Welcome Race Fans!!
The dust in the desert has settled over the last race of the current track configuration at ISM Raceway and although the start/finish line & some grandstands will be moved, the asphalt and banking will relatively remain the same, except for some changes to the dimensions of the pit lane. That is good news for Kevin Harvick who won this passed Sunday at the TicketGuardian 500, the second race of Nascar's western swing. It is also his seventh win in the last twelve races at Phoenix & is looking to make it four in a row, in 2018, this weekend at Auto Club Speedway, where he has finished second, two of the last three years.
All eyes are on Harvick now and the L1 penalty his team recieved after Las Vegas. Crew chief, Rodney Childers was fined 50k.. big whoop, Harvick will take care of that. (or Gene Haas. my understanding it's the drivers that typically pay the crew chief's fines) Their car chief Robert Smith was suspended for two races (but Stewert-Haas has depth to fill that role & won now obviously), they also lost 25 points, the playoff points, & the win didn't count towards playoff. By the way, it's an encumbered win. The word describes perfectly what the situation is concerning a team that had the win removed from the playoff standings. Yet, somehow, that word was just a touch too big for some people.. so now, the win was removed from the playoff standings, but nobody is really talking about it. Let's just try to keep up now, shall we?
Do you think this current "Win and your in" system encourages these teams to take more risks on the track or in the shops in North Carolina? The way I've been seeing this particular rule play out over the last few seasons is that after getting that first win, teams are more likely to push the limits to get into victory lane, smile for the cameras on tv with their sponsors while holding the trophy, and then on Tuesday lose some points and suspend a crew member. Have I looked up the stats? No. I'll leave that to the pros. I'm just trying to raise a point that the "win and you're in" aspect that fans seems to love.. actually really sucks.
I'm all for it in the playoffs, believe it or not. I also think the current knockout format of the playoffs is incredible. Sure, Truex Jr dominated all of last year & could have gotten screwed in Homestead. It would have been a tough pill to swallow for any MTJ fan and the 78 team would have been crushed, but unless Nascar wants to end the season before football starts, then the MENCS needs some sort of compelling end to the season (sorry, old school points system and winning win with four races left in the season...is not compelling) And let's not kid ourselves, the playoff races the passed few seasons have been great. If you have something to say to that, then check out last week's show and look for some chess boxing on youtube. I hear it's riveting..
However, in the regular season (races 1-26), I truly believe it should be based solely on points. Playoff Points are still there to be awarded for victories and race wins, but maybe teams will be less inclined to try to push the technical regualtions of Nascar. Look, I know Junior Johnson said, "If you ain't cheatin' you ain't tryin'." I'll also be the first one to remind fans blithering all over social media about 7x time Jimmie Johnson being a cheater that, "Your favorite driver also cheated this weekend!" Most likely, its true! Given Nascar's history and that teams are still getting caught in the "grey" area, YOUR FAVORITE DRIVER IS A CHEATER TOO!! It's just a part of the sport and it's been that way since they raced on the beach. So cool it with the "cheatin" posts on facebook, Randy!! I'm just saying I think the current points system that locks race winners into the final ten race playoff for the Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Championship, encourages the team's to push the limits in the shop & in the garage area and are even more likely to cross the line than if any penalities and loss of points could potentially knock them out of contention. When you lose 25 points, but are locked in from a win March, you're still cruising all season. In Nascar's endeavor to get on that same level of the "stick and ball sports" they need to take another look at "Win & You're In"
It stinks,
Matt