Top-35 rule could be changed: NASCAR is considering changing the number of
teams locked into each Nextel Cup race by virtue of owner points, an
official source within the sanctioning body confirmed to SPEEDTV.com
Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. Currently, the top 35 teams in
NASCAR Nextel Cup owner points are guaranteed starting spots at each race,
regardless of where they actually qualify in the field. Teams outside the
top 35 must attempt to qualify for the remaining eight spots in each Cup
event. When NASCAR first adopted the system of locking in the top 35 in
owner points, it was when car counts were low at Cup races. The rationale of
guaranteeing starting spots was to protect small, independent teams who
showed up every week, but usually were not among the fastest in the field.
With the advent of a host of new teams in 2007, including five from Toyota’s
new Nextel Cup effort, fields have swelled this year, resulting in many
fully sponsored teams going home on a weekly basis. That may be about to
change, the NASCAR official confirmed in an exclusive interview with
SPEEDTV.com. “We’ve had ongoing discussions about changing the number of
teams we lock in,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The end result could be that the number of guaranteed starters would be
reduced from 35 to perhaps 30 or 25. The NASCAR official stressed that no
decision had been made yet, but the matter will continue to be a
front-burner topic for the sanctioning body.(SPEEDtv.com)(7-7-2007)

My Take:

35 drivers is way too many drivers to be locked in at a race especially when theres 50 teams a week entered.

My suggestion is....
lock in the top 25 drivers in Owner's Points
5 Fastest qualifiers
Past race winner of previous year
Past Champion
All remaining drivers fight for the last 11 spots in a sprint race(goes perfect with Sprint being the new sponsor)

Here would be an example of a race weekend:

Top 25 in Owner's Points: Gordon, Hamlin, Kenseth, Johnson, Burton, Edwards, Stewart, Ky. Busch, #01, Harvick, Truex, Bowyer, Earnhardt Jr, McMurray, Newman, Ku. Busch, Biffle, Yeley, Mears, Labonte, Montoya, Sadler, Ragan, R. Gordon, Stremme

5 Fastest Qualifiers of Non- Top 25: Kahne, Blaney, Reuttiman, Marlin, Green
Previous Winner of past year: Vickers
Past champion: Dale Jarrett(Depends on variation of rule, limit)

That is 32 drivers in the race, then before the busch series race, the remaining drivers then duel out a sprint race for the final 11 spots.

This is fair, in my opinion, I'm open to criticism.

I like that suggestion. Its a shame that qualifying got rained out at Daytona..Kenny Wallace made it in the race by 1 stinking spot and poor Michael Waltrip never even got a chance and he qualified 4th. I think they should take that stuff into consideration also. IMO But I definitely think with the points being as close as they are nowadays instead of like back in the day when the whole top 35 started, a change is needed to make it more fair for all the 50 something cars that show up every weekend.

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

I don't think anyone should be locked in. Make everyone compete for 40 spots, and use the last three spots for the provisionals (past champions, defending race winner, etc.). You don't make it in the top 40, too bad, you go home.

It would make qualifying a big deal again.

X2 just so everyone knows how I feel about this issue. I Hate the TOP 35 Rule

Just thought I would remind everyone of my thoughts.

__________________
If You Wont Stand Behind OUR TROOPS please feel free to stand in front of them


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


The JACK CREW!!!

Darby says modifications are possible to Top-35 qualifying rule
By Marty Smith
ESPN.com
(Archive)

JOLIET, Ill. -- Nextel Cup director John Darby -- saying he was speaking for himself, not NASCAR -- didn't mince words Friday when asked about speculated changes to NASCAR's Top-35 rule.

"We ain't changing it," Darby said.

That doesn't mean, however, that NASCAR isn't contemplating some alterations to the current rule that guarantees a position in the race field to every team ranked among the top-35 in owner points that week.

One possibility is grouping "go or go home" cars together during the qualifying session, so all are faced with similar track conditions during their laps. Since a hotter, slicker track typically makes for a slower lap during time trials, a team that qualifies early may be at a disadvantage compared to one that qualifies late in the session.

Darby likes that idea.

"We're talking about that a lot," he said. "It makes it truly a head-to-head competition that way."

Where would they be grouped? One possibility, according to Darby: Let the championship driver or crew chief decide where in the session that respective group would qualify.

thank god. its a good thing Reed is....whats that word....ugggg!!
its where they get like in the same place or around that position almost everytime....i cant think of the word.....well hes like that.
anyways, and he normally starts around 22-29 almost half the year now. so thats a good thing.

