FORT WORTH, TX - JUNE 09: Trucks come down pit road for service during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winstaronlinegaming.com 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 9, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
‘The right’ to be on the NASCAR circuits
Shane Walters
Sometimes, ‘the right’ to be out there should be revoked
lapped traffic is a sudden discussion point. On Monday, NASCAR reacted by announcing they will be looking at increasing the minimum speed. Honestly, that’s nothing new to motorsports.
F1 has the 107% rule. They ran into similar issues with brand new teams that were well behind on the development to the front running teams. As a result, any driver that does not set a lap time within 107% of the fastest time, isn’t allowed to start the race.
View the qualifying differences below from first to last for all 3 series at Texas.
In NASCAR, the field fillers are the cars in question. Start and park is no longer allowed via the stock car racing series. As a result, these cars are remaining on the track, sometimes for the duration of the event. They’ve become jam cars, not racing cars.
FORT WORTH, TX – NOVEMBER 05: Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford, and Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota, lead the field past the green flag to start the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 5, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
On TV, in the case of a blink, you might have missed them. If you did see the field zoom by a car that appeared to be parked, those are the one’s we’re talking about. These machines aren’t damaged, they weren’t on the crash clock, they’re just in the way. There’s no other way of putting it.
If you’re 6 seconds per lap slower, you’re basically multiple laps down at the conclusion of the first stage. This is NASCAR, the premier form of motorsports in the United States. Therefore, it’s completely ridiculous to have cars or trucks on the track when they are this far off the pace. Especially but not limited to during the NASCAR playoffs.
FORT WORTH, TX – NOVEMBER 03: Johnny Sauter, driver of the #21 ISMConnect Chevrolet, leads a pack of trucks during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series JAG Metals 350 Driving Hurricane Harvey Relief at Texas Motor Speedway on November 3, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)
‘They have every right to be out there’
Honestly, that’s not what we’re even talking about.
We’re talking about massive closing rates at high-speed ovals. We’re talking about cars and trucks that know they’re going to be in the way, before they ever leave the shop. We’re talking about an obstacle course as the field of race cars weaves it’s way around the cars that have dropped anchor.
I’m not a snowflake, I’m aware that danger is part of racing. I’m also aware that some fans are there to see crashes, not racing. But, there’s a difference between danger and borderline stupidity.
They aren’t racing. Hell, they aren’t even testing. They don’t even have the funds to be out there on the track to begin with. So, why are they out there?
These teams are basically taking advantage of the NASCAR starting pay. They are still start and park race cars. Even though NASCAR doesn’t allow it, that’s what they are. At the top level of oval racing, these things don’t belong.
Some of these cars don’t pull in for the duration of the event. There’s a race going on and these cars were never in it. Not no longer in it, they were never in it. Yet, they remain on the track and multiple times, they have effected to outcome of the actual race going on.
Maybe you feel bad for these guys. I don’t. If you aren’t fast enough to compete as NASCAR’s highest levels, there’s alternative options. These teams should be racing where they’re competitive. They shouldn’t be allowed in a series just to milk the starting pay at the negative effect of the teams that are here to race.
It’s not 20th on back. We’re only talking about the last 4-5 teams on the time sheets. The lap time percentage for those teams, dramatically decreased at the bottom of the sheet. As shown below:
Qualifying Differences
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Texas Motor Speedway