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http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/...rengineers.html
NASCAR engineers point race
By MIKE FINNEY
10/03/2002
NASCAR would like to have its fans believe that they are witnessing the closest Winston Cup points race in history.
Sure, it is exciting that the top five drivers in the standings are only separated by 121 points.
But is it an honest points battle?
Since the 36-race journey began at Daytona in February, NASCAR has mandated 11 rules changes - mostly aerodynamic tweaks - to the various makes of race cars, thereby assisting some teams and hurting others in the "best interests of competition."
Is that fair? I don't think so.
If the Eagles start this NFL season 10-1, the league is not going to make a rules change and say they can only play with 10 players.
Ricky Rudd could see it coming back in June, when he was in the top five in the points standings. He has since fallen to 10th.
Back then, Rudd said, "I think you'll start seeing, with the stretch of 20 races when we come off the break, it's going to get back to team preparation. And NASCAR will play a big factor.
"I would say it's almost in NASCAR's hands who will win this championship, if, all of a sudden, they throw a rules change in there."
They have thrown several in there since, the most recent coming when Chevrolet teams received a one-inch increase to their front bumper at Michigan. It was supposed to be a temporary change, but NASCAR made it permanent on Sept. 5.
Pontiac also received a half-inch increase to their front ends at the same time to increase downforce on the cars.
And since then, Chevrolet rookie driver Jimmie Johnson has taken the lead in the points standings and his owner and teammate, Jeff Gordon, has won two races. Pontiac driver Tony Stewart has leaped up to third in the standings. Coincidence?
Meanwhile, Sterling Marlin and his fellow Dodge teams flounder. NASCAR has not given them a rules change all season.
That is probably because Marlin had led the points standings from the second race of the season up until the New Hampshire 300 on Sept. 15..
Bill Elliott is the only other Dodge driver in the top 10 in the points standings, in ninth place, 201 points behind Johnson.
"All you've got to do is look at the record right now," said Bill Davis, car owner for Ward Burton's and Kenny Wallace's Dodges. "These other manufacturers have been helped and helped and helped, and we haven't. I think we've gotten way behind.
"It's like we're not getting rewarded for working hard and making the commitment and doing all the things you need to do.
"You're at the mercy of how NASCAR views the competition and how they adjust on it. I don't think they have to justify it. They look at it and it's their show. The rest of us are just getting to play in it."
The solution to getting rid of all the whining from all of the automobile manufacturers and race teams is simple - make no rules changes.
NASCAR should have a car make's model in hand in mid-season before the next season begins. Take them all to the wind tunnel and make whatever adjustments are deemed necessary to the cars.
Then, do not touch them. If NASCAR's engineers believe they are equal, then leave them alone.
Mid-season rules changes are a relatively new phenomenon in Winston Cup racing. It used to be that if a car could not keep up, a team would work that much harder on it, rather than beg for help.
NASCAR's integrity has to come into question when it makes these rules changes in mid-stream.
And don't ask Mark Martin about some of NASCAR's decisions during a championship battle.
Martin won the spring race at Richmond in 1990. However, NASCAR ruled that his Ford had an illegal aluminum block spacer. He was allowed to keep his victory but was docked 46 points. Martin eventually lost the title to Dale Earnhardt by just 26 points.
Just another example of NASCAR's far too overreaching power.
Maybe they can keep their fingers out of the mix over the final seven races of this year's championship hunt, but I doubt it.
Reach Mike Finney at 734-7945 or [email protected].
http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/...rengineers.html
NASCAR engineers point race
By MIKE FINNEY
10/03/2002
NASCAR would like to have its fans believe that they are witnessing the closest Winston Cup points race in history.
Sure, it is exciting that the top five drivers in the standings are only separated by 121 points.
But is it an honest points battle?
Since the 36-race journey began at Daytona in February, NASCAR has mandated 11 rules changes - mostly aerodynamic tweaks - to the various makes of race cars, thereby assisting some teams and hurting others in the "best interests of competition."
Is that fair? I don't think so.
If the Eagles start this NFL season 10-1, the league is not going to make a rules change and say they can only play with 10 players.
Ricky Rudd could see it coming back in June, when he was in the top five in the points standings. He has since fallen to 10th.
Back then, Rudd said, "I think you'll start seeing, with the stretch of 20 races when we come off the break, it's going to get back to team preparation. And NASCAR will play a big factor.
"I would say it's almost in NASCAR's hands who will win this championship, if, all of a sudden, they throw a rules change in there."
They have thrown several in there since, the most recent coming when Chevrolet teams received a one-inch increase to their front bumper at Michigan. It was supposed to be a temporary change, but NASCAR made it permanent on Sept. 5.
Pontiac also received a half-inch increase to their front ends at the same time to increase downforce on the cars.
And since then, Chevrolet rookie driver Jimmie Johnson has taken the lead in the points standings and his owner and teammate, Jeff Gordon, has won two races. Pontiac driver Tony Stewart has leaped up to third in the standings. Coincidence?
Meanwhile, Sterling Marlin and his fellow Dodge teams flounder. NASCAR has not given them a rules change all season.
That is probably because Marlin had led the points standings from the second race of the season up until the New Hampshire 300 on Sept. 15..
Bill Elliott is the only other Dodge driver in the top 10 in the points standings, in ninth place, 201 points behind Johnson.
"All you've got to do is look at the record right now," said Bill Davis, car owner for Ward Burton's and Kenny Wallace's Dodges. "These other manufacturers have been helped and helped and helped, and we haven't. I think we've gotten way behind.
"It's like we're not getting rewarded for working hard and making the commitment and doing all the things you need to do.
"You're at the mercy of how NASCAR views the competition and how they adjust on it. I don't think they have to justify it. They look at it and it's their show. The rest of us are just getting to play in it."
The solution to getting rid of all the whining from all of the automobile manufacturers and race teams is simple - make no rules changes.
NASCAR should have a car make's model in hand in mid-season before the next season begins. Take them all to the wind tunnel and make whatever adjustments are deemed necessary to the cars.
Then, do not touch them. If NASCAR's engineers believe they are equal, then leave them alone.
Mid-season rules changes are a relatively new phenomenon in Winston Cup racing. It used to be that if a car could not keep up, a team would work that much harder on it, rather than beg for help.
NASCAR's integrity has to come into question when it makes these rules changes in mid-stream.
And don't ask Mark Martin about some of NASCAR's decisions during a championship battle.
Martin won the spring race at Richmond in 1990. However, NASCAR ruled that his Ford had an illegal aluminum block spacer. He was allowed to keep his victory but was docked 46 points. Martin eventually lost the title to Dale Earnhardt by just 26 points.
Just another example of NASCAR's far too overreaching power.
Maybe they can keep their fingers out of the mix over the final seven races of this year's championship hunt, but I doubt it.
Reach Mike Finney at 734-7945 or [email protected].
