Drivers Must Choose Championship Chase

[Jimmy_22]

Heard on NASCAR Sirius Radio this evening that NASCAR is going to have each driver choose which championship they will receive points for. Obviously designed to curb the Nationwide doubles as seen in years past.

Discuss......

[B.]

I don't think this will deter Cup drivers from running as much as it will try to encourage teams to hire Nationwide drivers and sponsors to back them. For sponsors, the choice has to be winning a lot of races and having a big name or getting the media attention of a championship (and subsequent backlash when the champion has one top five and six top tens all season). I have a feeling they'll still side with the latter and I don't think the championship payout will exceed the prize money from individual races a Kyle Busch or Brad Keselowski would bring, so little incentive for team owners.

But it's a start and one of the only realistic moves they can make without damaging the series and taking it to an even worse state. It's just going to be tough if/when a lot of these guys retire around the same time (Martin, Burton, Labonte, Gordon, Stewart, Biffle, Kenseth, etc. are getting older, though I'm sure most have the drive to continue until they're even older, and those with past champs' provisionals will never disappear) and their replacements have only done five or six Nationwide races per season. There's no way to solve that, though; you ban the Cup guys and there's no Nationwide Series for them, you let the Cup guys race and they don't get the rides. Glad I'm not the one trying to fix this.

[KevMcNJ]

Glad I'm not the one trying to fix this.

The ones trying to fix are partially responsible for letting it get to this point in the first place. So its only fair they should have to help clean up the mess

JMHO of course

[atrackforumfan]

There's no way to solve that, though; you ban the Cup guys and there's no Nationwide Series for them, you let the Cup guys race and they don't get the rides.

Ban the Cup drivers from Nationwide, and you kill the truck series, not nationwide.

[MoparsRule]

It's too bad the Cup owners have destroyed the BGN, it was a great standalone series before they made it a test series.

As we have discussed when it came out months ago this is a good step, the fewer Cup programs running the BGN full season the better.

[Seadog]

I've had the idea for some time about having a competition license in one series where you get points along with prize money, fame and glory. And then a temporary license where you can run for victories, money and fame but no points.

I like it.

What about the trucks? If a Cup guy can't get points in the Nationwide series, could they run for the truck championship and get points? Curious minds want to know.

[Jimmy_22]

I don't think the championship payout will exceed the prize money from individual races a Kyle Busch or Brad Keselowski would bring, so little incentive for team owners.

If what you're suggesting here is that Sprint guys can make money winning Nationwide races, all they've done is kill the points for that driver. If making money is first, then testing the same track that same weekend is second, championship points won't matter much.

As for track owners and promoters - I'm assuming they're kinda p!ssed off at this. Fewer stars means fewer tickets on Saturday's. However, if what I mention above is true, then it may be a wash - but only at the bigger events.

[Jimmy_22]

What about the trucks? If a Cup guy can't get points in the Nationwide series, could they run for the truck championship and get points? Curious minds want to know.

Pick one of three for the championship points.

[Seadog]

Pick one of three for the championship points.

Is this in fact the actual rule or you are just thinking this is what will happen?

[B.]

If what you're suggesting here is that Sprint guys can make money winning Nationwide races, all they've done is kill the points for that driver. If making money is first, then testing the same track that same weekend is second, championship points won't matter much.

As for track owners and promoters - I'm assuming they're kinda p!ssed off at this. Fewer stars means fewer tickets on Saturday's. However, if what I mention above is true, then it may be a wash - but only at the bigger events.

I was saying that this won't discourage Cup guys from running, and it won't discourage team owners from hiring them. Essentially, it does nothing, but anything else they would have done would have had a negative impact, so c'est la vie.

[Jimmy_22]

Is this in fact the actual rule or you are just thinking this is what will happen?

This is what the Sirius Speedway guys said NASCAR is going to do. Nothing is official until released.

[KevMcNJ]

Nothing is official until released.

And written out on the 18X24 offical NASCAR dry erase board

[3Paige14]

The trucks don't need a huge amount of Cup drivers to have a good series. '08 title battle came down to position on the final lap.

[B.]

The trucks don't need a huge amount of Cup drivers to have a good series. '08 title battle came down to position on the final lap.

The racing's great without the Cup guys, no doubt, but the attendance, car counts, sponsor counts, and TV ratings aren't. If they're going to get rid of Cup guys, they need to lower costs for the teams to accommodate the loss of sponsors that will go with the loss of sponsors and purse money.

[KevMcNJ]

The racing's great without the Cup guys, no doubt, but the attendance, car counts, sponsor counts, and TV ratings aren't. If they're going to get rid of Cup guys, they need to lower costs for the teams to accommodate the loss of sponsors that will go with the loss of sponsors and purse money.

Go on the road for part of their schedule a la the World of Outlaws with a much smaller schedule of course. Return to the short tracks like 1995

Run one day shows & run only on weeknights. Could even do back to back shows if the tracks are within 500 miles of each other 200 laps and 10 minute break in the middle. No tire changes unless its damaged/flat except during the break
Dont need to import the ringers for the 14 second pit stops that way

You think three or four Cuppers wouldnt show up on a Tuesday night somewhere in the Midwest or Northeast to race? It would probably get equal if not better ratings than they do now. What race fan wouldnt watch a race live on a Tuesday night?

Dont say its crazy to run a race in the middle of the week either. Sprints do it every year and pack the joints