would at least HELP a team that is on the outside looking in. If ya take a team that has had a DNQ at every race and they could start ONE race that would help there chances Tremendously. I'm not saying GIVE them something but it would help if Nascar could start a few more cars at maybe Dega or even Indy. Just a thought.

[racin_girl72]

I'm with you guys.  It'll take a big name to make a race to see a change.  Myself I would like them to go back to the regular provisional system and not this top 35 lock in garbage.

It's kinda sad that the single car teams are going to be on the outside most weeks.  And too bad that they can't go to the Busch Series and try to run there, because they'll get knocked out by the same drivers over there.  Guess it pays more to wait to get into a cup race than to get into a couple more Busch races.

[Checkeredflag]

If Junior is outside the Top 35 after Bristol, I would pay to be a fly on the wall at Daytona Beach.   

If Valvoline and Cat had enough power to pressure NASCAR to make the change to the system they have now, I can't even imagine the power that Budweiser, who is not only the sponsor of the most popular driver in the sport, but also pays a nice amount to sponsor the Pole Award, would have over their decision making process.

(I still say an unlimited provisional would suddenly become available for any driver whose primary sponsor also pays for the pole award). 

I think they should go back to the system they had before, with 38 on time, and 5 provisionals, including the past champions.   They will never do the fastest 43, because of things like what happened to Carl Edwards in California in Busch qualifying - having a flat and spinning the car.  It's too risky that something like that could happen to Junior, and with no past champions' provisional to fall back on, could be disastrous (for NASCAR).

[falcon325]

Anybody got a quart or so of kerosene and some rags?   

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=2&id=2791309

[Cowboy271]

I'm with Checkeredflag.  I'd love to see them go back to the top 35 or 38 on speed and those last slots filled with provisionals based on owner points; i.e. the top 5 or 8 in owners points not making it on speed get the provisionals.  Do away with the past champion's provisional.  It was a nice, warm touch until a former Champion rode it into the ground.
I believe NA$CAR would be more successful at "growing the sport" by going back to filling most of the positions on speed.  It would certainly give start-up teams a shot at making the show and establishing themselves.  There's teams from all around the country attempting races, but if they're not from Charlotte/Mooresville the don't have a chance with the top 35 rule.  Oh well, it's not gonna happen.

[smyler]

It is 4 PM eastern and I just watched the practice session.  It looks like there is no way to guess who is going to make the race and who isn't.  Normal teams that do well are having a heck of a time breaking into the top 30.  Should be an interesting qualification.

[Chris]

well... I didn't see practice,... so I'm gonna make a guess that MAY be completely wrong.
If the "normally slow" drivers are the fastest there may be a reason for that.

Maybe the folks NOT in the top 35 in points are mostly working on qualifying and have "qualifying" set ups in their cars so they would be good for just on lap or two qhich would put them at the top of the quickest lap chart....
If the guys "already" locked into the top 35 in points look to be "slow" ... maybe they are already working on their race set ups, since they don't have to worry about making the field on time...

Just another 'consistent inconsistentcy' in the nascar system... and why I agree with what other have said about WHY the way the starting line up is determined should be changed

[falcon325]

A bunch--a whole bunch--of cars wrecked in Cup & Busch practice and qualifying. 

Bobby LaBonte blew a tire and hit the wall.  Ken Schrader spun and will miss the race so that little Jon Wood can get a start.  That sucks.  Gilliland ran a good lap in qualifying and then wadded up his car in the second lap. 

This could be an interesting race.  Old CHinese curse: "May you live in interesting times."

[Copperhead]

There should be NO provisianals or Corporate protection top 35 rules. If you can't qualify in the top 43 you should go home and work on your game.

Copperhead

[smyler]

Notice that both Michael and David missed the cut and the only way Dale Jarrett made it was by using the 3rd of 5 provisionals.  MWR is going to be sucking wind soon, if something doesn't change. 

Ya'll know I'm not the biggest Tony fan but I had to admire  his willingness to talk about the tires.  Goodyear was totally wrong to bring this tire to this track.  You'd have thought that after Greg Biffle nearly died after hitting the wall here, while testing, that they would get the point.  You can find his and others quotes about the tires here: http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=2&id=2793599&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

My favorite one is: "They don't care about the competition. They don't care about the drivers. They don't care about the teams. All they care about is not having bad publicity and not blowing tires and getting bad publicity because of that."

Stewart said he'd give half of his $5 million-plus salary to have the Hoosier Tire Company make tires "instead of the crap we're running on now."

Anyway, Way To Go, Tony!

This is going to be one LONG race, on Sunday.  There is no way they won't have at least 10 cautions.  Going from 12 to 20 degrees of banking does make for a faster race, but it also reduces reaction time when something goes wrong. 

[falcon325]

While I couldn't resist poking the 20 fans with a sharp stick over Tony the Terrible's whining (I said the boy needs some kerosene and a few rags), I do like to hear a driver speak his mind and call out NA$CAR.  That ol' Bill France" Red Trailer" line about "You need us more than we need you" is starting to look a tad shaky in light of empty seats and falling TV ratings.  If a few major sponsors got mad at NA$CAR's shenanigans and gave the OK for a few drivers like Tony to sit a week out....  All I can say is the parking-lot palm trees of Daytona Beach would be in grave danger.

But with regard to Goodyear and Hoosiers, Stewart is way out of line.  Goodyear brings the sort of tire NA$CAR tells them to bring.  If the Furry Pumpkin thinks Hoosiers could solve THAT problem, he's smoken' all right…dope.

I think you're spot on about this race, smyler.  The Vegas flag man is gonna have a sore arm and there are gonna be some busy, busy fab shops come Monday morning.  I was at the Fall race at Lowes after Humpy "levigated" it.  Even after the mess in the 600 in the Spring, Goodyears were poppin’ like popcorn.   In fact, we were sitting in between turns 3 & 4 and the Petulant One tried to climb the fence right in front of us.  In his car.  Fans who watched on TV howled about how bad that race was.  With the usual “let’s watch the leader” approach of the TV people, I’m sure it was.  It actually a very interesting race at the track because you could watch the whole field.  Crew chiefs were calling drivers in for tires at all sorts of strange times.  Some drivers were taking care of their tires.  Others (the aforementioned 20 car), were throwing caution to the wind and cutting through the field like a knife through hot butter on fresh rubber.  Only to have tires blow after all the abuse.  There was tons of passing going on all around the track.  JJ won it by clawing his way to the front and then nursing his blistered tires to the end.