__________________
Reed Sorenson Fan
Kelly Bires Fan
Trevor Farbo Fan

Teams outside top 35 try to keep up
By DAVID POOLE, dpoole@charlotteobserver.com

JOLIET, Ill. – It’s late Friday morning at Chicagoland Speedway and Larry McClure stands in the Nextel Cup garage watching his crew prepare for another day of drama.

The USG Sheetrock 400 qualifying order is taped to a toolbox in the next stall. Jeremy Mayfield’s team has marked its No. 36 Toyota’s position with a pink highlighter and circled the numbers of the cars Mayfield has to beat to make this week’s race.

Next to last among 49 cars is the No. 4. That’s the Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevrolet, driven by Ward Burton and owned by the man who’s shaking his head.

“I’ve been doing this for 25 years,” McClure says. “I guess I am really stubborn.”

One week earlier at Daytona it rained before Burton could try to make the field for the Pepsi 400. NASCAR set the lineup by rule and McClure’s car missed the cut.

McClure’s not yet so frustrated he blames NASCAR for the fact it rained on a July afternoon in Florida, but his team’s failure to make the show forced him to make some tough decisions.

This week, McClure had to tell five of his people they no longer had jobs.

“We have some really good people,” McClure says, staring off toward no place in particular. “Those people we had to let go are valuable to me. We love them, we care about them. But I have to able to pay my bills; that’s something we’ve always done.”

McClure told each person he laid off that as soon as he can find somebody else to help State Water Heaters provide sponsorship for his team, he’d hire them back.

“It’s a terrible thing,” McClure says. “If I had another $3 million dollars this year, I could do a hell of a lot better.”

McClure’s team is in Garage 3. Up around Garage 1, where the top 12 teams in the Nextel Cup standings are, the weekend’s big story involves Dale Earnhardt Jr. and word that Budweiser won’t be his sponsor when he moves to Hendrick Motorsports.

Some sponsor is going to be writing a very, very big check to get Earnhardt Jr. Some other team will get a nice sum when it lands Budweiser for 2008.

That’s important stuff.

But it is no more important as what McClure and the owners down in his end of the garage face these days.

“It’s not right,” McClure muses. “What’s going to happen here is you’re going to wind up with five or six car owners controlling the whole field. I don’t think it’s good for the sport long term”

As qualifying winds down, only Burton and Paul Menard, in a go-or-go-home car owned by Dale Earnhardt Inc., are left. Burton runs 179.581 mph, 36th fastest among 49 cars making qualifying attempts. But with the top 35 in car owner points locked into the show, all that matters is that Burton is faster than six of the other non-exempt cars.

That means the No. 4 Chevrolet will race on this Sunday.

“I’ve tried to be objective,” McClure says. “But when I look at it I think I’ve got the best team I’ve had in five years. It’s hard to fight the rules every week. It takes its toll.”

When introduced, the rule protecting the top 35 teams was positioned as a way to protect full-time teams and the sponsors who back them.

What it’s actually doing, McClure says, is crippling him as well as others who’re down here in this part of the garage with him.

“It doesn’t let us compete for sponsors or for people because you’re out of the top 35 and you’re not locked in,” he says.

What would McClure do? Change the top 35 rule, for starters.

“Put more emphasis back on qualifying,” he says. “The teams that are locked on don’t care about qualifying. Let the current champion and the teams in the top 10 or 12 have guaranteed spots. That would be your stars, and then give these other people a chance to become stars.”

McClure’s team starts its 695th race today. It has 14 victories, but none since 1998. It has been more than 250 races since a Morgan-McClure car finished in the top five.

But does that make Larry McClure and people like him expendable?

McClure adjusts his focus. Now, he looks you dead square in the eyes.

“We’re trying to bring good sponsors and good people into this sport, too,” McClure says. “We feel like there’s value for us being here.”

It's dumb the way they do rain out quallys. Why don't they anytime there is a chance some could qualify let the ones out side the to 35 qualify first. Then if they can get in a qualify for those racers let stand if the others cannot get in the qualify. This way it would be fair for those who are trying to get into the race. Now the bottom few never get a chance to race because they are automatically eliminated by the other rules which include some with the higher points by owner or whatever. In the case of the Bristol race I think it is stupid to give Johnson and Gordon the one and two place when they are behind in the point standing. Talk about favorates with the rules. Make them fair. I see no fairness in what has been going on this year. My favorate driver gets the shaft as he starts way down even thought he is in the top 10. I have been going to races for years but NASCAR needs to give new drivers and existing drivers a fair shake this year and not base it on last year or whatever.

Earl Sjoberg

im with flflash, if you cant make the grade for a race then you dont deserve to be there....
boogity, boogity, boogity lets go racin boys.
hopefully no rain for today @ bistol!

__________________
All who wander are not lost...