Top Row Seat - Brickyard 400
Dateline: 08/03/98I like to think that NASCAR is about seeing which car is the fastest, which crew is the swiftest, which team is the smartest, and which driver is the most skillful on any given day. In order for this to work for the drivers, teams and fans then we must all know without question that the playing field is level for all of the competitors. NASCAR is supposed to be the organization that creates, applies and enforces the rules in a uniform manner to ensure fair and equal conditions for all of the competitors.
Unfortunately, NASCAR has been trying too hard to provide great entertainment and has forgotten that they are in the business of providing a great sport.
Earlier this year NASCAR tried to artificially influence the finish in Richmond by throwing the red flag to ensure that the race would end under green. This week in Indianapolis NASCAR failed to throw the caution when Ward Burton coasted to a stop in turn three. Because this was such an obvious cause for a caution Dale Jarrett stayed out on the track an extra lap to wait and pit under the yellow flag.
But NASCAR had other thoughts. Since this caution would have to come in the middle of green flag pit stops they decided to wait until everyone had pitted (or ran out of gas) to throw the yellow. This arbitrary enforcement of basic NASCAR policy caused Jarrett to run out of gas and lose four laps to the leaders.
It really is a very simple concept, when a car stops on (or near) the racing surface then a yellow should be thrown in order to clear the cars from the track. The fact that this caution may cause some teams who pitted early to lose out on the chance to pit under yellow should not in any way be a factor. If the track conditions call for a yellow flag to be thrown then it should be displayed to the field. If it leaves some teams scrambling then that's racing. The teams and the fans all know that NASCAR is partly decided by lady luck and an ill timed caution is part of playing the game.
NASCAR is heading down a slippery slope towards becoming the WWF of motorsports.
Your Turn
Do you think that fairness should be held above everything else in sport? Or does "the show" outweigh the value of putting on fair competition? Stop by the chatroom this Wednesday at 8pm EST and let me know what you think of NASCAR's latest games.
Or, join in the debate on the bulletin boards and share with the world what you think about NASCAR's dangerous precedents.
