DownNDirty
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Making races more like my favorite form of racing - Dirt Late Models.
You start out by qualifying everyone like normal say on a Friday. I'm going to use Bristol as my race weekend here. We will also assume we have 46 cars show up.
You have two "Showdown" races on Saturday. Get a flipping sponsor because we all know there has to be sponsors. So Showdown race #1 sponsored by Vault Energy and Showdown #2 sponsored by Wal-Mart or whatever. Each Showdown race on Saturday will help set the starting field for Sunday's race. With 46 cars at BMS there will be two races with 23 cars each in them (odd cars from qualifying race one and even from qualifying race two) - and at Bristol each race will be 50 laps. Caution laps will not count in the last ten laps of these races.
The top 15 cars from each Showdown race automatically gets into the Cup race on Sunday. These Showdowns will also have points as well. No lap leaders or leading the most laps or anything like that - we'll save the normal points for Sunday. Saturday the top 5 cars in each race will receive points and that is all that will receive points. 1st will get 75, 2nd will get 50, 3rd will get 40, 4th will get 30, and 5th will get 20 points in each race. No one else gets points but the drivers 6th - 15th automatically make the starting field of the Cup race on Sunday.
The remainder of the field will be filled in a few ways. We lock in 30 cars by the Showdowns on Saturday.
Then we have another race for guys 30th on back by how they finished in the Showdowns. This 25 lap race will take place after the Nationwide/Truck race - whatever your support division is if you have one that weekend. If there is no support race that weekend then those cars not transferring through the Showdowns are impounded after their respective races as to not give the drivers in race one an advantage and allow them to make significant setup changes. You give teams 5 minutes after the conclusion of each race to make changes and that is all.
Bristol would have the Nationwide cars so no impound would be necessary. The cars would just have to be staged by the conclusion of the Nationwide race and if they miss staging they don't race, period.
Ok, this hooligan race will put 4 more cars into the Cup race on Sunday. No points up for grabs in this one just a guarantee you are in the Cup race. Quick math says with 46 cars total and assuming no one crashes or blows up that puts 16 cars in a race trying to get the last 4 guaranteed spots and positions 31-34 on the grid for Sunday.
The remainder of the field will be determined by:
Positions 35-40 goes to the top 6 in points not already in the show.
Positions 41-42 goes to the two fastest qualifiers from Friday not already in the race.
Position 43 goes to the most recent past champion (within the last 10 years - Sorry Bill and Terry) not in the race already. If all past champions are in the race already then it goes to the next driver on points standings that would have missed the race from above.
The only thing I would change about the Cup races in my scheme here is award points differently. There still isn't enough incentive to win in Cup racing. Give the winner 100 points more than second place and you'll likely see more racing for the win. Also, cut points off at 30th position. This will keep damaged cars for the most part off the track and not riding around hoping to pick up 3-10 points in a few hours.
You may say I'm crazy and I probably am. You may also say how can they fit this into their television block? Simple, you cut out practice sessions on Saturday. The time you show Happy Hour on Saturday will now be filled with MEANINGFUL racing. No driver in my system could whine and complain about missing a show. No more of this top 35 bullcrap (which may not matter next year anyway I realize that) which can really mess up some guys. Everyone has equal opportunity to race their way into the show on Sunday in various ways. You can do it through qualifying effort, by making it through a Showdown, by making it through a hooligan, or by point standings. If by some crazy happening the guy running 8th in Cup points misses the race then so be it. He had 3 chances - it just wasn't his weekend.
Each track would be different with the amount of laps for the races to fit it into a nice TV package.
Daytona would be the ONLY difference as it is the 500 and special. You'd lock the top 2 from qualifying into spots 1-2 for the 500 like always and run the 150's. Then you'd basically do it like they used to before they had the top 35 rule within my system here.
Dega, Daytona for the other 3 races - two races each of 25 laps followed by the 20 lap hooligan.
Michigan/California/Pocono/Indy - 25 laps/20 hooligan
All the 1.5 milers - 30 laps/20 hooligan
Dover/Phoenix/Darlington - 35 laps/25 hooligan
Bristol/Martinsville/Richmond - 50 laps/25 hooligan
Sears Point/Watkins Glen - 15 laps/10 hooligan
This would make Cup more interesting to me.
