Head2Head: Does 'Dega belong in the Chase?

Looking back during the manufacture wars racing was exciting because each team did what they could to beat the other guy. Team owners complained obout the others doing things that wern't fair. hen the era when a manufacture body style allowed the car to be better aero wise complaints of them having advantages and how unfair it was. This forced nascar to mandate changes to the faster manufacure type vehicle that made them slower so the others could keep up. That is part of the reason all have the exact body configuration today called the cot. All have some of the blame for what the nascar cot has become. Sponsers want the playing field even, fans want all out racing, drivers want less rules, no matter what nascar does they step on someone. they have to deal with so many issues that counterdict eachother that it is amazing we even have a race to watch. When it is on I will still see all the events i can.

Yes, Racing is a game of luck. Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don't so leave it in there. But don't get me wrong I do like the speed of it so they should make the cars less areomdynamic.

Just take Talladega out of there..The only thing Nascar is doing is losing the tv audience..With what they have done to the cars over the years is just plain ungodly. Ryan Newman was a good example of that..They have all the safety there, now come on just let the boys go racing. I loved the good ol day without restrictor plates..Its time to let them go and just let them race..If they dont do something its gonna come down to fans not even wanting to go see the race..How boring this race has become..

#80......"Walking away only removes your voice, it doesn't make it louder... "

Obviously you've never heard the phrase "the roaring silence".......nor "actions speak louder than words". Until there is change for the good, the "vocal part timers" can have this farce.....and trust me, there aren't enough of them to maintain NASCAR's positive bank account. Look at Fontana.....IMO that is an example of what NASCAR can expect from those "vocal part timers".........

As for NASCAR's hierarchy/Daytona HQ.............Helton and/or France are the word of God when it comes to operations & rules, and if Helton's just "hanging out as the face of NASCAR" as you say, even all the more reason for him to be gone, although I do disagree with you that that is why he's still there. It's power and money in a monopolized series that has him still there.

I reiterate from prior posts:
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TRACKS & RACERS!
THEY are where you'll still find true & honest racing in the spirit of the "old days"---meaning, they race for the love of the sport, not for fame & fortune.....they'd race whether or not there is an audience because they LOVE the sport!

I say take off the plates so the drivers can use their skills on driving and passing one an other, and go back to the spoiler and not the wing ( the wing caused the 12 car and the 5 car to flip) even though the roof flaps opened up

I say take off the plates so the drivers can use their skills on driving and passing one an other, and go back to the spoiler and not the wing ( the wing caused the 12 car and the 5 car to flip) even though the roof flaps opened up

so let's just tailor the chase to what nascar wants... it's called racing for a reason Nascar.. you take Dega you might as well close up shop

they want good racing, they want the speed down and they dont want to see "the big one". Take the plate off and take the wing off the back. instant two and a half mile short track racing. slow down in the corners and matted on the straightaways. that will make them "man up"
For years when a new car came out, it dominated the circuit until the other manufacturers caught up. A few races into the season, NASCAR would do something to handicap the dominant manufacturer, size limited to 355 cubic inches. Now, take make and manufacturer out of it. On the track, unless you can see the symbol on the front or back, they all look the same.
There is no win on sunday sell on monday anymore.
I noticed NASCAR did not throw the debris caution at the start of the race when it looked like it was raining trash and paper on the back straight too.

all the races are to long and boring. shorten them up so the cars have to be ready from the start. then they will have to race the whole race not just ride around till the last 20 laps.

Why change/blame tracks.Blame Nascar every week it's a different rule for a different track/driver.Stop all this and let them race.I agree if attendence stands/TV go down they will change.
Did anyone see JJ in the back well I guess running legal put him where he should have been all along.IN THE BACK.I will give him one thing he doesn't/isn't a whiner he acts like an adult.

these people in nascar need some changes badly and with ryan's flip the change is needed now. the racing is ok but it is time to change the rules their are to many to follow. LOOK TAKE THE CHASE OUT AND AWARD MORE POINTS FOR WINNING THE RACE AND NOTHING FOR CONSISTENCECY,AND PUT A SPEC ENGINE LESS THAN 800 HP PUT A 500 HP ENGINE IN AND NOT MODIFICATIONS TO IT.AND TAKE THE WING OFF THE BACK AND JUST HAVE L SPOILER ON THE BACK???? AND THE OTHER IS TAKE THE SPLITTER OFF THE CAR......TALLADEGA RACE SUCKED AS FAR AS IM CONCERNED????????JOHN

You really want to make a point?...Next season...everyone boycott Talladega!!...Both races!!...(both at the track...and TV...)

NASCAR won't get it until everyone actually does something...@#$%ing about it won't work...hit them where they hurt..in the moneybelt!!...

Bring the attendance down to 20% or less...then they will take notice!!..

