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Fan's Eye View ~ NASCAR Racing: A Team Sport?05/06/2015 |
Kyle Busch Extracted From The No. 54 Monster Energy Xfinity Series Toyota
Hey, Race Fans!
There’s this marble that’s rolling around in my head, and I thought I would share it with you, and you can tell me if I’m onto something or off my rocker. We truly have a unique sport, and most of the time, that’s not a good thing…it’s a GREAT thing. The only thing I want my racing comparable to in other sports is ratings. But maybe there is one more aspect of our favorite sport which I’d like to see change to get a little closer to some of the other “mainstream” sports out there.
For the longest time, our sport has been about the driver. 2014 Sprint Cup Champion, Kevin Harvick. When the Baltimore Ravens win the SuperBowl, no one says “Joe Flacco is the SuperBowl Champion.” No one said that Cal Ripken was the 1983 World Series Champion, either. However, in racing, when you look to the list of Champions, you don’t see the STP Racing Team, or the Goodwrench Racing Team, or the DeWalt Racing Team. It was always Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Matt Kenseth whose names were on the trophies and the t-shirts. It might be time to change that.
Where is this coming from? Consider:
When NASCAR announced the “new” Chase back in early 2014, the sanctioning body accomplished two things:
1. It ruined any chance that PattyKay Lilley, my partner here at Race Fans Forever, would ever approve of it, simply because she was schedule to do a spot on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio with Claire B. Lang about a column she wrote, and Jim Utter trumped her with his breaking news of the new format, leaving her out in the cold, and;
2. It laid out the new rules, most of them, anyway, about how a driver would qualify for the Chase, specifically, being in the top 30 in points, winning, and at least attempting to qualify for each race. Failing any of those, and a driver would be, like my partner, left out in the cold. Of course, NASCAR did leave the EIRI-Except In Rare Instances back door available.
3. And I’m full of boiled peanuts on the first one. I just like to give Mama a hard time every now and then…
One thing we know already is that that an “RI” doesn’t really seem to be that “R”, if you’re sniffing my draft. Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, and most recently Kurt Busch have missed some time for various reasons.
Then announcement was made recently that Brian France would be open to giving Kyle Busch an exemption from the “you must attempt to qualify for every race” rule to make The Chase, should Busch be able to win a race and get into the top 30 in points. We all remember the horrible crash Busch suffered in the Xfinity Series race at Daytona. That exemption is all well and good, but I bet it never happens. I’m not talking about the exemption, nor am I the win, because we all know that Kyle Busch can wheel a car and is capable of winning on any give race day. You have to consider the points as the largest hurdle to overcome.
In the 2014 season, when the second race at Richmond was over, the 30th place driver had scored just over 400 points. Apply that model to this year. For every race that Kyle Busch misses, it gets worse, but let us assume that he comes back at Daytona. That will leave him ten races. He’s going to have to score an average of 40 points per race for those ten races just to get to the 400 point level. That’s about a 4th place finish for ten consecutive races, and let’s not forget that he’s going to have to win one, too. That’s just focusing on the No. 18 team. It doesn’t take into consideration anything like a pack of Chase hungry drivers all vying for that same spot in which Busch will try to squeeze.
There’s this marble that’s rolling around in my head, and I thought I would share it with you, and you can tell me if I’m onto something or off my rocker. We truly have a unique sport, and most of the time, that’s not a good thing…it’s a GREAT thing. The only thing I want my racing comparable to in other sports is ratings. But maybe there is one more aspect of our favorite sport which I’d like to see change to get a little closer to some of the other “mainstream” sports out there.
For the longest time, our sport has been about the driver. 2014 Sprint Cup Champion, Kevin Harvick. When the Baltimore Ravens win the SuperBowl, no one says “Joe Flacco is the SuperBowl Champion.” No one said that Cal Ripken was the 1983 World Series Champion, either. However, in racing, when you look to the list of Champions, you don’t see the STP Racing Team, or the Goodwrench Racing Team, or the DeWalt Racing Team. It was always Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Matt Kenseth whose names were on the trophies and the t-shirts. It might be time to change that.
Where is this coming from? Consider:
When NASCAR announced the “new” Chase back in early 2014, the sanctioning body accomplished two things:
1. It ruined any chance that PattyKay Lilley, my partner here at Race Fans Forever, would ever approve of it, simply because she was schedule to do a spot on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio with Claire B. Lang about a column she wrote, and Jim Utter trumped her with his breaking news of the new format, leaving her out in the cold, and;
2. It laid out the new rules, most of them, anyway, about how a driver would qualify for the Chase, specifically, being in the top 30 in points, winning, and at least attempting to qualify for each race. Failing any of those, and a driver would be, like my partner, left out in the cold. Of course, NASCAR did leave the EIRI-Except In Rare Instances back door available.
3. And I’m full of boiled peanuts on the first one. I just like to give Mama a hard time every now and then…
One thing we know already is that that an “RI” doesn’t really seem to be that “R”, if you’re sniffing my draft. Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, and most recently Kurt Busch have missed some time for various reasons.
Then announcement was made recently that Brian France would be open to giving Kyle Busch an exemption from the “you must attempt to qualify for every race” rule to make The Chase, should Busch be able to win a race and get into the top 30 in points. We all remember the horrible crash Busch suffered in the Xfinity Series race at Daytona. That exemption is all well and good, but I bet it never happens. I’m not talking about the exemption, nor am I the win, because we all know that Kyle Busch can wheel a car and is capable of winning on any give race day. You have to consider the points as the largest hurdle to overcome.
