Posted on 07/16/2004 10:45:34 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Yellow-flag finishes are all but finished in NASCAR.
The sanctioning body said Thursday it will go to a green-white-checkered format, hoping all Nextel Cup and Busch series events will end with the cars racing.
The new rule will take effect with the races July 24-25 at New Hampshire International Speedway. The truck series already has the rule in place.
``The green-white-checkered format is an attempt to achieve everyone's goals -- a green-flag finish,'' NASCAR president Mike Helton said. ``This change, hopefully, will provide competitive finishes in the relatively rare occasions it is warranted.
``This format has been successful in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series and, considering the tight competition week in and week out in the other two national series, we feel the time is right to use the same procedure in all three national series.''
The new format will not mean a race can't finish under yellow. If there is another caution after a green-flag restart, the race will end immediately.
The rule in the truck series has allowed multiple green-flag starts at the end of the race to assure a green-flag finish, but NASCAR said that also will change beginning with the race Aug. 21 in Michigan to assure uniformity in all three series.
The new procedure will be used in case of a caution period that would in the past have forced the race to end under yellow, with the cars finishing behind the pace car. Instead, the competitors will restart under a green flag after the track is deemed ready for competition and take the white flag -- signifying one lap to go -- the next time around.
The new rule also will eliminate the need for late-race red flags, which have been used in recent seasons to stop the event, clean the track and finish under green. The red-flag rule was used -- usually with four or five laps left -- to allow more than one lap at racing speed.
Still, four of the last 10 Cup races have ended under caution, meaning the drivers did not get to race to the finish. That didn't make the drivers or the fans happy.
Fans were particularly enraged with the finish under caution in the spring at Talladega Superspeedway.
Under the rule NASCAR adopted last fall, freezing the field when a caution is displayed, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was first scored in the lead when the caution came out on the 184th of the 188 laps. race. But replays showed Jeff Gordon was about three-quarters of a car-length ahead, and he was put in front.
With fans booing and throwing beer cans and food onto the track, Gordon drove slowly to the finish, just ahead of Earnhardt.
Some drivers are not in favor of the change to green-white-checkered finishes.
``All these race fans drinking beer and screaming and hollering have not been in a helicopter upside down with 30 tubes hanging out of you after going end-over-end 30 times like I've been before because of these green-white starts,'' Rusty Wallace said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. ``I think it's ridiculous and it's unsafe.''
Rusty is a good guy and a good spokesman. But his driving is slipping.
"I can't imagine why anybody likes this "sport". To each his own, I guess."
"Then why would you waste your time reading the thread?"
Exactly. There are a lot of sports I don't like but I never post here saying so, well knowing that people have different interests, and I respect that. I serves no other purpose than negativity. Gets rather tiresome.
WOOO HOOOO!!!!!
We had the thread moved to Chat !!!
NASCAR has done a brilliant job of marketing.
They promote their stars. The stars are not illiterate thugs. It is a suburban/exurban.country sport that doesn't meddle in, or get meddled in by city politics and corruption.
It may not be everyone's idea of the ideal sport, but it's hard to argue with how well run it is.
Thanks much for this.
We had umpteen years of racing back to the line on all yellows without it being an issue.
Then due to that freak incident with the #88 last year we get "freezing the field" "free pass" and lots of other confusion and arbitrary rule making.
The constant fiddling with the rules is probably the worst thing wrong with NASCAR (next to Awesome Bill retiring of course).
That's pretty much it.
I actually do have an interest in racing. I just don't care for NASCAR. Motorcycles and sprint cars are more to my personal taste.
But I have heard some interesting discussions about the NASCAR rules. From what I can tell, they are fubar.
To Wurlitzer: You and I seem to disagree on a number of things.
Definitely not. They only bear a close resemblance to illiterate thugs.
I especially like the one a few years back who said, "I put my foot in it, and it broke." I can't recall who that was, but was fairly representative of the group.
I guess the field will be frozen at that point and there will be no racing to the checkered.
I wonder what happens when that wreck starts at the front of the pack before all cars have crossed the line.
Rusty slipped the day he teamed up with Penske, hasnt been the same since. Not necessarily Penske's fault, probably just the pressure of actually running a team on top of driving. Have there bean any drivers who've gone to actually running their own teams who've done better after the switch?
Now now, I didn't say they were not inbred. Swimming in the same lane of the gene pool for a few too many laps is part of NASCAR heritage.
I think that is a factor. But I think he's gotten cautious as well. I understand the caution. It seems the loss of Big E effected Rusty a lot.
Watching a swarm of motorcycles come down the hill into turn 9 at Leguna Seca Raceway would get your attention. Somebody always goes into the hay.
That does sound like fun.
bling! lol
If I was a real thrill seeker myself, I'd try the downhill road racing luge event.. or lawnmower racing.
Motorcycle racing is not for the timid or the slow healing. ;-)
That takes a set of balls that I will never have.
or lawnmower racing.
Might do that.
It is so good to see you. We miss you on the threads.
I'm going through race withdrawl this weekend. Must be a good weekend to take a vacation.
We're still praying for you. As my grandmother said... with patience, persistence, and courage - you can do anything!
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