Tomorrow is media day at Daytona, and the Bud Shootout happens on Saturday night! What does that mean to us??? It's time to go racin', boys! The 2010 season is upon us, and there's lots to talk and get excited about.
I'm going to try to do a much better job keeping the blog current in 2010. Let's say that was one of my New Years resolutions for 2010. So, this is the first installment of many this season.
What should I talk about heading into the Duels tomorrow? Hmmmm....Jimmy Johnson's 4-peat and Hendrick domination (finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the 2009 standings)? RPM dropping Dodge and moving over the Ford Fusion (Yates) power for 2010? Kasey Kahne in the last year of his contract with RPM - will he and Budweiser set sail for a more stable environment in 2011? Where will he go? Maybe Stewart-Haas racing? What do you think about Danica Patrick making an appearance in stock car racing? Will you watch the ARCA race on Saturday to see how she does? How will she do in ARCA/Nationwide this year, and what will her presence do for the sport of NASCAR?
Those are ALL great topics to discuss, and we might touch on each of those at another time, but for now I want to talk a little bit about the Top 35 owners points and the "brokering" of points before the start of the race. In the past week we've learned of at least two teams that have bought their way into guaranteed starting spots for the first 5 races of 2010, without EARNING that luxury. The first was Furniture Row Racing, who "acquired" the #7's Top 35 points after starting a "technical alliance" with RCR last week. And yesterday is was determined that Front Row Racing has started an alliance with Yates to acquire the #98's points from last year.
I don't know about you, but I don't like the idea that NASCAR allows this type of "points brokering" to go on. Technically it's within the rules, but I feel that it violates the "spirit" of the rulebook. They can sign all the minority ownership and technical alliance paperwork that they want, but in the end they just wanted the POINTS. They wanted to be able to assure their sponsors that they were going to be a LOCK for the first 5 races (and especially the Daytona 500.)
I think that in the off-season, NASCAR needs to take a look at this rule and make the necessary changes to allow the teams that competed the season before a chance to be in the Top 35. No new team should be able to show up, buy someone's points and be guaranteed a starting spot in the Daytona 500 when there are at least 8 other teams out there that EARNED the right to grab that spot when a team that finished above them closes shop and folds. It's just not right.
Anyways, looking forward to the Duels (Thursday) and Danica's ARCA debut, Daytona 500 Qualifying , and the Bud Shootout on Saturday! It's gonna be an awesome start to another season. And then next Sunday (on Valentine's Day boys, in case you didn't realize it) we'll all be watching as another chapter in the Great American Race is written. I can't wait!
Marc.