NASCAR has too many rules... Just let them drive the best they have and let the best win

So many issues, so man dumb opinions.. Narrower tires (I have a great idea, why don't we take out the fuel cells, and replace them with old fashioned exploding fuel tanks, and maybe the drivers will race more carefully)... Sunday was an unusual situation that was blown out of proportion, and trashed what should have been a good, and safe race... To begin with, Helton has very little to do with all of the new rules.. He sticks around as "the face of NASCAR", but has very little to do with the things that have been going on in the sport... He has lost interest ever since losing his good friend on February 18, 2001... This past week seems to have started with two, or three drivers approaching Helton, and asking for some relief from the bump drafting that goes with racing at Talladega... The likely suspects are three drivers (maybe four) that don't like being pushed around the track.. I'm sure these guys are brave as anyone, but just don't feel comfortable driving that fast, and not being able to tell the guy behind them to back off.. They reminded him of the day he lost his friend, and asked if he could just remind the guys that bumping in the corners is a really bad idea.. Who wouldn't agree with that?? Long story short, Helton makes speech at drivers meeting, and we see the result in the race... Thank you Jimmie, Jeff, and maybe Jeff (Burton), and maybe Mark..
The COT has some problems that were not addressed during development, and the most important ones are keeping it on the ground going backwards, and making it more stable with better adjustability... I can fix that, what surprises me is NASCAR acting like they can't.. The first step in fixing something, is recognizing that it's broken..
The folks that advocate boycotting NASCAR, are only leaving the sport to the vocal part timers, who like The Chase, and like the wrecks caused by the double file restarts... The free passes, the Green, white, checkers, and all of the other non-racing even up the field new rules.. Walking away only removes your voice, it doesn't make it louder...

Talladega has history. Over 20 years ago when they instituted the restrictor plate, it was a good solution. It is no longer a working solution. I shudder to think what would have happened to Ryan if he had not landed on Kevin's car on the way over.

Dega does not belong on the circuit. Restrictor plates have no place in NASCAR. Give us back our short track roots and let the driver's drive!

Yes Talladega should be in the chase.

Nascar definately has gone down the wrong direction when it comes to recent rules changes they have made. The "chase" is a joke. The chase turns winning a championship about being the best for 10 races not for a season. If you can master the 10 tracks for the chase you are the champ. That isn't what being a champion should be. To be the champion you should be the best week in and week out. The chase has turned nascar into a joke.

As for 'dega. The restrictor plates are not the answers neither is having no bump drafting and the like. The best thing nascar can do to help racing at 'dega and daytona is to loose the restrictor plate and reduce the engine displacement or carb for both tracks. Doing this gives the drivers back throttle response and also reduces the speeds to help make the tracks safer but also more interesting for the fans.

Make the chase a race with in a race ! If the first chase driver is in six place at the end of the race give him the points for six. the next chase driver behind the six place car get the points for the seventh place n the next chase car gets eight etc. That way all of the chase drivers will still have a shot.! So if a car has a DNF ,he will still be in the race !!! Bob Wheatley sun9993@verizon.net PS Sent this to NASCAR in March also called them . Maybe it time that NASCAR listens well they still have a few fans left!!!! DO SOMETHING.

I have grown up watching and learning about NASCAR, from way back when it was shown on CBS. NASCAR has changed over the years. It was about the beverages in the stands, the drivers walking to the concession stands to sign autographs. What happened? The face of NASCAR changed with new committee board members, sponsorship rules, who can sponsor and who can't, network TV, and especially the true idea about racing. Bring back the old fuel cells, dump that chase stuff, it's stupid, the best driver overall should be able to win, not someone who can run in the back all day and say hey thanks for the wreck I took 6th and I can be happy with that. THATS NOT RACING!!!!!!! Here is an idea, put Allison, Petty, Jarrett, Schrader, Waltrip, and some of the old guys up on that rule committe and let them make a points system and rule system.... They drove, they worked on their cars, drove their cars, and they would know what is best for this sport. If it is still a sport, NASCAR is dying, if it not saved soon it will be lost forever.

it wasn't a race, it was a parade

@ Dick P - Have you ever seen a quarterback in the Super Bowl with a big lead, hand the ball off every play and do everything possible to burn the clock? Then, at the end of it all, he has the gall to take a knee on the final 3 or 4 plays!! OMG!! What a pansy ass!!! He should be throwing bombs every play til the last whistle!!! No strategy!!! Strategy is for wimps and cowards!!

JJ ran the perfect race for the position he was in. If it were you favorite driver you would think so. I'm not a JJ fan and I would have LOVED to see him race hard, mix it up and wreck, but he was smart....just like that QB with a big lead in the Super Bowl. Deal with it.

To those who actually think that racing at Talladega was more exciting before the restrictor plates, well, you either never watched one of those races or you have just forgotten how lame they were. I agree that what we have now is not much better, but in the last 14 races at Dega before they put the plates on (1980-1986) 10 of those races finished with 7 or fewer cars on the lead lap! Twice there were only 3, twice 4 and four time only 5 cars on the lead lap. I'm sorry, but removing the plates is not the answer, as Dega sucked before the plates, and it still does. Shorten it and flatten it is the only answer.

Get rid of the chase and restructure the points system so finishing good in the race is worth it and for the winner make the points difference much larger than it is now from second place. THE CHASE HAS TO GO.

Talledega has lived long past it's usefulness as a NASCAR track whether a chase race or any other race. The next vehicle to post a lap at Talledega should be a bulldozier. Build a new track where physics and driver skill rule......... not restrictor plates and idiotic rules.