I have mixed emotions when it comes to start-and-park teams. I have opinions on what is wrong and what is right, but let’s face it: This is something that’s been around forever and a day.
I think it is unfair to penalize somebody who is doing all they can with what they’ve got. A good example is that NASCAR allowed the tracks to cut back on their purses by 10 percent. The track owners said they needed help and so NASCAR agreed to reduce the payouts.
So to try to penalize a team that can’t afford to run the entire race is something I simply don’t agree with. Don’t get me wrong, if you look at the teams doing that, they have drivers who are used to driving for the entire race and in some cases who have been contenders for wins and a championship in the past. So you know it probably doesn’t sit well with them either.
The reality is, though, that it’s a tough situation that our economy has put a lot of these teams into. NASCAR’s also in a tough situation because it wants everybody putting their best foot forward. So, to me, the dilemma comes down to what do we do to try to fix it -- or do we even try to fix it? Do we leave it alone and accept it as a necessary byproduct of the situation we are in right now?
I know it really upsets some of the fans, but face it folks, this is all about survival. These are the teams that fill out the 43-car field. Remember, too, that NASCAR is not franchised. Each team owner is classified as an independent contractor and it is an owner’s responsibility to find and secure sponsorship. The bottom line that also gets ignored is the teams having to go through this are trying to make a living. They aren’t trying to get rich. They are trying to survive.
It’s nothing different than trying to maintain your household budget. To make ends meet, some things get reduced or cut out. It is no different for these teams. They want to race. They want to run the full race, but they simply can’t afford to do it. These teams are still working as hard as they can just to get into the race.
This isn’t a simple walk up to the “freebie” line. These teams still have to pay their entry fees, inspection fees, airline tickets, hotel rooms and per diems, buy their race tires, etc., just to try to make the race. If they don’t make the race after all that, they go home and don’t make a dime for the weekend. So who are these people that want to criticize them?
Again, my point in all this is the teams still have to spend a lot of money just to earn that starting position. Nothing is being given to them. That’s the thing I think maybe a lot of folks misunderstand.
I guess NASCAR might have to ask itself if it eliminates this opportunity for a handful of these teams, how does that reflect on the sport? Does it matter if one race has 43 cars, the next race has 38 cars and the following race has 40 cars? To me, that presents a bigger dilemma than what we are faced with now. So if NASCAR really doesn’t like this approach then they are going to have to be willing to take a step back and take a hard look at shrinking the field.
Will cutting the field help the sport? I don’t know. Only the hierarchy in NASCAR can make that call.
