NASCAR's pay to play rule must go

[6 Shooter]

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Indianapolis and New Orleans will square off in the Super Bowl. To get there, they had to win two playoff games after earning a first-round bye by going 14-2 and 13-3 in the regular season, respectively. But imagine if they had reached the the big game a different way. What if all they had to do was write a check?​

Sounds ridiculous, right? But that's how NASCAR's Super Bowl works. As the Feb. 14th Daytona 500 nears, more than 50 cars want a berth in the 43-car grid. But the spot for 35 of them is already assured. All they have to do is show up.​

That's because of the rule that guarantees spots in the first five races to the top 35 finishers in the previous year's owners points. It's like handing these cars five wins before the season even starts. The rule helps them in all aspects -- from attracting sponsorship to allowing more time in race trim -- as they hit the ground running while everyone else struggles to catch up.​

NASCAR'S pay to *race rule for Daytona 500 must got - SI.com

 

[yellow_2002_germany]

IMO, every race should be qualified for on the track. WGAS what you did LAST YEAR! There should be no guaranteed spots for ANY races. If you are among the 42 fastest on qualification day you get in. It's that simple.

 

[Mark Watkins]

I think it should be the fastest 42 then 1 provisional, but it ain't gonna happen. TOO MUCH MONEY INNIT.

MARK.

 

[jrose7004]

:bangI would be for everybody having to qualify every week.

 

[Tuna]

The "top 35 gets in rule" is the closest thing NASCAR will allow to franchising. NASCAR owns everything. The teams are all independent but the teams can't sign on good sponsors for next year if the sponsors are worried their car might not make the field.

In the IRL, F1 and many other racing groups, the teams are part of a franchise and therefore guarranteed a starting spot. These groups also limit the number of franchises so independent teams can't show up and hope to race. That's pretty limiting but that's the way it is.

NASCAR racing ain't cheap and sponsors want to know that their rolling billboards are going to be seem each race. When less than 43 teams show up for a race, NASCAR will think about a change. Until then, it ain't going to happen.

 

[rascal_rascal_99]

While I can understand trying to give the sponsors some advertising stability, I don't agree at all with giving 35 cars a free pass to entering every race. I wouldn't have a problem with the cars that make the chase for the cup at the end of the season being given starting spots in each race the following year until that years chase starts, then the new 12 cars in the chase have the automatic entry's...that would really make fighting to get into the chase worth a lot more and mean something. The way its set up now, what used to be two of the most exciting races of the year, the twin 125's coming up this week, are now not much more than a couple of 50 lap parades for the fans. They'd be better off cancelling those and putting all of the cars that are fighting for the only 6 or so spots that are actually available in one last chance qualifier race together.

 

[Glensgages]

I recall a few years ago, Funny Car racer Del Worsham showed a fan's crude, hand-drawn sign at a drag-race that simply said

"GO-HARD, or GO-HOME!"

 

[Tuna]

I think you will find that it was the teams that asked for and finally got the top 35 exemption for each race. They, like NASCAR, understand that it's sponsorship money that makes the paychecks these days. If the teams can not reasonably guarrantee their sponsors good air time at the race, they will not be paid.

The problem now is that too many people are not watching the races on TV or showing up at the track and now a lot of sponsors are asking why they keep throwing money at NASCAR. I wonder the same. Unless the COT goes away soon, the some of the manufacturers will go away for the same reasons.