In the 2014 season, when the second race at Richmond was over, the 30th place driver had scored just over 400 points. Apply that model to this year. For every race that Kyle Busch misses, it gets worse, but let us assume that he comes back at Daytona. That will leave him ten races. He’s going to have to score an average of 40 points per race for those ten races just to get to the 400 point level. That’s about a 4th place finish for ten consecutive races, and let’s not forget that he’s going to have to win one, too. That’s just focusing on the No. 18 team. It doesn’t take into consideration anything like a pack of Chase hungry drivers all vying for that same spot in which Busch will try to squeeze.
Erik Jones Is Preparing To Step Into The No. 18
And…that only considers Kyle Busch. While he has been healing from those injuries, the No. 18 team has still been plugging away. Week in and out, getting ready to use a third driver in the form of Erik Jones, who is replacing David Ragan who has been driving the M&M’s Toyota since Matt Crafton took the wheel for the Daytona 500. Right now, that team is 21st in Car Owner points, and if Car Owner points, TEAM points, were being used, the No. 18 TEAM would be in a much better position to make the Chase when the season ends.
Is it fair that Kyle Busch then gets to walk into a car that is already going to make the Chase before he even turns a lap in the season? Hard to say, but just as easy to ask would be is it fair to the No. 18 team who have been working all season to miss the Chase because their driver was injured from running into a wall which was unprotected, and should have been?
Is it fair that Kyle Busch then gets to walk into a car that is already going to make the Chase before he even turns a lap in the season? Hard to say, but just as easy to ask would be is it fair to the No. 18 team who have been working all season to miss the Chase because their driver was injured from running into a wall which was unprotected, and should have been?
Argue amongst yourselves on both of those points if you feel so inclined, however…dig on this:
The two examples I gave above are not known for missing games for their respective teams…in fact, they are known more for NOT missing time. However, should Joe Flacco have missed a game, or Cal Ripken have broken his streak long before hitting that famed 2131 mark, neither the Baltimore Ravens nor the Baltimore Orioles would have been excluded from Championship contention.
The tracks and networks will do what they can to bring a bit of a spotlight to the teams as they get an introduction in the Sprint All-Star Race, but face it, the teams do not even get their day in the sun at the Pit Crew Championship anymore, simply because it doesn’t exist. So, for now, the only time a member of the team gets any recognition is usually when someone is injured, or has that ridiculous helmet camera. What about another “single”sport? Even when Tiger Woods was winning those Major Championships and dozens of tournaments, most fans knew that his caddie was Steve Williams because it was talked about enough. Back to racing, even worse is the recognition, or lack of, for the members of the team who don’t go to the track, but stay back at the shop and continue to work on the cars which will hit the track in the weeks and months to come. I know that it is the way it is, and it will be until it’s not, but recent events are bringing to light the possible need for a change in the way we look at our Champions, and their support teams. Ask the No. 18 team what they think. I think the time is right to make NASCAR Racing a TEAM sport.
The two examples I gave above are not known for missing games for their respective teams…in fact, they are known more for NOT missing time. However, should Joe Flacco have missed a game, or Cal Ripken have broken his streak long before hitting that famed 2131 mark, neither the Baltimore Ravens nor the Baltimore Orioles would have been excluded from Championship contention.
The tracks and networks will do what they can to bring a bit of a spotlight to the teams as they get an introduction in the Sprint All-Star Race, but face it, the teams do not even get their day in the sun at the Pit Crew Championship anymore, simply because it doesn’t exist. So, for now, the only time a member of the team gets any recognition is usually when someone is injured, or has that ridiculous helmet camera. What about another “single”sport? Even when Tiger Woods was winning those Major Championships and dozens of tournaments, most fans knew that his caddie was Steve Williams because it was talked about enough. Back to racing, even worse is the recognition, or lack of, for the members of the team who don’t go to the track, but stay back at the shop and continue to work on the cars which will hit the track in the weeks and months to come. I know that it is the way it is, and it will be until it’s not, but recent events are bringing to light the possible need for a change in the way we look at our Champions, and their support teams. Ask the No. 18 team what they think. I think the time is right to make NASCAR Racing a TEAM sport.
And now, this is where I get to have a little fun with Mama, my partner here at Race Fans Forever. I'm sure most of you know that she finishes her columns every week with the Classic Country Closeout, which is a collection of YouTube videos which either relate to her column or just make her happy. I giver her a bunch of ribbing about it because I have to edit them and the more she does, the longer it takes me to edit. I wouldn't trade her for the world, though. She's pretty special. So, I'm going to do my own version of a closeout this week, and my choices really have nothing to do with anything. First up, Phil Harris with "The Thing." That will teach you to pick up strange things you find which don't belong to you...
And now I can't decide which to give you next. They are songs of both the same title, but very different in their lyrics and delivery. I guess I will give you the Metallica version first, which I have become rather fond of, just because It think it rocks out pretty well. Here's a version of "Whiskey In The Jar." .
That being said, there is nothing like hearing the song as you first heard it, and I have to thank my parents for that, for introducing me to the beautiful voice of Roger Whittaker.
I believe I'm going to have to throw some Elvis in here as well. I think my mother would definitely approve. This is one of my favorites..."American Trilogy."
I mentioned my parents a moment ago, and for good reason. Remember that Mother's Day is coming up this weekend. Always be mindful of your mother. Remember, she brought you into this world, and she can most assuredly take you out! Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there, especially you, JC!
Until next time, my friends...
Until next time, my friends...
Feel free to leave comments below, and be sure to follow me @RaceFansJim on Twitter, because sometimes I give stuff away!