Waltrip has ideas for fairer
qualifying
(AP) - Michael Waltrip has failed to
qualify for seven of the eight NASCAR Nextel Cup races this season, and
he believes the system now being used to select the fields is somewhat
flawed.
The two-time Daytona 500 winner, now also owner of a three-car,
first-year team, says he has a better idea.
``They ought to draw for qualifying, like they do now,'' Waltrip said.
``Then, the top 35 go out one through 35. Then you've got this drama
built. Then you let the scrubs go out. Let's see who has got what. Seven
of these guys are going to make it. It would be more fair if we were
right there together.''
As it stands now, the top 35 drivers in the car owner points are
guaranteed a starting spot in the 43-car field, actually leaving eight
spots to fill. Those positions are filled by qualifying speed, with one
spot reserved for any former series champion who fails to make it on the
other criteria.
Dale Jarrett, Waltrip's teammate and the 1999 champion, has used five of
his six allotted provisionals already this year.
Under the current rules, everyone entered gets his qualifying position
in the blind draw.
Last week at Phoenix, qualifying began in the late afternoon and the
track temperature changed by more than 20 degrees as the session
progressed. That gave the drivers who drew later qualifying spots a
decided advantage over the early qualifiers.
Kyle Petty, another longtime stock car racer, agreed with Waltrip that a
change in qualifying procedure could be good.
``On at least two occasions, he's been beat by the luck of the draw,''
Petty said. ``He's been fast enough. Other guys have been beat by the
luck of the draw, too, and other guys have got in by the luck of the
draw.''
Waltrip also had a suggestion for NASCAR about a change when qualifying
is rained out, as it was two weeks ago at Texas. In that case, the
formula for determining the field includes the top 35 in points, then
former series champions, the previous year's race winners, qualifying
attempts during the current season and, finally, back to the current
points.
Waltrip's No. 55 Toyota went home that weekend without racing.
``Texas was a crisis,'' he said. ``Our sponsors pay as much for us to
compete as sponsors pay for cars in the top 35. It was more upsetting to
Domino's and NAPA that qualifying got canceled on Friday and that's it,
go home. They said, `Why couldn't we have qualified on Saturday?'
``They should come up with qualifying for the whole field,'' Waltrip
said. ``Say it rains on Friday. Set the top 35 by points and we're going
to have a session for the other guys on Saturday. We're going to try to
get qualifying in for these guys so they can go home knowing they had a
chance.''
On that suggestion, Petty did not agree.
``If qualifying gets rained out, it just gets rained out, sorry,'' Petty
said. ``You got beat by God then, not the luck of the draw. That's the
way it's been. We play an outdoor sport and you've got to live with it.
The race tracks and NASCAR and everybody, we have a schedule. You can't
manipulate stuff like that.''<
FAST CHANGE: Sometimes, it's easy to forget that the Busch Series uses
restrictor plates to slow down its cars at Talladega and Daytona, just
like in the Nextel Cup.
The idea of the plates, which restrict airflow to the carburetor, is to
sap horsepower and keep the cars from getting too close to 200 mph on
the big tracks.
On Thursday, during the first Busch practice on the 2.66-mile Talladega
oval, Mike Wallace raised a red flag with NASCAR officials when he
turned a fast lap of 197.342 mph. Tony Stewart was right behind at
197.195.
Before the next practice session, NASCAR had switched plates, changing
the diameter of the holes in the plate from 15/16 of an inch to 29/32 of
an inch.
Mike Bliss was fastest in the second practice at 193.162 and NASCAR was
breathing easier.
``I didn't know were going that fast,'' said David Reutimann. ``They
said, `We're going to change the plates' and I was like, `Why?' ``
In the opening Cup practice on Friday, Kasey Kahne led the way at
198.685. But speeds decreased as the practice went on and NASCAR
spokesman Jim Hunter said there would be no immediate change.
``But we will be monitoring the speeds,'' Hunter said.
The Busch cars race here Saturday and the Cup cars on Sunday.
BIG TICKET: Daytona 500 winners Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Mario
Andretti, along with a group of other sports and entertainment
celebrities, have been invited to help Daytona International Speedway
come up with a ticket design for its 50th anniversary race next
February.
The drivers and other celebrities will submit designs for the 2008
Daytona 500 ticket, with fans voting for the winning design on
daytona500.com beginning May 1. The 10 most popular designs, based on
the fan voting, will be announced June 15 at Michigan International
Speedway.
A blue ribbon panel, to also be announced at Michigan, will then
determine the winner. The winning design will be announced during the
Pepsi 400 weekend in July at Daytona.
Once the winner is chosen, all original celebrity artwork will be
auctioned online with the proceeds benefiting the Jeff Gordon
Foundation, which supports children with life-threatening diseases.
SPARK PLUGS: A year ago, after the first eight races, the race for the
Chase was a lot closer than it is right now. The top 12 were separated
by 308 points and 20th in the standings was 422 points behind the
leader. This week, 12th -- the final spot in the Chase -- is 427 points
behind leader Jeff Gordon, while 20th-place Martin Truex Jr. is 552
points behind. ... Reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson is fourth
despite failing to finish two races already this season. Johnson had
only one DNF through all of 2006. ... Kurt Busch has yet to win at
Talladega, but the 2004 Cup champion has five consecutive top-10
finishes here and has led at least one lap in nine consecutive Talladega
races.
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