>Bonus Prediction:
>The clergy scheduled to conduct the pre-race invocation will develop a case
>of severe laryngitis and Father Moleski will be flown in at the last minute
>to save the day.  His on-track persona will so impress the guru’s at ESPN
>that he will be offered a job to sit along side Rusty and provide color for
>the races…. GO Marty!!!
>;^)
>Mike
>(whose tongue is firmly implanted in his cheek)

"Have time, will travel."

Cf. my six weeks in the Pacific looking for
Amelia Earhart’s bones:

http://moleski.net/tighar.htm

Schmoozing with Rusty would be a piece o’ cake.  :o)

                                Marty
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news:rcydnXDSmcnDC4fanZ2dnUVZ_hOdnZ2d@comcast.com…

> Greetings all…

> Why are they advertising the fact that Jimmy Johnson and Tony Stewart are
> chasing Jeff Gordon.  What about number 3, Clint Boyer?

> I’ve heard this a number of times already on TV…..

I think it depends on what "advertising" you are talking about, commercials,
soundovers?  If so those are normally done right after the chase is
announced and they probably haven’t updated them, that costs money.  As the
were winding down to the chase everyone was talking about the big three –
Gordon, Johnson and Stewart.  jk.  If you are talking about the "talking
head announcers" I don’t think any of them still believe Bowyer can do it.
Finally, for most fans Stewart is a much more recognizable name than Bowyer.

> … What if that scale shrank during the season?  …

THAT is a cool idea!  I think it is the kind of creative
thinking that Bob wanted to inspire with his challenge.

> … every 5 races you lose 5 guaranteed
>starting spots with the minimum number being the T12, ’bout the time of the
>chase.  …

T12 may be too constrictive.  I doubt that the number
would or should drop under T20 or T22 (12 chasers plus
10 others).

>Haven’t really drawn the picture that all would look like yet
> … just thinking out loud.

It has some attractive features.

                                Marty
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> OK, let me issue you a challenge.

First brain teaser and it isn’t even the off season yet … we, for all but 2 or
3 I guess it is …

> It’s easy to gripe and complain
> about what’s wrong.  It’s not so easy to come up with something
> better.  The question to you is simple.  If you could start with a
> blank sheet of paper and design the qualifying procedure what would it
> be?  Think it thru.  Consider all the angles and tell us how you’d do
> it.

> Anybody who wants to play is welcome….

Right now the T35 are guaranteed a start.  To protect sponsors, guarantee the
favorite big names don’t screw up and miss a race … and I think that is a
valid reality and concern.

What if that scale shrank during the season? every 5 races you lose 5 guaranteed
starting spots with the minimum number being the T12, ’bout the time of the
chase.  As the season progresses the favorites (or at least the top drivers for
that year) are starting to get their spot in the points standings and potential
chase position, open up the field to the less consistent cars as they take
longer to get their program firmed up,  … the question still remains if Jr is
13th and wrecks during qual, how does he get in the race … … … full time
drivers, attempt to get into every race to that point, get to roll out and
qualify the back up car if they fail to post a time due to wreck or mechanical
problem, not just a poor speed, with the primary.

Then maybe 2 or 3 provisionals: Past Champ (nice to see the old guys in the
field) and 1 or 2 for a T20 car that failed to make the race on speed.  That
would be self-limiting as, if you’re not making the race on speed more than once
or twice, you’re probably not a T20 car either.  This would cover the ‘Jr
wrecks, rolls out the back-up and doesn’t post a good enough qualifying speed’
so, as a T20 car, he gets a provisional.

Haven’t really drawn the picture that all would look like yet … just thinking
out loud.

news:1193093191.634033.289450@i13g2000prf.googlegroups.com…

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

> On Oct 22, 5:49 pm, "Mike Simmons" <mike…@yhti.net> wrote:

>> OK, I’ll bite……….

>> how ’bout the 43 fastest cars on qualifying day get to race on race
>> day…
>> period!

>> It is elegant in its simplicity, it’s easy to understand, there is no
>> ambiguity and it is "fair" to everyone.

> That’s fine until a five dollar part breaks on the point leader’s car
> in the midst of the chase, or a blown tire puts (insert your favorite
> driver’s name here) in the fence after you’ve spent over a thousand
> dollars and traveled hundreds of miles expecting to watch him race on
> Sunday.

> I think this is a case where elegant simplicity and philosophical
> purity just ain’t gonna cut it in the real world.

That’s just the point, my system IS the real world!

 Face it.  All

> drivers aren’t created equal.  Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Dale
> Earnhardt Jr. sell tickets and get people to tune in on TV.  Kevin
> Lepage, Jeremy Mayfield and AJ Allmendinger don’t.  Sending one of the
> sport’s superstars home because of a stroke of bad luck in qualifying
> would stink a whole lot more than anything that has happened under the
> current system.

