Top 35: Let’s Pass on This Mess

Mark me down as an unbeliever of NASCAR's rule that guarantees starting positions for the top 35 car owners in championship points. It unnecessarily adds confusion, de-emphasizes the importance of qualifying, and really hurts the less-funded teams, especially when they post relatively fast times in qualifications. The rule places smaller teams at an even larger disadvantage and all the more draws out the disparity between them and the top teams.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm a big supporter of provisional starting positions. I understand their need and why we have them. Fans pay good money for tickets far in advance and they expect to see the top drivers racing when they show up at the track. You can't have a situation where a popular driver like Dale Earnhardt Jr. spins out on his qualifying lap and misses the show because of it. I also think it's appropriate to reward teams who race on the tour consistently and by doing so help to advance the sport. And this is why I believe that a handful of provisionals makes sense.

But there's quite a big difference between having 35 qualifiers with a handful of provisionals and having 35 provisionals with a handful of qualifiers. It just seems to mock the integrity of the sport. Not to mention how sick I am of hearing about the "top 35" week in and week out: who's in it and who's not. And now we have to deal with all the controversies of car owners "buying points" from other car owners so that their teams are guaranteed a starting spot in the first few races of the season. NASCAR has gone so far as to ban all track testing in an effort to constrain costs, while at the same time we have teams essentially buying their way into races.

Personally, I like the system they had in the early 90s. They would have a first round of qualifying where the top 20 or so were locked in based on time. Then, on the following day, they would have a second round of qualifying where drivers could choose to either stand on their first round times, or make another qualification attempt. This gave drivers who flubbed their first attempts because of a wreck, bad setup, or whatever a second chance. Finally, a small set of provisionals was handed out to those high enough in points who, for whatever reasons, weren't fast enough to make it in through qualifications.

Considering the amount of money sponsors put up to fund these teams, and the amount of money owners are spending to run them, I think it's unlikely we'll see this top-35 rule rescinded any time soon. But I'll admit that sometimes it feels good pretending that the fans' opinions matter. Maybe with sluggish ticket sales their opinions will matter a little more in the future.