No more Boys have at it?

Tennessee Racing

Tennessee Racing

Formerly Stewart Fan
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NASCAR officials plan to re-evaluate its "boys have at it" policy going into the 2012 season and could strengthen its stance against drivers retaliating on the track. NASCAR loosened the reins on drivers in 2010, allowing them to police themselves on the track and retaliate when they believed another driver had intentionally wrecked them. The incidents intensified in 2011, and NASCAR officials acknowledged that things might have gotten out of hand near the end of the season. "We reflect on that at the end of the year and the season hasn't started yet, but there are some things that a group of us will sit down and talk about, and that is one of them," NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said Thursday. "There were times that it got out of hand, and we're going to discuss what out of hand really is moving forward." Pemberton said he doesn't believe the trend of retaliation in general got out of hand, although specific incidents may have crossed the line. Pemberton, who coined the phrase "boys have at it" in 2010, believes NASCAR's original position of allowing drivers to police themselves still works. "It's working pretty well. It goes in stages," he said. "It works pretty well, then somebody gets outside the box and everybody gets the message and it goes back to working pretty well. But we can't take all of that for granted."(SceneDaily)(1-27-2012)

http://www.jayski.com/cupnews.htm#20120127d
 
This totally saved Nascar IMO . I can see a slight tweeking for chasing a guy down and wrecking him . In hockey , all body checks are fair game but taking a run at a guy from half way accross the ice is a penalty.
 
Watch, out will come the Clorox and it will all be sanitary again. Stepford Drivers that spew sponsor obligations and anecdotes.
 
I would be agreeable to not changing anything if there is a chance that Nascar might go too far and water down "boys have at it' .
 
Maybe they should put a squared circle in the infield, then "boys have at it".
Easy to be a tuff guy in a 3,400 pound car and being surrounded by a steel cage. Not so easy without it.
I nominate Jimmy Spencer as ref!
 
Bucky Badger said:
After last year the driver should know what the limit is...I say leave it.
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While I understand what you're saying I still have to wonder what the limit is. Is it only when you retaliate by taking someone out of the title hunt? How do you determine that in April, Aug, etc..... You know what I'm saying, right?

As far as I'm concerned, the line been crossed several times. I don't think that Kyle has been the only example. Edwards, Kenseth, & Vickers also come to mind. I sure wouldn't want to see the sport policed the way it once was but I think that I get where they are coming from with this. I guess we'll know for sure soon enough.
 
I agree Dp there where several cases of "stepping over the line" in my opinion last season and I'm not completely happy with how NASCAR dealt with some of them. Every situation is different and there can never be a hard rules just have to trust them to Handle it!

I don't beleive "Drivers Have at It" is going away or going to be more strictly governed, this is just one of NASCAR's ways of reminding fans,drivers and the media that there watching the situation.
NASCAR's great a saying something without really saying anything are'nt they?
 
I think that MOST drivers know when they have crossed the line.

I also do not want Boys Have At It to complete disappear.

The problem IMO is that Nascar lets it go way to far before they step in.
And by then it's out of hand so to speak.

The drivers see nothing is being done so now instead of two drivers doing it you have seven.
 
In 2010, they watched their goldenboy...

1) Intentionally wreck a guy in the first NW race, along with 11 other cars.

2) Intentionally wreck a guy at 190 mph.

3) Smash a driver into the wall again and again after taking the flag at the second race at Daytona.

4) Turn a guy into the outside wall on the last lap, wrecking 10 NW cars and sending one guy to the hospital.

.....and all they kept saying is "We'll know it when we see it" when asked where the hell over the line is.

When a wreck is clearly intentional, and it ends violently, that driver should be held responsible. Pay the bill for everyone, pay the fine and give up some points. All these guys know how to ruin a guys day without wrecking for blood. IMO, that's the line.
 
Subjective Enforcement is the problem - and there is no easy answer. What looks intentional to one person may look accidental to another. What is seen as a blatant violation to some may be seen as cage rattling to others.

That is the box that NASCAR is in. I don't envy their position. The only way to enforce any policy such as this is thru Subjective Enforcement.

It's similar to the split-second decision an NBA referee must make in determining whether contact between an offensive and defensive player is Charging or Blocking.

Someone is always going to be unhappy with the call...
 
FenderBumper said:
In 2010, they watched their goldenboy...

1) Intentionally wreck a guy in the first NW race, along with 11 other cars.

2) Intentionally wreck a guy at 190 mph.

3) Smash a driver into the wall again and again after taking the flag at the second race at Daytona.

4) Turn a guy into the outside wall on the last lap, wrecking 10 NW cars and sending one guy to the hospital.
Click to expand...

robbybee said:
Subjective Enforcement is the problem - and there is no easy answer. What looks intentional to one person may look accidental to another. What is seen as a blatant violation to some may be seen as cage rattling to others..
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If Fender Bumper agrees that numerous drivers crossed the line last year than okay, but if he has just one driver in mind ,than robbybee has made his point.
 
ted@economy said:
If Fender Bumper agrees that numerous drivers crossed the line last year than okay, but if he has just one driver in mind ,than robbybee has made his point.
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Yep. Vickers, Stewart, Harvick and Kyle come to mind.

As far as Carl, there really isn't any excuse when the guy jumps out of the car and says he did it intentionally....3 times! Subjective just didn't come into 3 of those wrecks. All the drivers watched NASCAR do nothing and decided they too could do anything they wanted.

I just hope the insanity is over before anyone gets seriously hurt. That includes fans, drivers and pit personnel.
 
I believe that the remark has caused a problem with NASCAR's PR and thus they have come out with the new "rule". I don't think NASCAR will do anything different and will continue to rule on each individual incidents as they happen. Just goes to show that you can't satisfy everyone at the same time.
 
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