NASCAR managed to satisfy fans by announcing the new championship format; however, the authorities left Dale Earnhardt Jr.. confused a few days later, announcing a new rule in light of Ram Trucks’ arrival in the Truck Series. And now another rival truck driver has raised his voice against the allegedly unfair decision.
It is understandable that a new manufacturer would find it difficult to join the series and compete with other manufacturers who already have years of experience. However, this does not mean bending the rules to the point that current teams are affected. Under the new rule, NASCAR can award up to four additional starting positions (37th to 40th) in the field for new OEM vehicles if they do not qualify on speed. Not everyone is happy with this, to say the least.
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The actor-turned-runner left disappointed, as did Dale Jr.
Bob Pockrass shared the update on his social media the day NASCAR announced this new rule. Dale Earnhardt Jr’s the reaction with just one response spoke volumes. Many agreed with him. This rule would not only give an unfair advantage to Kaulig Racing (which will run Ram Trucks), but would also allow the team to not worry about its qualifying setup and only worry about racing.
It’s luxury, like Frankie Muniz »wrote on social networks, responding to another message from Pockrass.
“The most important thing is that they don’t have to focus on building a fast car for qualifying. They can just focus 100% on building a good race car that handles better. Most teams don’t have that luxury,” Muniz wrote.
That’s absolutely true. While most teams will have to worry about their qualifying and race performances separately, Ram Trucks would undoubtedly have a stake in the race. Although NASCAR says its goal is only to help new OEMs adapt more effectively to the competition, doing so still poses a significant risk of granting an unfair advantage. Additionally, teams can also push further, as they won’t have to worry about causing minor damage.
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However, this new rule will only apply to the first three races of the season. Still, these races are enough to affect championship points, which these teams will continue to earn.
How can teams leverage NASCAR Provisional OEM?
Although NASCAR’s new interim OEM rule is intended to make it easier for a new manufacturer to enter the Truck Series, it has drawn criticism because it undermines the sport’s long-term merit system. Even though Ram, the only new OEM in the truck field this year, is virtually protected by this provision, longtime manufacturers like Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota would still be at full risk of a DNQ, due to the brutal system the Truck Series uses for speed-based qualifying.
The controversy deepens because these provisionally qualified trucks would still be eligible to score points in the championship. This opens the door for teams to earn owner points without first demonstrating competitive pace, which could protect them from future DNQs later in the season.
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Many say this could encourage sandbagging during qualifying, reduce the importance of pace over a lap and ultimately change the settings they use.
Additionally, this rule may affect smaller, independent teams. With the Truck Series field limited in size, guaranteed spots for new OEM entries could mean some larger but less funded teams miss out on racing altogether.
Even though NASCAR only introduced this provision to make it easier for Ram to enter the sport, many argue that teams in the early years never had it easier, and that’s absolutely true. It was either the pace or nothing. Therefore, it is completely understandable that people like Dale Jr. and other drivers find this unfair.
The position NASCAR driver echoes Dale Jr as he exposes ‘unfair advantage’ of controversial rule change appeared first on EssentiallySport.
