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June 17, 2005
NASCAR may have new Buschwhacker rule for next year
Trent over at Over the Wall just wrote an entry about how he feels about the Buschwhackers running in the Busch Series. Many fans seems to have their own opinion on it, some agreeing with him, some disagreeing with him and some sitting on the fence about it. Well, NASCAR has obviously had some complaints, whether it be drivers, fans or whoever, but they may be doing something about it.
According to to an article I read on NASCAR Scene Daily, NASCAR is looking into it and *may* have a new rule in place for next year dealing with the Buschwhackers.
A quote from the article - I do know this, we're going to try to target more of the prize money to the teams that are running all of the Busch races, which should help them, Hunter said. I think we'll have [some] form of a program like that in place for next year.
The rest of the article talked about either handicapping the Cup drivers or giving more points or money to Busch-only teams. They figure by doing this, the Cup drivers won't take away as much from the Busch guys, but they will still be able to run in the races, which the track owners love because of attendance.
Will this work? If they do it right, I think it can work to make everyone happy. The Cup guys don't really race in the Busch Series for the money or points, they do it to get the feel of the track for their upcoming race, or just do it because they love to race.
The part I have the concern with is the terminology. There are teams that run full-time in the Busch Series but have Cup regulars driving the cars, some sporadically and some the full season. How will those work? Will it go by team or driver?
This season we have Biffle and Edwards running full-time in both series, only missing the Busch race when it conflicts with the Cup race, like it did with the Nashville race because of the rain delay. Will those teams be hurt by this rule next year (if it goes forward) if they have Cup regular driving the car? Then you have the #21, sometimes driven by Harvick, but it is a full-time Busch team.
Rusty Wallace runs a full-time Busch team, but seat time is split with different Cup drivers (mostly McMurray and Mayfield). I'm not sure what the exact driver plans for next year are, but they did mention that his son may drive the car for part of the season next year, but it will still be a full-time team in the Busch Series.
I know the rule isn't completely hashed out and it's not a bad plan in the works, but they will have to address the issue of regular teams that have the full-time or sporadic Cup drivers in them, I would hate to see them penalize a full-time Busch Series team because they have a Cup driver get in the seat every once in a while.
What are your thoughts? Will this new rule they are contemplating work?
June 17, 2005 in NASCAR, NASCAR Busch Series | Permalink
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Comments
OWNERS should be able to compete in whatever series they want, with whatever driver they want, if they are willing to spend the money. DRIVERS should be required to chosse the series they wish to compete in for points, and only receive points in one series. Within race points for leading laps, etc., would only be awarded if the leader was a driver who had elected to compete in that series. If a driver who chose Nextel as his competition led a Busch race, no points would be awarded for that lap. Finish points would be awarded to the drivers competing in that series, in order of finish: the first Busch competitor would get first place points, even if two or three Nextel drivers finished ahead of him.
Posted by: Cameron King | Jun 23, 2005 11:38:56 AM
Kathy, if they won't put in the rulebook "no WC drivers in BGN," then they're not serious about the problem.
Posted by: Mike Daly | Jun 21, 2005 9:34:18 AM
IMHO the solution may very well be to pay the full time 'Cup drivers that want to drive in Busch races an appearance fee...
and nothing else. Make the fee reasonable but based solely on appearance, not results.
Another solution could be to give the fans and track owners who may be complaining a little something for nothing: A non paying "Trophy Dash"(with some fancy name)
after the Busch race, solely for Cup drivers who "just love to race".
Posted by: Brian Stutchman | Jun 21, 2005 2:32:24 AM
I totally disagree with changing up the Busch system. I love the Cup guys competing!! Please don't fix what isn't broken...
Oh, Kathy: I wrote a post about your post on my blog (fansofnascar.blogspot.com), but it's not on your trackback link. Am I doing something wrong?
Posted by: Kara | Jun 20, 2005 11:32:56 PM
they should make any driver with a "cup" ride who is officially in the points "time in" and restrict the number of cup drivers to 7 or 8 per race.
So that regardless of how their time stacks up agains the whole field if they are 9th or slower they go home.
Posted by: roger | Jun 20, 2005 4:08:44 PM
You cannot take the big drivers out of Busch or the grandstands will look like a Formula 1 or CART race. If you want to help the little guy, do it the socialist way. Charge the Sprint Cup guys a tax which goes to help the purse of the little teams. For their being able to race in Busch, make them share some of the sponsorship money and stickers to cars which would be running bare. Make it a bit more expensive for the big guys to run a duel schedule and that should help keep them honest as well. Don't change the points or prize money thing because as we all see, the full time drivers always make it to the top by the end of the season anyway.
Posted by: Buddynoel | Jun 20, 2005 12:22:39 PM
Simple remedy....If there are seven full time cup drivers entered in a Busch race, they will receive the bottom seven places money wise.
