Before you know it, the Daytona 500 will be here.
Of course, there will be a lot that happens before that race takes place. There will most likely be some changes implemented by NASCAR.
I often think that they really don’t give some of their changes enough time to see if they work or not. All the changes just keep adding to the rising expense of being a car owner in NASCAR Sprint Cup or their other major divisions of competition.
Think about this. Sprint Cup racer Brad Keselowski owns a NASCAR Camping World Truck team.
Despite losing $1 million in 2014, he will field two trucks in 2015. He claims that his organization brings in between $7 million to $8 million in revenue (I would think he would have a much better idea of what is coming in).
His trucks won a couple of races. His trucks had sponsorship support.
So if his Truck organization is losing that much money, can you imagine what must be happening with some of the other less successful Truck teams, Infinity (replacing Nationwide) and Sprint Cup teams. It has a lot to do with the loss of competitor support.
Even wealthy owners are finding it just too expensive to be involved.
As Keselowski told Motor Racing Network recently, “It’s really simple, you’ve got to cut costs and raise more revenue (sponsorship support). It’s easier said than done. It’s all hands on deck to make that happen. I worry all the time about it.”
It is pretty much a given that there are quite a few owners with the same thoughts.
But enough about the problems that face the sport in 2015. Let’s talk about who deserves some special recognition for their efforts during the 2014 Sprint Cup season.
Special recognition should go to Ryan Newman. Though NASCAR kept pushing the idea that drivers in the Chase were unworthy unless they won a race, Newman hung in there and actually looked like he might win it all.
If it had not been for a late race caution in the Homestead finale, Newman could very well have won the title.
Newman did it with consistency. That is what I believe auto racing has been about for years.
Winning championships has been about consistent performance. NASCAR wants it to be all about winning.
Perhaps in 2015, they will change the Chase so that only drivers who have won races will be eligible. I think that would be a mistake.
The fight that took place after the Texas race that was part of the Sprint Cup Chase was a sad display. Jeff Gordon stopped to talk with Keselowski when the race was over.
Kevin Harvick turned it into a melee that had crews battling it out after he pushed Keselowski into the fray and then ran and hid. We all saw that Harvick was the instigator but the crews that did battle suffered penalties while “Dennis the Menace” Harvick just smiled as NASCAR did nothing to him.
The WWE mentality seems to be more important than anything else in the sport.
The fact that Jeff Gordon would have won the title if there was still a real championship chase, all 36 point races included, does not mean much. Gordon has not won a title since 2001 because the various new point formats just do not seem to reward the guy who does the best all season, but rewards a driver who does well in the final 10 races.
I have said this before, but it seems worth repeating. The point leader at the end of the regular season should be rewarded.
Perhaps it would be only a solid gold plastic trophy but it should mean something to have been leading the points at the end of the real season. As you probably have surmised, I am not big on gimmicks.
I still have trouble accepting the Lucky Dog (should Beggin' Strips be a sponsor) or the wave around. It is sort of like a reward for doing poorly.
Can you imagine what the reaction would be at the weekly short track if those racers who fell off the pace were given the chance to catch up?
To make the Chase more interesting, there is talk of changing the schedule so that different tracks would be included as part of the Chase. A better idea is to include all the tracks in the Chase and have all 36 races count.
Promote all 36 events as was done with the Chase, and you would, I think, have more interest all season instead of just in the final events.
There are some racers who have been around for a while who should probably consider retirement and open up some seats to new young talent. We have guys like Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson really bringing some excitement to NASCAR big leagues. I keep wondering how Mike Wallace, Mike Bliss and a few others still manage to get rides when there are some youngsters out there anxious to show their talent.
Terry Labonte retired late in the season, and it was disappointing that a sure bet for the NASCAR Hall of Fame did not get more attention as he ran his final Cup race.
The Most Popular Driver Award in Sprint Cup was again won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Years back, Bill Elliott won it so often that he was embarrassed by it all and withdrew his name from consideration. I can remember him telling me in New York some years back that he was honored by the many times he was selected and he appreciated the support of the fans but he just felt it was time to take his name from consideration. Perhaps it is time for Dale Jr. to do the same. It should not come down to who gets the most TV exposure.
I still think that some of the Cup races are far too long. As other sports, MLB is one of them, are trying to shorten the games, it would be great to see NASCAR take steps to shorten some of the Cup races.
You have any complaints or suggestions you would like to share with me?
See you in Daytona, an event that I have been writing about since 1969.