Top 35 rule gone in 2013

[wslates]

Pretty interesting...

Sprint Cup teams looking forward to more testing; top-35 rule may be eliminated - NASCAR - Sporting News

 

[DBReaver35]

I see the top 35 rule being reworked maybe top 20 but totally gone noway to much money for some of these teams to miss a race because they have a bad qual lap.

 

[Pabig]

Changes Confirmed for Qualifying in 2013 - Beyond the Flag - NASCAR News and More Indeed it is going away, the duels might be more interesting aswell.

 

[FloridaFan88]

Excellent!!! Qualifying is back to the way it ought to be. Top 38 fastest with 4 provisionals and a champion's provisional if necessary.

 

[celticfang]

It's only taken them how many years now?

 

[Markfan]

to much money for some of these teams to miss a race because they have a bad qual lap.

Think of it this way. If a s&p team qualifies and, say, Danica Patrick DNQs, the GoDaddy sponsorship will likely go onto the S&P team and they'd actually race. That's pretty much how it worked most of the time when there were major DNQs in the past.

 

[celticfang]

^ That, it happened a lot in the 90s at Daytona, I forget which year it was that the winning car sponsor was originally on a S&P team

 

[Markfan]

I forget which year it was that the winning car sponsor was originally on a S&P team

I think you're thinking of Greg Sacks in 1985. He won the the Pepsi Firecracker 400 without sponsorship at DiGard Motorsports because it was an R&D car which was originally intended to park. Greg did so well that they let him run the whole race and rewarded them with a victory. He ended up getting sponsored by Miller with DiGard's team for the rest of the season.

 

[LarryFoyt50]

Think of it this way. If a s&p team qualifies and, say, Danica Patrick DNQs, the GoDaddy sponsorship will likely go onto the S&P team and they'd actually race. That's pretty much how it worked most of the time when there were major DNQs in the past.

This happened at the 2003 EA Sports 500. David Green got the 0's Netzero sponsor. Miccosukee has done 3 times at Homestead, 2002, 2004, and 2009. Sponsors could possibly get hoped around.

 

[WinstonCup426]

My reaction upon reading the new rules.

 

[MattSRD28]

Think of it this way. If a s&p team qualifies and, say, Danica Patrick DNQs, the GoDaddy sponsorship will likely go onto the S&P team and they'd actually race. That's pretty much how it worked most of the time when there were major DNQs in the past.

Yeah except sponsor contracts are not what they were in the 90s. There's no guarantee that this would return, nor is there a guarantee that GoDaddy would still spend the money to be a sponsor on someone else's car.

 

[Hendrick4life]

Well after one year. The practice speeds setting the field is gone.

 

[wslates]

Well after one year. The practice speeds setting the field is gone.

I actually enjoy it, really makes qualifying exciting until the last car goes out. It also makes 1st practice a bit more important.

 

[celticfang]

I think you're thinking of Greg Sacks in 1985. He won the the Pepsi Firecracker 400 without sponsorship at DiGard Motorsports because it was an R&D car which was originally intended to park. Greg did so well that they let him run the whole race and rewarded them with a victory. He ended up getting sponsored by Miller with DiGard's team for the rest of the season.

That was it indeed, I thought it was the 500, not the 400

 

[Carl Robinson]

Yeah except sponsor contracts are not what they were in the 90s. There's no guarantee that this would return, nor is there a guarantee that GoDaddy would still spend the money to be a sponsor on someone else's car.

The last time I recall a big sponsor pulling themselves from a car that DNQ'd and going to another one. Would have been in 2008 where Robby Gordon showed up to Sonoma with a blank 7 car. Yeley missed the Race so DLP came onboard for the race.

 

[Enter Sandman]

I seem to remember Tide buying a spot in the field when the 32 would DNQ with Bobby Hamilton Jr, and I think Napa did it a time or two in '06 when Waltrip DNQ'd.

I've always thought the top 35 rule was a terrible thing anyway. In my opinion it drove away full season sponsors from smaller teams and made them jump on board with larger teams for 2 or 3 races because it took the same amount of spending but guaranteed them to be in the race. It's like federal bailouts and saying certain companies are too big to fail (probably a poor analogy, but I'm not 100% awake yet lol).

As far as I'm concerned, being in the field for a race should be based on the speed of the car, not the fact that you were able to pony up the dollars to buy points. With the provisionals, we won't be seeing guys like Jimmie Johnson or Tony Stewart miss races, but it'll put a little heat on some of the smaller teams that are riding the top-35 bus to step up their performance to hold off the other small teams who are on the rise. In the end, all of these smaller organizations having to get faster is going to be good for the sport because we'll be seeing more cars being competitive.

 

[Hendrick4life]

I actually enjoy it, really makes qualifying exciting until the last car goes out. It also makes 1st practice a bit more important.

Yeah it actually gave me a reason to watch Qualifying. Now its back to the same old luck of the draw.

 

[Harry Nurpplez]

Oh for crying out loud just line them up for Q by points already! No reason to watch any of that now except dega, tona and the all-star. Theres a reason they stopped doing that...fools. At least give them points!

 

[MattSRD28]

I seem to remember Tide buying a spot in the field when the 32 would DNQ with Bobby Hamilton Jr, and I think Napa did it a time or two in '06 when Waltrip DNQ'd.

That wasn't the sponsors. It was the team owners buying a ride that did make the race, and re-dressing the car to their colors.

Cal Wells did that I believe 3 times. Michael Waltrip did it once or twice when MWR was first getting off the ground but then vowed to never do it again.

 

[Relly]

That wasn't the sponsors. It was the team owners buying a ride that did make the race, and re-dressing the car to their colors.

Cal Wells did that I believe 3 times. Michael Waltrip did it once or twice when MWR was first getting off the ground but then vowed to never do it again.

I think the only time Michael did it was at Indy in 06 when he ran Dodge, he missed the race and bought Derrike Cope's seat in the McGlynn 74...I could be wrong though its just the first one that sticks out in memory.

I always hated seeing this, but the big money owners have sponsors to keep happy and money to spend, and the small teams just need money. As much as I want to see the old qualifying format back, this is just one of the things that would inevitably come along with it.