Posted by: Dave | Jun 20, 2005 8:44:39 AM
They did say that WILL NOT come up with a rule that would forbid the Cup drivers to race in the Busch Series.
Posted by: Kathy | Jun 20, 2005 7:38:07 AM
I wrote about this in another blog. I am kind of on both sides in this. I like watching BGN races as well as the truck series. On one hand, you have some drivers and owners bitching about the money/points situation, and that is a valid argument. On the other hand, I have seen several interviews with busch drivers that say they like to compete with the cup guys, and possibly gain some experience from it. It will be interesting to see what NASCAR comes up with on this one. It would be nice if NASCAR, as Mike pointed out, would invest a bit more money in the BGN series to prop it up some more.
Posted by: Marty | Jun 20, 2005 7:18:19 AM
MELLI,
Yes it is half the field. You cannot find that many competitive teams in BGN anymore because there is basically no money in it now - purses have stagnated for years (I remember a few years ago Randy LaJoie blasting Bristol because its BGN purse had stayed steady or shrunk for some four straight years), NASCAR has invested no serious money into the series in point funds or sponsorships for race teams, and what we now have is a series with a high number of field fillers.
On Vegas attendence, I may be wrong, but I do know that attendence for BGN is inconsistent.
Posted by: Mike Daly | Jun 20, 2005 1:10:53 AM
So will this work the other way around for Busch drivers racing part time in Cup. I bet there are plenty of Cup guys who don't want them on the track causing wrecks.
But on a serious note, how would it affect Busch drivers preparing to move up to Cup the next year. How will their 7 initiation races be handled. That is a big question I have.
Posted by: American Outlaw | Jun 19, 2005 11:48:39 PM
Seems to me the "BuschWhackers" (a catchy media phrase) paid the entry fee and qualified like everyone else. As Nascar has no rule against it as yet, suck it up! It's been done for ages in Nascar and 1) It increases the draw at the tracks. 2) Developing drivers get great experience racing the "Whackers" and 3) Because of #1 purses have gone up. Maybe Nascar could do the Top 30 full Busch season guys make the race and the others qual in. Or some % of all races must be run to hold a position in the points. Whatever, until they decide to change the "Whacker Rules" or the "Mega-Team Rules" we get what we get...It's not illegal to bring a gun to a knife fight unless it's in the rules!!!
Posted by: Keith | Jun 19, 2005 2:14:48 PM
Hey Melli, tell us how you really feel. :)
Posted by: Jon | Jun 18, 2005 11:05:17 PM
Mr. Mike Daly,
(Melli, Busch is NOT thriving. The number of teams with basically no money to work with constitutes nearly half the starting grid)
You are way off here it's not half the field and Busch is doing better now than it has in a very long time.
I would like you to call 702 647 7777 and ask for adminstration then ask for the attendance of the Busch race. We broke all attendance records for both races my friend and the Busch race official numbers which were reported in the RJ was 105K. Vegas is a big supporter of both/all forms of racing.
Then I'd like you to go to www.lasvegasreviewjournal.com and then go to archives (if you can manage this)then look up the sports for the weekend of March the 13th.
Don't EVER insinuate that I'm not truthful in reference to Nascar, you have NO idea what I do.
Posted by: MELLI | Jun 18, 2005 9:48:23 PM
Allison, I think your numbers are off. I don't remember many races where 1/3 of the field was Cup drivers, especially since you can't count Biffle when you are listing the Cup drivers and the #64 car is a full time Busch Series car but is driven by Mayfield / McMurray.
Posted by: Jon | Jun 18, 2005 4:33:16 PM
I think the problem is the number of Cup drivers. In many of the Busch races thus far this season, more than 1/3 of the field are full-time Cup drivers. So what happens is that Busch drivers have to fight for far less possible air time and get less exposure. The only Busch drivers who will get the chance to move up are those in "driver development" programs by one of the big Cup teams. Those are the teams with fancy publicists to carefully craft an image for them (see Truex and Sorenson).
It used to be that the occasional driver could do some great things in Busch and get noticed. Now, with all the hoopla surrounding so many Cup drivers and the major team "protoges" they have no shot.
Cup drivers should be able to run Busch on occasion to help raise interest in Busch racing, but there should be limits. No money, no points or something.
Posted by: Allison | Jun 18, 2005 4:18:01 PM
Jon - Actually it was regular Busch drivers, Ashton Lewis in particular, and several owners who have complained about the Cup drivers being in there. (Terry Bradshaw was one owner - who has since put Sterling Marlin is the 40 car for some races)
I think some type of limits would be good to see. Let them earn little or no money and then we would see how many of them were just doing it just for the love of racing.
