Yes I’am Still Alive
Just a might busy of late. Both on the homefront and with the political side of the house. This is a lazy way to return but I thought it was an interesting editorial.
Wild, warped season calls NASCAR’s credibility into question
By BRANT JAMES, Times Staff Writer
CONCORD, N.C. - A thin line of sweat beaded on Brian France’s lip. He fidgeted in a comfortable-looking chair in a decidedly uncomfortable location. On a stage at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center in February, he faced a picket line of media and television camera lights, answering question after question about how he was driving one of the most popular sports in the world into the dumper.
You could almost see the cartoon bubble above his head.
“I wish we could change the subject from this new points system thing.”
Halfway through his first full season as NASCAR CEO, one phase into his grand plan to take the stock car racing series his grandfather started to another rung, France got what he wanted. The “Chase for the Championship” playoff format that will decide the driver champion is no longer an issue. Unfortunately for NASCAR, just about everything else about the way it runs its operation is, after one of the most tumultuous half seasons in memory. Most distressing for NASCAR is that one of the key topics of debate is whether the league can recover what has been lost of its credibility.
“Lately, there’s been some different issues that have popped up and it’s taken away (NASCAR’s credibility),” points leader Jimmie Johnson said. “They make decisions and we believe their reasoning and everything behind it. Lately, it’s made us question it.”
Rule changes are commonplace in NASCAR. No professional sport changes its procedures more during a season, but the domino of action-controversy-reaction that has shaped - some would say warped - this season, has left fans and competitors grimacing about the next episode.
It started in the second race of the season at Rockingham, when Jamie McMurray argued that he, not Matt Kenseth should have been the race-winner as both Kenseth’s No. 17 Ford and runnerup Kasey Kahne’s No. 9 Dodge had been caught on pit road when a caution flew. Kenseth and Kahne were scored back on the lead lap because they were “rolling,” when the yellow flew, said president Mike Helton. Odd, but only a blip, or so it seemed.
But rules became even more illusory this summer. Consistent interpretation slippery. Officials decisions changed the result of a truck series race at Charlotte in May when the leader was passed because he slowed for an accidental caution light; a flag man botched the opening of pit road in a Cup race at Pocono, allowing some drivers in, but forcing others, including race-leader Johnson, to come around again; officials needed 24 laps of caution at Dover to sort out running order; when two races ended under caution, NASCAR introduced a green/white/checker finish policy beginning July 25 at New Hampshire. “The expectations from the drivers, the owners, fans and everybody in the industry is that NASCAR is going to conduct the events in a mistake-free environment,” France said. “Now, we all know that that’s not humanly possible, although, that’s our own expectation. “We have had several mistakes in the last month that we think we’ve gotten for a large measure corrected.”
The changes may help, but NASCAR proved confusing even while applying old rules. Sometimes it even made up new ones, such as after the Busch Series race at Daytona two weeks ago. Officials issued runnerup Jason Leffler a one-second penalty for “unnecessary roughness” for making contact with Dale Earnhardt Jr. (and not Michael Waltrip, whom he spun off the track), then did nothing to Tony Stewart for spinning out Kahne during the Cup race in Chicago last week.
Speaking of Stewart, the short-fused 2002 champion was fined $50,000, docked 25 driver points and put on probation for reaching into rookie Brian Vickers’ car and making physical contact at Sonoma. Jimmy Spencer was suspended a race for punching Kurt Busch last summer.
Richard Petty, the sport’s retired all-time wins leader said NASCAR is burying itself in regulations and interpretations.
“Nobody is as confused as NASCAR,” he said. “But I see no way to back up.”
It has at least changed the subject from the new points system.
