If the No. 23 car – driven by Robert Richardson Jr. and Scott Riggs – is faster than some of NASCAR’s big guns, why shouldn’t it race on Sunday?There’s nothing in NASCAR I hate more than the “Top 35” rule.
For several years, the Top 35 teams in owner points were able to go through qualifying knowing they had a guaranteed spot in the race, leaving a limited number of other teams fighting for the final eight spots.
The original reason for this rule was to ensure that the drivers everyone pays for or watches are actually in the race.
But what if David Stremme was actually faster than Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a given week? On the one hand, if someone is faster than one of the stars, they will likely get one of those eight starting spots. However, what if all the cars not in the top 35 all beat out one or more elite names?
I say that’s what sport is. If the Patriots go 15-0, then lose their last game to the Browns, the NFL can’t say “Well, the Browns were one of the worst teams last year, so that loss doesn’t count.”
In NASCAR, Shouldn’t the 43 fastest qualifiers start the race?? If Jimmie Johnson loses his spot to Travis Kvapil, shouldn’t that be a sign for the No. 48 team to step up their game?
Some good news came Thursday, as NASCAR competition director Robin Pemberton acknowledged that the governing body was discuss a change for 2013.
“Top 35 was a good rule when we had pound races and that sort of thing. But I think there are a lot of people who like that speed that gets you in.”
Who doesn’t like speed to get you in? It wouldn’t be a race. It wouldn’t be sport.
NOT EXCLUDING INDY: More good news, at least in my opinion, came Thursday, as Danica Patrick talked about making another run in the race that made her famous.
As Patrick makes her NASCAR debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for the inaugural race of the Nationwide Series, she will always be known for being the first woman to lead laps at the 2005 Indianapolis 500.
Patrick said Thursday that she did not rule out a return to the 500 next year. But she doesn’t want to do it for fun either. She must be a contender for victory.
“I feel like it’s always been one of my strongest races of the year in IndyCar, so I feel like it’s something I’d like to do, and maybe it will happen, maybe it won’t happen, but I can tell you the only way it’s going to happen is if it’s with someone that I really feel like I can have a chance to go there and win because it’s unfair for the history I’ve had here and for my memory to do anything other than that I wouldn’t want to destroy everything I’ve experienced here with anything to remember.”
What do you mean for a long sentence?
ON THE ROAD AGAIN? The Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway road course has been operational for nearly 35 years.
I didn’t even know until reading Thursday’s article by Marc Allard of the Norwich Bulletin that Thompson I even had a road course. Part of the reason is that I was born the year after he organized his last race.
Jonathan Hoenig, son of track owner Don Hoenig, is restarting the first permanent road course in U.S. racing history to earn additional revenue on days when the oval track is not in use.
Hoenig said:
“We use the oval about 20 to 25 times a year and needed to find a use for it for the other six days of the week. Most Cup tracks have a road course in the infield and the demand for use of those tracks is high.”
Sports car clubs often rent road courses for their regular gatherings, although the idea of holding major races there should not be ruled out.
Thompson could easily use the road course to host a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race, if the Tour wanted it. The annual road race at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut, was not brought back in 2012, although it was popular with most drivers.
