Champs or Chumps?

So Bill Elliott is going to bring his precious six past champions provisionals to the Wood Brothers starting this weekend at Charlotte. Since Ken Schrader and Jon Wood can't get the team's No. 21 into the field through qualifying these days, the team has opted to tab Elliott as its driver and earn an automatic berth into six races via the champ's provisional.

What a load of garbage.

Only the Top 35 rule locking those teams in rather than other worthy drivers who may qualify with a faster speed each week is dumber.

The time to stop giving a free pass to someone who accomplished a title 19 YEARS AGO, since Elliott's championship season was in 1988, has come.

It makes no sense and is not fair to a great many teams and drivers, who support the series on a full-time basis and have high dollar sponsors who also sit on the sidelines when they fail to make the field.

I realize the Woods have a long history in the sport, run the entire NEXTEL Cup schedule and also have several corporate sponsors who support their operation.

But it's a cheap shot to pull someone like Elliott basically out of retirement in order to cash in his champions provisionals.

Come on NASCAR, dump this rule pronto.

Until they do, stand by your phones Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison. Your six gimme starts are very valuable.

 
Posted: 5/19/2007 3:49:00 AM
Comments:
you still think he was brought in for his prov. i don't think so. he is still a great driver and the wood brothers knew that and now he is showing the world
Posted On: 5/23/2007 11:49:00 PM
I agree, the current qualification rules are a mess! It makes absolutely no sense to lock in 81% of the field and make 15-20 cars fight for 7-8 spots.
I simply feel that if a team can't make it into the top 81% by points then they need to at least qualify on speed.
The past champion's provisional just doesn't fit into this model. Now, if there was a more reasonable qualification procedure (e.g.only the cars in a chase qualifying position were locked in or a handful of provisional spots based on owner's points), then maybe a past champion's provisional would be OK.
At a minimum, start everybody equal at the beginning of the season. That would at least give start-up teams a fair chance. Plus, it would return the Daytona qualifying convolution to something reasonably understandable and pertinent.
Posted On: 5/23/2007 11:49:00 PM
While Pete's basic argument is sound, the proof of Elliott's abilty is "in the pudding," so to speak. And JCole14 makes a good point. Elliott's age (early 50's, I think) is not out of the range of many of NASCAR's successful drivers. Petty, Waltrip, Allison, all competed in their fifties. There may or may not be any more wins in Elliott's future, but I have to admire his trying. Maybe ol' Bill is still "awesome." Let's watch and see!
Posted On: 5/23/2007 11:49:00 PM
Heat races instead of time trials would solve 98% of the problem:

1. Sponsors get airtime
2. Fans get more racing
3. Everyone gets to actually race
4. The best cars/teams of the week race in the "A - Main"
5. More opportunity for teams to tweak the setup under race conditions
6. No more cheap "buying" your way in by digging up Fireball Roberts to get 6 guaranteed starts.


It makes so much sense...there's no way NASCAR will ever do it.  LOL!!!
Posted On: 5/23/2007 11:49:00 PM
Well, he didn't need the PCP, so there! LOL
Posted On: 5/23/2007 11:49:00 PM

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