NASCAR

Before people bother viewing the race I wish they'd correct some of their issues:

- They change their points and/or playoff system, on average, every two years and it seems to get worse each time.

- They change rules, such as their lugnut rule, so often that the rule sometimes changes multiple times within a season.

- They have a charter system that alienates smaller teams on smaller budgets. Yet people wonder why the Daytona 500 only attracts 42 cars now instead of 62 like a decade ago or why they had to reduce the size of their field to 40 (and they still don’t always even get that many).

- Their television ratings have steadily been decreasing.

- Their ticket sales have fallen to the point tracks are ripping tens of thousands of seats out or covering empty seats with giant tarps. Maybe because you’re overpriced.

- Sponsors are leaving the sport at a greater rate than others are entering and the ones that are entering are not bringing as much cash to the table as their predecessors.

- They have steadily been getting paid less for title sponsorship, so much now that Monster is only paying half of what Sprint did per season while Sprint only paid a portion of what Nextel did.

- “Debris” cautions

- Lucky Dog and wave around gimmicks to keep cars on the lead lap since some races only finish with 25% of the field on the lead lap even though there were a dozen cautions during the race.

- The mandating of a rule requiring drivers to run 100% but if they beat and bang they get fined.

- Finishes that seem…manipulated…such as Homestead last year. Throw a yellow almost immediately for a car with a blown tire that has not made contact with anyone or anything and is running well off the racing surface but a car hits the wall on the restart and grinds to a stop and you wait ¾ of a lap to throw the caution. It’s all for TV right?

Clarence Johnson