You start out by qualifying everyone like normal say on a Friday. I'm going to use Bristol as my race weekend here. We will also assume we have 46 cars show up.
You have two "Showdown" races on Saturday. Get a flipping sponsor because we all know there has to be sponsors. So Showdown race #1 sponsored by Vault Energy and Showdown #2 sponsored by Wal-Mart or whatever. Each Showdown race on Saturday will help set the starting field for Sunday's race. With 46 cars at BMS there will be two races with 23 cars each in them (odd cars from qualifying race one and even from qualifying race two) - and at Bristol each race will be 50 laps. Caution laps will not count in the last ten laps of these races.
The top 15 cars from each Showdown race automatically gets into the Cup race on Sunday. These Showdowns will also have points as well. No lap leaders or leading the most laps or anything like that - we'll save the normal points for Sunday. Saturday the top 5 cars in each race will receive points and that is all that will receive points. 1st will get 75, 2nd will get 50, 3rd will get 40, 4th will get 30, and 5th will get 20 points in each race. No one else gets points but the drivers 6th - 15th automatically make the starting field of the Cup race on Sunday.
The remainder of the field will be filled in a few ways. We lock in 30 cars by the Showdowns on Saturday.
Then we have another race for guys 30th on back by how they finished in the Showdowns. This 25 lap race will take place after the Nationwide/Truck race - whatever your support division is if you have one that weekend. If there is no support race that weekend then those cars not transferring through the Showdowns are impounded after their respective races as to not give the drivers in race one an advantage and allow them to make significant setup changes. You give teams 5 minutes after the conclusion of each race to make changes and that is all.
Bristol would have the Nationwide cars so no impound would be necessary. The cars would just have to be staged by the conclusion of the Nationwide race and if they miss staging they don't race, period.
Ok, this hooligan race will put 4 more cars into the Cup race on Sunday. No points up for grabs in this one just a guarantee you are in the Cup race. Quick math says with 46 cars total and assuming no one crashes or blows up that puts 16 cars in a race trying to get the last 4 guaranteed spots and positions 31-34 on the grid for Sunday.
The remainder of the field will be determined by:
Positions 35-40 goes to the top 6 in points not already in the show.
Positions 41-42 goes to the two fastest qualifiers from Friday not already in the race.
Position 43 goes to the most recent past champion (within the last 10 years - Sorry Bill and Terry) not in the race already. If all past champions are in the race already then it goes to the next driver on points standings that would have missed the race from above.
The only thing I would change about the Cup races in my scheme here is award points differently. There still isn't enough incentive to win in Cup racing. Give the winner 100 points more than second place and you'll likely see more racing for the win. Also, cut points off at 30th position. This will keep damaged cars for the most part off the track and not riding around hoping to pick up 3-10 points in a few hours.
You may say I'm crazy and I probably am. You may also say how can they fit this into their television block? Simple, you cut out practice sessions on Saturday. The time you show Happy Hour on Saturday will now be filled with MEANINGFUL racing. No driver in my system could whine and complain about missing a show. No more of this top 35 bullcrap (which may not matter next year anyway I realize that) which can really mess up some guys. Everyone has equal opportunity to race their way into the show on Sunday in various ways. You can do it through qualifying effort, by making it through a Showdown, by making it through a hooligan, or by point standings. If by some crazy happening the guy running 8th in Cup points misses the race then so be it. He had 3 chances - it just wasn't his weekend.
Each track would be different with the amount of laps for the races to fit it into a nice TV package.
Daytona would be the ONLY difference as it is the 500 and special. You'd lock the top 2 from qualifying into spots 1-2 for the 500 like always and run the 150's. Then you'd basically do it like they used to before they had the top 35 rule within my system here.
Dega, Daytona for the other 3 races - two races each of 25 laps followed by the 20 lap hooligan.
Michigan/California/Pocono/Indy - 25 laps/20 hooligan
All the 1.5 milers - 30 laps/20 hooligan
Dover/Phoenix/Darlington - 35 laps/25 hooligan
Bristol/Martinsville/Richmond - 50 laps/25 hooligan
Sears Point/Watkins Glen - 15 laps/10 hooligan
This would make Cup more interesting to me.
k:
