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Drivers are the Stars Not the Owners (Why NASCAR and Bud Screwed Up the Shootout)
8/29/08: SOZ Studios, MI - By Dennis Michelsen "DMIC" (RaceTalkRadio.com)
Ever since the first Busch Clash back in 1979 the drivers have been the reason NASCAR fans have tuned in to watch the race! Up until now the field for the race has been determined by the pole winners from the previous season along with some special rules to get some fan favorites in the show. Now the whole ball game is changing! We knew the rules would change because Budweiser was not going to make this about winning the pole as usual when Coors took over as the pole sponsor. But there were other ways to pick the field. The drivers are the stars not the owners so NASCAR and Budweiser screwed up with their new Shootout rules!
Why New System Stinks
NASCAR is rewarding lousy teams just to keep the numbers even among the manufacturers. The idea of turning this into some sort of team race is a joke! Drivers at other teams do sometimes team up but at the end of the race drivers will pair up with anyone they can draft with to win. If NASCAR was going to put the top 25 drivers into the show that would have worked fine, but this new system is idiotic! The 6th Chevy is 12th in points while the 6th Toyota might fall out of the top 35 by the end of the season. Tony Stewart will not be in the race nor will any driver from Dale Earnhardt Inc. You know NASCAR will tweak the rules the following year IF Dale Earnhardt Jr isn't one of the top six Chevy entries! Put the best cars and drivers in the field every year!
Better System- Most Laps Led
How about rewarding the driver that leads the most laps? The Budweiser Shootout would be made up of the drivers that led the most laps in each and every race! The WIX Company sponsors an award for the most laps led but they are hardly in competition with Budweiser. Add in past Cup champions and there will rarely be a fan favorite that misses the show! The best drivers will go head to head and since they are used to leading the most laps we should see some great racing.
Better System-Most Quality Passes
A few years ago when the scoring loops were installed at all NASCAR tracks we started seeing an onslaught of new statistics. None of these new stats have a sponsor yet, which is amazing. While some of the stats are quite insignificant there are a few that could have come into play for the Budweiser Shootout. Their system records what they call "Quality Passes." What better way to qualify a driver than guys that make lots of passes? Once again you can add past Champions to round out the field.
Rounding Out the Field
While I have never been a fan of the Chase for the Championship, if NASCAR is bound and determined to have a playoff system, why not use it to help set the field for the Chase? These drivers have accomplished something and they deserve to be rewarded! Use one of the statistical methods above in addition to the Chasers from the previous season. This is guaranteed to put the best drivers into the field for the race assuring that the fans get a memorable show!
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