Our buddy Frank Alford took some time before he went back to the Gulf Of Mexico for his two week tour of duty on the high seas to write us a quick blog. Check it out and tell us what you think!!
By Frank Alford
I ran into a road block this week, but for me that is nothing unusual. As I was reading comments from different NASCAR websites and racing groups I visit and belong to and I noticed one topic on the complaint list that helped me break that block. The topic was the “Start and park” teams, and to be honest, I don’t have a problem with this. NASCAR is an extremely expensive sport to get into and some teams just don’t have the resources that the larger teams do. I read an article on NASCAR.com and it appears they don’t have a problem with this either. The only valid complaint I did see, and I agree with, is about start and park teams knocking a driver out of the race that intends to run the entire race. You can blame that on NASCAR and their qualifying rules.
Why do 43 teams have to be in the race? I have no problem with this either. How about this? If NASCAR is going to allow the start and park teams then maybe a new rule is needed. If a team is going to be a start and park then they should not be allowed to knock out a team that is intending to race the entire race. There is not easy answer to this. If NASCAR is going to allow underfunded teams to make the race then maybe they should pay for the tires and fuel for them to at least try for a decent finish. It is not like they can’t afford it. I can’t take credit for that last idea, that one goes to UWS’s Dave Lembke.
The go or go homers and the start and park teams are just teams and drivers that want their chance to race. Owners like Tommy Baldwin, Phil Parsons, and John Carter, drivers Dave Blaney, Michael McDowell, Terry Lebonte, Tony Raines and Owner / driver Joe Nemechek just want to race and are doing everything they can to get some kind of time on the track to be seen. They love racing and they want to race at Cup level. If this is the only way they can do it for now, then let them. We know Joe and Terry will be retiring sometime in the near future. Dave Blaney, Michael McDowell, and Tony Raines are just looking for a chance to race.
Frank-
Nice peice. And yes, you have hit one of my hot buttons.
I agree, this is NASCAR’s monster and the only way it is going to change for the better, until the economy turns around, under the current rules, is for NASCAR to give up some of their “official sponsors” of (fill in the blank), and help fund the start & parkers. Do we really need the official sponsor of everything at the track with Pope Brian getting the money while hard working teams/owners can’t even afford a tank of gas or a set of tires, let alone a pit crew?
The only problem I have with that idea is that after thinking about it a little bit more, that sounds a bit socialistic, and I hate that concept completely. I am a believer in the strongest survive & the weak ones will not. Be the best or go home. What a predicament NASCAR has got itself, and us as fans, into. And the worst part of all of this is that NASCAR is acting like they have no responsibility for this problem. I don’t know how some of the teams you mentioned can afford to build a car, much less travel to the track and race with little or no sponsorship dollars.
Keep up the good writing!
Dave
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