NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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SPENCER: My Two Cents’ Worth
Let’s give them some incentive to take those chances...before qualifying for the Chase became the focal point...
Jimmy Spencer  |  Posted June 01, 2012   Charlotte, NC
Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on SPEED. (Photo: SPEED)
Some of you probably wouldn’t give two cents for me, and I respect that. But I’m still going to give you my two cents’ worth on what NASCAR can do to make the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races more exciting.

I’ve got a couple of ideas.

First of all, Denny Hamlin said last Sunday at Charlotte that drivers have to play it safer now than ever before because of the importance of every point under the new points system. He suggested drivers aren’t as willing nowadays to take chances that potentially could cost them 20 spots – positions extremely difficult to make up on the track when so much of the day is spent under green-flag conditions lately.

So, let’s give them some incentive to take those chances they used to take before qualifying for the Chase became the focal point of the first 26 races. Throw out their five worst finishes in the first 26 races. That gives everyone motivation to give it their all without fear of major repercussions on their points position.

Until NASCAR does something to take the sting out of one bad finish, I don’t think drivers and crew chiefs will be willing to take the risks to win races or score top-five finishes in the regular season that we’d like to see. But give them more of a safety net and I’ll bet they will use it.

Additionally, the Cup cars are going too fast, and NASCAR should consider slowing them down to produce better racing. The sanctioning body often doesn’t like to admit when they have a problem, and this case is no different. But millions of fans don’t lie; they aren’t exactly captivated by our races in 2012.

If the cars were a little slower, there would be a better chance of drivers racing side-by-side. With speeds so high, there is little room for error, and every driver out there knows it. With speeds 190 or 200 mph going into the corners, there is almost zero reaction time if someone bobbles, so they play it safe to avoid any melee. They’re hauling ass into the corners, so it’s very hard to gather up the car if it slips or someone gets into them.

The mile-and-a-half and two-mile tracks pose the worst problem. The cars aren’t too fast for safety, but are too fast for a great show. If we shaved between 10 and 20 mph off at those venues, we’d see better races. I can almost guarantee the fans wouldn’t notice the slower speeds, but they would appreciate improvement in the on-track product.

Ten years ago, we were treated to some of the best Cup racing we’ve ever had, but the cars were at least a second slower per lap than they are today. Did anyone complain they weren’t going fast enough? Did fans in the grandstands say they were bored? Not a chance. And they kept coming back to the track and/or watching the races on TV.

Next season will bring new cars for each of the four Cup Series manufacturers, and I’m hopeful those new cars will alleviate some of these problems. NASCAR told the manufacturers to build cars that would race better on the mile-and-a-half tracks, and I know they’re all working hard on that. However, we won’t know for sure until we get them on the track and in race conditions. Hopefully, that change will come to fruition and will be a big shot in the arm for our sport because I don’t like the way things have been trending lately, and I don’t think many of the fans do either.

But I’d be quite pleased if NASCAR did what they could to improve the racing this year before those new 2013 models hit the track next season. After all, there’s still a lot of racing left in 2012, and I’d like it to be the best it can be.

Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on NASCAR Race Hub on SPEED. He retired from driving with two NASCAR Sprint Cup, 12 NASCAR Nationwide and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, putting him in an elite group of drivers who have logged wins in all three of NASCAR’s premier divisions. In 478 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, Spencer amassed 28 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. He won back-to-back NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships in 1986 and 1987 on the heels of 15 victories, becoming the first driver ever to earn consecutive titles in the series. He earned the nickname “Mr. Excitement” for his flamboyant and aggressive driving style early in his racing career.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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