Another Rule Change
By M.L. Morgan
(April 13, 1999)
Nascar has a few absurd rules. No shock to anyone who can spell Nascar. The most absurd is the past champion's provisional starting spot. Absolutely preposterous. I think we've all seen this rule abused long enough. A close second-place to this is ALL of the provisional starting spots. If you can't qualify by speed, take it back home. We've written volumes on that so we won't belabor the point.
The rule which is bothering me so much right at this moment is the one which allows a driver to be relieved by another driver during a race and still earn full credit, i.e.,Winston Cup Championship Points, even though he may have only run one lap. This is a total crock - major bull crunchies.
Who came up with this rule ? What is the purpose of this rule ?
None of you can accuse me of ever having said Nascar is logical, but I defy anyone to explain this logic. No other business, that I'm aware of, has a policy which allows someone to make a 'token' appearance, yet get full pay for the day. This rule is outrageous. It rivals the rule which allows one driver to qualify a car for another driver. If the 'big-name driver' is too busy making commercials or public appearances to qualify his car, such is life. He can make some more commercials on race day and the one who qualified the car will race.
This rule has been abused a few times this season, by Bobby Labonte and Jimmy Spencer, for instance. I have nothing against either of these young men but this rule sucks. I have sympathy for their injuries but I also have compassion for the other drivers who have to drive the whole distance. Maybe these 'injured' drivers lose a few positions while the driver exchange is taking place but, in my opinion, the cars should be disqualified when the driver who started the race cannot continue. Nascar doesn't sanction relay races, yet.
A 34-race season is very hard physically on the drivers and all the team members. No denying that. They all knew that coming into the season. No team should benefit from this rule which allows, in effect, two drivers for the price of one. Just isn't fair and beyond that, it just isn't right.
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