Open Letter to NASCAR: Your Rules Suck

After watching the events of the race at Talladega I believe NASCAR needs to reevaluate some of their rules, regulations and how the handle driver misconduct. I want to start with what happened after second caution. Greg Biffle was way out in front with 5 laps left. Many wondered if he could make it on fuel. I am not one to be a conspiracy theorist but I believe NASCAR added more caution laps to make sure Biffle couldn’t finish the race. I truly believe that NASCAR didn’t want a Non Chase driver winning the race. Then you have the first attempt at a Green-White-Checkered where it never counted because cars were wrecking before the leaders crossed the finish line. The second attempt at the Green-White-Checkered finish is what I take issue with. Kevin Harvick and his crew knew the motor was gone. NASCAR should have forced Harvick off of the track because NASCAR requires a minimum speed to be on the track. Secondly, I don’t care what anyone says Kevin Harvick purposely wrecked Trevor Bayne to maintain his position as the caution was thrown to end of the race. 

I think NASCAR needs to make two new rules. If you intentionally wreck another driver to bring out the caution to advance your position or cost another driver to lose their position then that driver should be automatically black flagged and removed from the race. If this behavior occurs during the Chase then the driver causing the wreck is removed from the Chase without warning. I take issue with what Kevin Harvick did today and Joey Logano did last week to Matt Kenseth. What Logano and Harvick did these last two weeks is no different then what Clint Bowyer did in 2013 to try and help Martin Truex Jr. advance into the Chase. Bowyer wrecked, and Brian Vickers was told by his crew chief to come to pit lane. This plan allowed Truex to get into the chase at first but NASCAR investigated it and Michael Waltrip Racing was fined and docked points. Ultimately Truex was removed from the Chase and released by Michael Waltrip Racing. NASCAR got it wrong by punishing the wrong guy. In my opinion, Vickers crew chief should have been suspended for the year and Bowyer should have been removed from the Chase. The last two weeks may have been different for Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. if Logano wouldn’t have raced Kenseth dirty and Harvick wouldn’t have intentionally wrecked Bayne at the conclusion of today’s race. NASCAR fans aren’t happy and in a sport that struggles financially and in the ratings, this is not good for the sport.

The second rule is that none of the elimination races should end under caution. The fact that NASCAR changed the rule on the amount of Green-White-Checkered finishes. It is usually three but they changed it to one. I am sorry but when there is a championship on the line then it should end under green. There is too much at stake for it to under a caution. Whoever races the hardest to the finish line should benefit, not whoever happens to be in first at the time of a caution. This is especially true at a race like Talladega when you could go from tenth to first. in a lap or two. I think most fans would agree that’s how elimination races should be handled. As a fan I am not at all happy with what I’ve seen the last two weeks, but especially today. I think everything at then end was handled completely wrong and drivers aren’t being held responsible for their actions. NASCAR needs to look at some serious overhaul in the rules and regulations if they want to keep their fans happy and keep their sport going. I for one could careless what happens in the Chase now because the Checkered Flag didn’t happen under Green. Maybe if the rest of the races end under green the rest of the year I will be a little bit more excited. For now we have to deal with what is and to quote a famous man, “What it is, is what it is.”