2 Changes I'd make.

[Bocoon]

I think Nascar should limit the number of cars per owner to 2. Don't allow the loopholes wherby wifes, sisters and girlfriends are listed as owners. If you want to be in Nascar, you must field two cars, like F1.

2nd, get a qualifing program that means something. I love watching, but come on, there is no excitement.

I love F1 qualifing, almost more than the race.

[FIRE]

Except for a few classic events like Daytona 500 and Coca Cola 600 decrease race length to around 3 hours (including 15 min pre and post race interviews).

[PabloTeK]

If NASCAR owners only had 2 cars, you'd end up with considerably fewer cars than we do now; Hendrick, Gibbs, Roush, Childress are key ones that spring to mind!

The main reason I personally feel for qually staying as is means that each driver has a roughly fair chance, no-one to hold them up and no-one to crash into them and stuff the whole thing up! Remember ovals are a confined place and tracks like Bristol would cause an innumerable amount of issues.

For me the change would be to use fewer safety cars at road courses; cars that pull-off or get embedded at the back of a big gravel bed require a FCY whereas most circuits I bet normally would just snatch the damn things!

[Knowlesy]

Give Montoya dispensation to use an engine with 100 extra horses.

[Bocoon]

With regards to limiting owners to 2 car teams; I feel top sponsership would go to top teams as usual, but, with less top teams sucking up the top sponsors, the second tier teams would or could take advantage to corral sponsership. The trickle down theory. I realize this won't happen due to the weight the big teams have. Yes I understand, they have been the heart of Nascar and deserve an advantage, in their minds. But they were startup companies at one time. Make a few changes.

Wouldn,t it be great to see a couple of no name teams knock out a couple of Hendrick or Childress cars after qualifing. "Mr. Hendrick, what happened in qualifing today, with your #48 and #5 cars. Was it a case of engineering or driver error?" It would add so much pub for the sport.

1. 2 car team max.
2. Remove top 35 in points makes the race. Qualify for position/race.
3. Scrap lucky dog crap. You screw up, you pay.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Give Montoya dispensation to use an engine with 100 extra horses.

...that way, he may actually have a chance to win on an oval.

[Knowlesy]

[Paradise City]

It's the most cliched complaint but make the cars look a bit more muscular abit like it was in the old days. They look plastic.

I'm not quite sure how you can limit to two car teams. All a big owner needs to do is get one of his mates to run another team as his puppet under the banner of another front company.

I could do without the lucky dog. The first car off the lead lap capable of annoying the leader was always interesting.

[PabloTeK]

Originally Posted by Paradise City

It's the most cliched complaint but make the cars look a bit more muscular abit like it was in the old days. They look plastic.

NASCAR are changing the body styles for 2013, I think the Cup cars are going to look more like the Nationwide cars in rough style!

[fieldodreams79]

Back to the OP, I agree the q'ing sessions are a joke. However, given a timed session, especially on the big tracks, the draft would heavily influence the top running order. Bad thing? Dunno, but I'd like to see something better and more exciting. All 43+ on track in a timed session at Bristol would be interesting.

They need to have multi-numbered teams to survive, especially right now. I do see what you are getting at, Bocoon, but I don't see how this would benefit the sport at all. And welcome!

FIRE, Shorten races? Sure, but Daytona and the 600 should NOT be the only ones to stay "full-length". Out of the 30 plus races, there should be at least 5-10 "endurance events". Shorten the Cup series by too much and what would we do with the other two lower series? Perhaps a duel race weekend that is done with many other series would work? Q'ing and a 250 on Saturday plus another one on Sunday...

Free pass/Lucky Dog should stay...once they changed to freezing the field for cautions, that eliminated the racing back to the caution and any chance of gaining a lap back. They don't show it much, but the battle for the free pass can get intense and adds a little something to the viewing pleasure, like it or not.

I'll add these:
something that we all have mentioned in just about every NASCAR discussion; have some consistency with cautions and don't be TOO quick in throwing them.

Oh yeah, bring back Rockingham and North Wilkesboro, find another high banked (or standard) SHORT track to visit and add ONE more road course; I am about mile-and-a-half-ovaled out. And the road course event should be similar to the Bathurst 1000K format - two drivers per car and change the venue every year.

Only issue with all this is NASCAR does what NASCAR wants to do; it'll stay pretty much the same.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Sorry...low blow, but too easy.

