More New Rules, 1998 Version

M.L. Morgan

Well, race fans, the first competitive lap of the 1998 Winston Cup season has yet to be run but already there are some significant rule changes on the table. And I think the first two are very good ideas.

The first to hit the fan, figuratively speaking, is the new rule which adds 2 more provisional starting spots to each race, and mandates the past-Champion's provisional must be used by someone, rather than being unused as it has many times in the past. After the Daytona 500, which has its own unique qualifying system, all races will qualify like this: First day qualifying will determine the top 25 starters. Second day qualifying will determine positions 26-36. Then the 6 provisionals for positions 37-42, based on car-owner points, and 43rd, the past-Champion's provisional will be determined. If no one needs the past-champ's spot it will be awarded to another non-qualifier. All races will have 43 starters.

Nascar's acknowledged reasoning for the extra provisionals is to give the veteran, full-time competitors a better chance of making the field each week. I have no problem with this at all. These regular competitors are also, for the most part, the teams which are the ones most fans will pay those exorbitant ticket prices to see. I'm all for giving the fans what they want to see. All a new team needs to do to make a race is qualify in the top 36. It happens several times each season. And it will happen again in 1998. Trust me.

The second new change is even more significant. Nascar is still working on ways to slow the cars down to where they are not so prone to becoming airborne. We all know, and probably dislike, the restrictor-plate method. The plates are one of Nascar's worst mistakes. Since their re- introduction in 1987, junk yards have been filled with mostly innocent victims who got caught up in one of the many, infamous, multi-car, restrictor-plate wrecks. Now it would seem, Nascar is going to try a different approach to slow the cars. Reduce spoiler height and increase ground- clearance for the front air dam. This will reduce down-force and of course, slow down the cars. That doesn't require a team of engineers and a brain surgeon to evaluate. These changes will slow down the cars. Nascar has been tweaking spoiler/air-dam heights for many seasons. What's different about doing it again in 1998?

The difference in the 1998 version is all manufacturers will be modified equally. This is not the spoiler-of-the-week adjustment Nascar is so fond of using in its alleged quest for parity. This new rules change seems to be intended to maintain the relative competitiveness of the different makes by reducing their speeds proportionally. Not a deal in the guise of parity but a sincere effort to slow all the cars down in the name of safety. I can only hope these rules changes will be introduced as soon as possible . I give Nascar an 'attaboy' for their work on these changes so far. I'll continue to remind them as the season progresses. Trust me.

Testing at Daytona is over. I mentioned in a couple of earlier columns we would be hearing a bunch of crying from a few teams. I didn't expect Robert Yates to be the chief whiner, but he was whining until the final day of testing for the Fords. Then Jarrett (#88) and Irwin (#28) paced the testing with speeds comparable to the GM teams. His silence was deafening. I thought his comments had been very out of place, and particularly unbecoming of such a team as the Yates organization. His credibility has waned, in my opinion, rather like Jayski, of www.Jayski.com fame. Wasn't far back when Jayski took a sabbatical to ponder the future of his site, implying burnout and/or financial problems. After a brief hiatus Jayski came back online with some sponsors and before you could blink your eyes, he was hustling donations from his readers to sponsor some race car . I can only suspect some money cured Jayski just like some speed cured Yates. I'm sure we'll see some more miracle cures before the 1998 season is over.

Another thing you can be sure of. I won't bite my tongue. I'll always be an advocate of the fans. If something bothers you, let me know. I'll look into it.

Have comments or questions? E-mail: M.L. Morgan

Home | Past Editorials | Racing Links | M.L.'s NASCAR Flags | Ask Uncle Mike