NASCAR to tell drivers to pick one series

[Young Drachma]

Report: NASCAR drivers must choose their series for 2011 season - ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=6010219)

Will be curious to hear what a real NASCAR fan would think of this, but as a casual observer, I always hated the double dipping in the Nationwide Series by Cup drivers.

Last year Carl Edwards finished the season in fourth in NASCAR's Sprint Cup standings and second in the Nationwide Series.

Don't expect that to happen again. Drivers in NASCAR's three series -- Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Trucks -- will not be allowed to accrue points in more than one series for the 2011 season, according to a report from NASCAR.com.

Sprint Cup drivers such as Edwards, last year's Nationwide winner Brad Keselowski, and 2010 Nationwide wins leader Kyle Busch will no longer be allowed to chase two titles at once.

Rumors of several changes to NASCAR have swirled ahead of the sport's "competition update" slated for Jan. 21, but it appears the series designation is one that will go into effect this season.

"The brand-new license forms that are out, there's a box and in it, it states that you have to mark -- put an X -- what championship you're running for," driver Kenny Wallace told NASCAR.com.

"A driver will only be permitted to earn driver championship points in one of the following three series: NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR Nationwide or NASCAR Camping World Truck Series," Wallace said, reading his application. "Please select the series in which you would like to accumulate driver championship points. Choose one."

NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp told NASCAR.com that questions about the three series will be answered next week at the competition update

[RendeR]

This came out a couple months back. I love the idea. I get sick to death fo seeing the same drivers winning both events every weekend.

I'm kin of disenchanted with NASCAR right now. I'm beginning to understand conspiracy theorists. I mean, its just not feasible that one team does what johnson's has done for 5 straight years. The variables are just too numerous to have that happen.

There was a real uproar about yarborough in the 70's when he won 3 straight. They had the cars to blame then as the Monte Carlo he drove was so far beyond the other makes that he was only competing against other chevy drivers at the time.

The paranoid freak inside me is screaming corruption and its killing my interest in the sport altogether.

[Lathum]

I like it. I have never been a fan of the Sprint Cup guys dropping down in ranks and crushing the competition. I always felt it hurt the sport by not allowing talent to develop. It also IMO gave an unfair advantage to the Edwards of the world giving them a chance to run on the track before the Sprint race.

[PilotMan]

It's about fucking time. Sprint guys were killing the Nationwide series, and what Lathum said.

[cmp]

Love the new rule. Should have happened awhile ago. Gives younger drivers a legit chance at their own title and gives more drivers opportunities.

[spleen1015]

This doesn't stop them from racing in more than 1 series. It just stops them from earning points. They can still race and win the prize money.

[spleen1015]

Dola,

And the money is what they want.

[PackerFanatic]

Love the rule and agree with most everything here - although what spleen says is likely true as well. Hopefully it will force more people to just focus on one.

[JonInMiddleGA]

The Cup guys are the only thing that draws remotely adequate fans or sponsor dollars to the lower Series at this pont.

If the Cup drivers opt not to race in the Series unless they can run for a championship (which I don't think we'll see happen) it would largely relegate them both to ARCA status & render them even less attractive than they've been in recent years.

Instead, based on the wording that doesn't seem to restrict the Cup drivers from racing but rather just from getting points for doing so, we'll just hand out empty titles to non Cup drivers.

[DanGarion]

Report: NASCAR drivers must choose their series for 2011 season - ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=6010219)

Will be curious to hear what a real NASCAR fan would think of this, but as a casual observer, I always hated the double dipping in the Nationwide Series by Cup drivers.

Wow, I think it's great, it helps with the development of drivers IMO. I know I had heard they were talking about this, but I hadn't heard they finalized it. I figured it would have been a year out instead of an immediate change. Nice to see though.

[stevew]

The Cup guys are the only thing that draws remotely adequate fans or sponsor dollars to the lower Series at this pont.

If the Cup drivers opt not to race in the Series unless they can run for a championship (which I don't think we'll see happen) it would largely relegate them both to ARCA status & render them even less attractive than they've been in recent years.

Instead, based on the wording that doesn't seem to restrict the Cup drivers from racing but rather just from getting points for doing so, we'll just hand out empty titles to non Cup drivers.

This was pretty much my thought too. Who's going to want to go to a Nationwide race if it's all a bunch of scrubs and young guys.

[DanGarion]

This was pretty much my thought too. Who's going to want to go to a Nationwide race if it's all a bunch of scrubs and young guys.

People go to minor league games and 1/4 mile short track races...

[Young Drachma]

This doesn't stop them from racing in more than 1 series. It just stops them from earning points. They can still race and win the prize money.

Yeah, I noticed that and I'm fine with it. Just wasn't cool that they could win the Nationwide Series and Cup Series at the same time. Truck double dipping didn't bother me much because naturally it's not as common.

[spleen1015]

They had to let them continue to race because if they don't I think we'll start seeing less than full fields for Nationwide races for sure.

[JonInMiddleGA]

People go to minor league games and 1/4 mile short track races...

They have enough problems getting people to go to the minor series events even with the name drivers & discount tickets (I've seen 3-for-1's & buy 1 Cup ticket get 2 NW free). Even when they paper the venues (i.e. give away clumps of tickets) the stands are often less than half full.

[CU Tiger]

People go to minor league games and 1/4 mile short track races...


Yeah bt the majors dont play in the same stadium the next day.
People go to minor league, local short tracks because it is local.

the current attendance is manufactured. I have 50 tickets to Bristol and have for 6 years now. (before that I added several a year to get from 4 to 50) the point being in order to buy a single race ticket to Bristol and guarantee I have a sprint cup ticket to the night race I must buy the same seat for the spring race Cup race, both nationwide races, and both truck races. Thats the only reason they can claim the attendance and profit they curently do.

Oh yeah, minor leagus dont cost 45 a seat for junk seats....

[EagleFan]

Now they need to fix this bogus chase for the cup crap.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Now they need to fix this bogus chase for the cup crap.

Plz don't ask them to "fix" anything. Every time they do that it seems to end up more broken than before.

[spleen1015]

They just need to admit the Chase is bad and put things back the way they were. It worked for 50 years. There was no need to change anything.

[cmp]

They just need to admit the Chase is bad and put things back the way they were. It worked for 50 years. There was no need to change anything.

I have a feeling Jeff Gordon wishes there had never been a Chase format installed. He'd have two more titles without it.

[Lathum]

The chase always struck me as odd. It's like the playoffs starting but the Browns playing the Bills in a meaningless game.

[Galaxy]

I didn't watch the Cup last year (unless it was the last five-to-ten laps).

The mega-teams (I still think the 4-car limit to too much), the lack of real personalities in the drivers, the cookie-cutter tracks (I hate Bristol now since they re-did it), the Chase system, and it seems like it's become too much about winning in the pits (with too many cautions).

I think it's dumb to allow them to still race, but not get points. I also wouldn't mind seeing the Nationwide Series go back to some of old, "small" tracks such as Hickory, South Boston, and Myrtle Beach.