> Come on folks.  I know there’s enough brain power in this group to
> give this some serious thought and come up with ideas that take the
> realities of the sport into consideration.  Screw the sponsors, screw
> the TV, screw the fans, let ‘em get used to seeing Gordon/Stewart/
> Earnhardt go home is just not practical.

Why not?

> I’ll give you my idea.  I agree that the fastest 43 should start, but
> with one provision–everybody gets a mulligan that would cover stuff
> like mechanical failures, blown tires, or just flat losing it and
> spinning out.  If someone’s just slow or maybe slips a little bit, but
> still completes a normal run, that run counts.  But if something
> prevents a driver from completing a normal qualifying run, they get a
> second chance–with the backup car if necessary.

Well then, what if said $5.00 part breaks after the green flag drops?  There
ain’t no going back then or mulligans either… as the saying goes…. s**t
happens and that’s part of racing.  If s**t happens during qualifying, then
so be it… as long as the rules apply to everyone, the s**t will presumably
be spread at random, thus offereing no one an advantage or disadvantage.

Thinkering with a simple system is how we wound up with our tax code and
many other laws designed to interject fairness into life.  Sadly, life ain’t
fair sometimes.

 I like my system best.

Mike

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

On Oct 21, 5:34 am, "Mike Simmons" <mike…@yhti.net> wrote:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

> There is discussion that Kyle Petty and Bobby LaBonte may switch cars in an
> attempt to keep both Petty cars racing every week.  While this is perfectly
> legal, it seems to me to be an act of desperation on the part of Petty to
> stay in the hunt.

> While I respect Kyle enormously as an individual, I think the time has long
> passed for him to hang up the helmet and find a new driver for the 45.  It
> appears that there are an abundance of young guns available who would be
> thrilled to take the helm of the 45 and while they lack Petty’s experience
> they would bring a competitive drive that the team so desperately needs.

> In watching Kyle the past few years, he doesn’t seem to "want" to win.  He
> just seems content in finishing the race regardless of his final position.
> I think Adam’s untimely death took the wind out of the Petty’s sail and they
> had no plans for succession.  LaBonte has shown that the Petty cars "can" be
> competitive, albeit maybe not in the same league with Hendrick, et al at
> least not consistently in the back of the pack.

> Speaking of LaBonte, he is no youngster either.  While he still maintains a
> competitive drive, the Petty organization needs to plan for the future and
> get a couple of young guns lined up and soon.

> Just my observations… whaddya all think?

> Mike

Fastest 30  two days before race (typically Fri.) are in.
Rest have to start a heat race held the day before. Length – a % of
the race?  unsure
Top 10 get in race.  That leaves 2 for regular provissionals.  I have
to still let the champ provisional.
I like the limit but think it needs to stay.
For those that think it is a joke.. I thought it was more of a joke
when ole DW would do it and his lap times were crap  after the race
started.

The heat race would be popular with the fans at the track or even for
TV.  Maybe it would keep some drivers at the track and from flying to
all these Grand National Races.

> That’s fine until a five dollar part breaks on the point leader’s car
> in the midst of the chase, or a blown tire puts (insert your favorite
> driver’s name here) in the fence after you’ve spent over a thousand
> dollars and traveled hundreds of miles expecting to watch him race on
> Sunday.

That’s racin’. An equitable system requires that the points leader suffers
just as much from a broken part as the last car in the field.
Unfortuantely, I have a hard time calling what NASCAR is doing right now
"racin’." I see real "racin’" at my local dirt track on Saturday, not in
the circus that is now NASCAR.

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Q: Why is top posting frowned upon?

> In article bob.pax…@gmail.com wrote:

>>The point is that if you’re saying "the system stinks because the
>>ninth fastest qualifier got sent home", you’re being intellectually
>>dishonest because you’re not telling the whole story.

> The story is a short one.
> If you qualify 14th, and you can’t race.
> It stinks.
> Justify it any way you want, Bob.
> It stinks.

I agree with Bob.  What stinks is there are two seperate systems
for two groups of drivers.  The fact that a driver in one system
can be fast and still go home is an effect of the system, not a
cause; and if you don’t explain what the cause is then you’re
not telling the whole story.

John

> OK, let me issue you a challenge.  It’s easy to gripe and complain
> about what’s wrong.  It’s not so easy to come up with something
> better.  The question to you is simple.  If you could start with a
> blank sheet of paper and design the qualifying procedure what would it
> be?  Think it thru.  Consider all the angles and tell us how you’d do
> it.

> Anybody who wants to play is welcome….

We’ve done this before.  And I’ll stick with the same answer: 40
qualify on speed, 2 provisionals.

You can add some bells and whistles (not more than 6 provisionals
per team per year; a past champs provisional) if you want.

John