They need to be concerned about possible injury too. On Trent's blog he mentioned if Ryan were to get hurt, there season would essentially be over. Ask Steve Park what happens when you are running a Busch race and get in a serious accident.
Posted by: truracinfan | Jun 18, 2005 4:04:17 PM
Melli, Busch is NOT thriving. The number of teams with basically no money to work with constitutes nearly half the starting grid; we have not seen so many field-filler teams since the early 1980s. I do not believe your claims about Vegas attendence because I've been to Busch races and seen them and attendence at so many BGN races is inconsistent - some races it's great, some races it's not even half-full.
BGN does not need a mix of WC guys anymore; it needs NASCAR to start spending serious money to boost the series into a viable tour, to boost the number of competitive teams, to improve the quality of the racing.
Posted by: Mike Daly | Jun 18, 2005 2:56:19 PM
Hi Don,
It's the drivers...and a few that tried to make it over in Cup and now back in Busch that get BEAT by a Cup driver are the ones complaining.
You have to have a mix in a view now days, Busch is now strong and thriving and it was with the *help* of all US fans going to a Busch race to see there fav Cup driver racing on a Cup weekend.
Now, they go because Busch and CTS is the ticket, not Cup as much anymore.
The Keyword here is Attendence, if you can't fill the stands with at the very least 1/2 then you are going to see some tracks go dark.
This past March in Las Vegas, we broke ALL the attendence records for qualifying Friday with 85K....and for the Busch race we pulled in 105K that's just unheard of.
They best be careful for what they wish for in Busch cause they just may get it and with *it* I mean the fans going away.
Melli
Posted by: Melli | Jun 18, 2005 2:32:34 PM
Melli
I have heard quite a few Busch drivers and crew chiefs say they like racing against the cup drivers. So who is doing the complaining? Is it the owners? or are some of the drivers complaining?
Posted by: Don | Jun 18, 2005 11:44:58 AM
Melli,
I agree with you the attendance is a big factor why the tracks love to see the Cup drivers in their races; more fans their to watch their favorite Cup driver race for a little bit less money.
I can also see the point of the full time Busch drviers racing for a championship and to have possibly 4 Cup drivers finish up front and take away a bit of points and CASH from them.
So NASCAR as usual will wield its uneven sowrd and make rule changes designed to benrfit a small group and hurt a larger group. :)
Posted by: Jon | Jun 18, 2005 4:58:06 AM
I will say this about that!!! lol....In the early 90s Mark Martin starting running in BGN and attendance picked up...when a Cup driver was in the Busch race it was a drawing card for them and it proppled the then BGN up front.
Now, they (full time Busch drivers) are whining about Buschwackers in there series. I say to ALL the cup drivers....DON'T race in Busch and just watch the sponsors drop like rocks.
STOP whining about it and RACE if your good enough to beat the Cup boys the put your money where your mouth is.
I hate whiners and complainers...if it hadn't been for the Cup boys in Busch, it would have failed 4yrs ago.
KAPISH????
Posted by: Melli | Jun 17, 2005 11:57:23 PM
I agree, because if they limit it to full time Busch drivers, it will hurt the new teams tring to get started that can't afford to make all the races
Posted by: Don | Jun 17, 2005 11:48:49 PM
Don,
You're right and I hope the rest of the Hendrick fans realize that I am teasing. I think they should allow the Cup drivers to race, but not take the points or money away from the Busch drivers.
Posted by: Jon | Jun 17, 2005 8:16:29 PM
Jon
You just couldn't resist could you LOL
Posted by: Don | Jun 17, 2005 7:38:27 PM
Figures a couple cry babies complain about the competition and NASCAR jumps, must have been a Hendrick driver. :)
Posted by: Jon | Jun 17, 2005 6:16:52 PM
Hmmmmm, imagine that.
Posted by: Bill | Jun 17, 2005 3:48:48 PM
I think that if they limit the number of Busch races that each Nextel Cup driver can race in a single year (maybe 5 races), it won't penalize most of the owners of the Busch teams (as far as owner points go) who have Nextel Cup drivers drive for them on occasion. I don't know how that would work for, say, Rusty who has Mayfield and McMurray running most of the races in his car this season, or for the other owners who have one or two Nextel Cup drivers running all of their races.
As far as driver points, I think that if a driver doesn't race in the Busch series full time, they shouldn't get ANY points for the races. That way, you make sure that the drivers who are running Busch full time don't lose points just because they finish second to a part-time driver. But I'm not sure how well that would work.
Just my 2 cents.
Posted by: rustyfan | Jun 17, 2005 12:48:18 PM
All they need to do is place a percentage on the number of Busch races a NEXTEL driver needs to run to qualify for points.
If the Busch season is 35 events long make the limit 20-25 to qual for points.
Posted by: Marc | Jun 17, 2005 10:53:00 AM
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