Go Montana (in all seriousness).

[duke_toaster]

Originally Posted by PabloTeK

NASCAR are changing the body styles for 2013, I think the Cup cars are going to look more like the Nationwide cars in rough style!

As in using the pony car templates/designs? That would look excellent, it might be an odd change but Mustang/Challenger/Camaro/ er - Supra? body styles would look good.

All sorts of things have been rumoured for the engines, but could downsizing be an option? You'd also create lighter cars. Something like a 4 litre blown V8 could sound quite funky, blower pressures could be tweaked instead of air restrictor plates (that in addition to an ironing board on the back?).

It's not so much a case of changing but creating, but bearing in mind the NFL's success (it wasn't as much of a failure as people thought it was until they started messing with it, and that's for another thread), could some form of NASCAR Europe developmental series work?

[PabloTeK]

Not sure what cars will be used, although Ford has apparently asked to use the 'Stang!

NASCAR is moving to a McLaren ECU'd injection system for 2012, no need for the restrictor plate anymore as they can force a specific output or similar on the teams to stop them drag racing at 'Dega...

[Matt]

a) run heat races for every race
b) more short tracks and road courses.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by Matt

a) run heat races for every race

I think two "half" races is a better idea, but how would you go about doing heat races in a series that runs superspeedways? A 20 car 50 lap "A Main" at Talladega would be OK, but that wouldn't be "NASCAR", IMHO.

Love the idea, have had it myself, but never could come up with a decent format for the biggest stockcar series on the planet.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

I think two "half" races is a better idea, but how would you go about doing heat races in a series that runs superspeedways? A 20 car 50 lap "A Main" at Talladega would be OK, but that wouldn't be "NASCAR", IMHO.

Love the idea, have had it myself, but never could come up with a decent format for the biggest stockcar series on the planet.

they do it at Daytona for the 500 perfectly.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by Matt

they do it at Daytona for the 500 perfectly.

I guess the 150s can be considered heat races, but that was not what I was thinking of at all. "Heat race" to me is short sprints the day/night of the race, not a q'ing races three days before the actual race.

It does work perfect at Daytona, but that's the Daytona 500, not the Chicagoland 500. And I don't see two 150 lap races Thursday night at Bristol working perfectly for anyone.

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by PabloTeK

NASCAR are changing the body styles for 2013, I think the Cup cars are going to look more like the Nationwide cars in rough style!

Those Nationwide Cars do look a clear improvement except for the Toyota. 2013 is long time to wait though.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

I guess the 150s can be considered heat races, but that was not what I was thinking of at all. "Heat race" to me is short sprints the day/night of the race, not a q'ing races three days before the actual race.

It does work perfect at Daytona, but that's the Daytona 500, not the Chicagoland 500. And I don't see two 150 lap races Thursday night at Bristol working perfectly for anyone.

That's why you make them laps, not mile distance.

[fieldodreams79]

So have the 150 lap heat race included in the Bristol 500 lap race then.

[Axeman444]

Originally Posted by PabloTeK

For me the change would be to use fewer safety cars at road courses; cars that pull-off or get embedded at the back of a big gravel bed require a FCY whereas most circuits I bet normally would just snatch the damn things!

YES!!!!

Double Waved Yellows if necessary!!!!!

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Races need to get shorter overall. I'm fine with some long races though. Off the top of my head:

Daytona 500
Southern 500
Firecracker 400
World 600
Talladega 500

Those can stay. Otherwise, less is more - Just over 2½ hrs should be enough. If that. Nationwide/Trucks races also get shorter.

Less ugly cars.

I'd cut down the schedule like the grim reaper. Fontana, gone. Kansas, Chicagoland & Michigan, gone. Two races for Richmond, Texas, Pocono or NH, maybe Talladega? No thanks. 28-29 races overall. Throw Rockingham in there and maybe a few other southern short tracks.

Make the points system less stupid.

No fake cautions.

No bushwacking.

No 30-laps-down paybacks.


All those things happened I would be a very happy person

[rustyfan]

I would...

...add two road courses, Road America and Montreal. In place of Bristol. Deadly serious.
...drop one race each at Kansas and Michigan, replacing them with North Wilkesboro and Rockingham.
...restrict the number of races Cup drivers can enter in the Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series.

Other than that, I dunno - I think the length of the races are fine, we'll get new body styles soon and the new points system is growing on me. I guess I'm easy to please