2009 What Would You Change Thread

[call_me_andrew]

With the economy in it's current situation, I'm going to stick to smaller changes to cut costs.

Sprint Cup: Shorten the season to 34 races. Accomplish this by removing dates from Loudon, Charlotte, and Michigan, and then add a race at Montreal. Fontana 2, Texas 2, Atlanta 2, and Pocono 1 would be shortened from 500 to 400 miles. Micigan's remaining race would be 500 miles.

Move Atlanta 2 to from Labor Day to Charlotte 2's date, and move Darlington back to Labor Day. Move Sears Point to Mother's Day Saturday so NASCAR can have Montreal in June (F1 won't be using it). Even if I don't get my alternate point system, this would make the Southern 500 the first race in the Chase.

Make the COT wing smaller in both width and length. Allow bigger brake ducts.

Modify the gear rule to allow shifting at Pocono. A mandatory 3.89 final ratio for 4th gear and 4.34 for 3rd gear would allow shifting without putting extra wear on the engines.

No more segments in the Bud Shootout. I'd make it a timed race just to be different.

Establish a full-time medical team.

Nationwide: Shorten to 30 races. Drop compression ratio to 9:1. Add more templates to make bodies symetrical.

Trucks: Drop compression ratio to 9:1.

All series: Change the minimum race distance from 1/2 to 2/3. When the economy starts to improve, add a western modified series.

[Lee Roy]

First, NASCAR has listened to my biggest complaint, making the period where single file restarts happen earlier in the race. Thanks NASCAR.

Tear down the banking at Daytona and Talladega, or some kind of reconfiguring, to where restrictor plates are no longer needed for the races at those tracks.

Shorten the season by one race, the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The races there are awful.

Move the start times of the daytime races back to where they used to be, around 12:00 to 1:00. Waiting until 3:00 or so to start the races puts people home later. Have some consideration for them.

[colinspooky]

I would introduce a rule that prevented fans from starting sentences that go something like: "Gee, you know, I remember back in the good ole days when..........."


:

[harvick#1]

Gee, you know, I remember back in the good ole days when Nascar was actually exciting

go back to noon starts like Lee Roy said

A total revamp in the schedule, dump the second races at California; Texas; Atlanta; add Iowa, and Rockingham

have single-file restarts with 50 to go on all tracks (20 is still not enough)

kill the lucky dog and have a wave-around for cars not pitting when leader pit. (wave-around cars are not allowed to pit under the caution)

revise the Cot to actually produce racing, the aero has forced these cars to stay single-file on on nearly all tracks, revamp the front end to actually gain some downforce

if a rain out, the field is stays the same, but pitroad selection is inverted for the teams.

Bonus points for only leading the most laps.

time to end bogus debris cautions for hotdog wrappers and junk off the track , kind of very annoying to see a race go caution free only to have a caution kill the joy

***As for the Chase***

points from 1-12th place are 50 point increments, still gives consideration for being up in the points for the first 26 races

[Delenn]

Cup:
Firstly, I would reduce to 32 regular races, and visit more places as well.

Remove second dates from:
California, Michigan, Loudon, Atlanta, Pocono, Dover, Texas.
Remove third date from:
Charlotte (Chase race) - Charlotte still has the All-Star Showdown and the 600.

Add dates to:
Rockingham, Iowa, Montreal, Milwaukee Mile.

I like "call_me_andrew"'s ideas for:
Nascar can have Montreal in June (F1 won't be using it).
Move Darlington back to Labor Day. Make the Southern 500 the first race in the Chase.

Wave arounds instead of the lucky dog are a good idea.

Do something to the COT to promote decent racing. Not sure what - I'm not technical enough.

Kill Digger. (Won't cut costs, but will make viewers happier).

Get rid of top 35. Make every team qualify on speed. There will be a much better chance for the go-or-go-homers (as they are now).

Regulate TV coverage so that every car needs to be shown in close-up for x seconds per race, ensuring every car's sponsors get a show.

Remove sponsor exclusivity that stops big spenders like AT&T staying in the sport.

Nationwide:
Stick COT safety improvements into the current cars where possible. Abandon the idea of the Nationwide COT.

Regulate TV coverage so that every car needs to be shown in close-up for x seconds per race, ensuring every car's sponsors get a show.

Reduce to 30 regular races:
Remove second dates from:
California, Nashville, Dover, Texas, Charlotte.

Trucks:
Go back to proper pit stops. Just reduce the number of on-site permits so that regular engineers do the pit stops too.

Regulate TV coverage so that every car needs to be shown in close-up for x seconds per race, ensuring every car's sponsors get a show.

[Lee Roy]

kill the lucky dog and have a wave-around for cars not pitting when leader pit. (wave-around cars are not allowed to pit under the caution)

What you're saying is actually to EXPAND the "Lucky Dog". Wave arounds are nothing more than the "Lucky Dog" for multiple cars. It's even dumber than the currently existing "Lucky Dog".

[The instant classic]

only thing off the top of my head is,
get rid of the 2 pit stops for the truck racing

[call_me_andrew]

What you're saying is actually to EXPAND the "Lucky Dog". Wave arounds are nothing more than the "Lucky Dog" for multiple cars. It's even dumber than the currently existing "Lucky Dog".

Well the Lucky Dog (as it stands) exists to replace the tradtion of allowing lapped cars to pass the leader while racing to the yellow. It's sole purpose in life to to make a right with two wrongs.

I like Harvick's plan because I think the leader should be the first to restart after a caution, not a lapped car.

I couldn't really decide what the better qualifying format would be. The top-35 is a terrible rule, but provisionals are a necessary evil. So the best solution would be either lock in the top-20, or revert to the old system of taking the 36 fastest on time, and then 37-43 are set by owner points. Either way, no Champion's provisional.

And I think it's time NASCAR established a world feed.

[harvick#1]

What you're saying is actually to EXPAND the "Lucky Dog". Wave arounds are nothing more than the "Lucky Dog" for multiple cars. It's even dumber than the currently existing "Lucky Dog".

its what the IRL runs and I think its the correct way, especially the way Nascar throws phantom "debris" cautions

[woody2goody]

I agree with most of the circuit ideas from earlier in the thread.

Adding the extra races in Montreal, Milwaukee, Sears Point etc. probably wouldn't cut costs, but would probably make the racing better.

I'd add races at Mexico City and Laguna Seca

I'd get rid of the Owner's points rule. All entries would start the race, up to a maximum of 46 cars. Then the slowest quali times would be out of the race.