Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

I absolutely hate the ASCS lapped car rule! I suppose if you're the leader you might think its a pretty good idea, but as a fan it's extremely frustrating.

If the ASCS wants to put on a show, get the damn lap cars out of the way!

I could not agree more!!!

Don't know what the ASCS rule is, but some sanctions if there are lapped cars between leaders, they put them back. To me the leaders have fought their way around these cars and to remove the lapped cars gives an advantage to the cars behind the leader. As a fan I might be for the leader and would not want to give an advantage to a car trying to get to the leader.

This putting lapped cars back deal is similar to atandard practice today that puts fast qualifiers in front for the feature.

Best racing I've seen is the Trophy Cup format which puts cars with the most points in the back for the feature. Points are gotten by qualifying well and doing well in heats. The money ia awarded according your point total.

Racing is all about pasing.

I couldn't disagree more. Lead lap cars should have to pass the lappers under green just like the leader did. No free pass just because a yellow comes out.

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I thought the Sammy deal was wierd and even with the rule of keeping lap traffic in where they are on restarts, I thought with what he did in running threw the infield, on the next yellow he should have been put to the back. I know people will disagree with me but I thought he should have the same fate as someone who brings out the Yellow because running threw through the infield should not be acceptable, if for nothing else, for safety reasons.

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Generally agree.  I have never attended a Trophy Club, maybe this year, but like the format.  Also from a fans perspective, I really enjoyed my first OCRS last year.  They have a neat invert format where the line up has a formula for the first 12 cars in the feature.  Made for some good dirt racing.  Liked it better because of passing......good racing/passing as opposed to "catch me if you can" as it often happens.

As a photographer i totally agree!

SUPPORT WILDLIFE, go to a sprint car race! 

I also agree!   Lap cars just plug up the track, put them to the rear.  Passing  slower cars is easier during green when they get stretched out .   On a restart especially single  file lap cars need to go to the back and let the leaders and contenders battle out for position.  Maybe a compromise would be when you have double car line up on restarts put the lap cars on the bottom or top,  leaders decision.

This is completely right. The second place car should not get a bump because someone else crashed. Let them race and pass the same number of cars to get to the front.

Never hit stationary objects!

I understand your arguement, but as a fan, I would much rather watch the second or third place cars battle with the leader instead of a lapped car.

For example, I would have much rather watched Christopher Bell battle with Bryan and Kevin, instead he was forced to fight with Sammy, who had been rendered irrelevant.

Stacking everyone up on a restart is stupid...

If they are good enough to be running second, third, and even fourth, then they should have no trouble passing the lappers, just like the leader did.  Prolly in worse conditions than the guys behind him have facing them.

Case in point... How many enjoyed watching Sammy flounder amongst the leaders? It sucked...

I'm a Sammy fan, he was stuck in a no win situation. The officials should have sent him to the back and let the leaders race for the win...

I have always hated putting lap cars in between the leaders. By the time the second place driver gets around the lap car they are almost always a full straightaway behind the leader because of the momentum the leader has with a clear race track, and the momentum lost by the second place car. If the leader has been that fast the whole race then he should have no problem keeping second and third behind him even on a restart. Its not a penalty to anyone, its just racing. You went a lap down and a caution came out, go to the back, you weren't going to pass the leader back anyway, never happens. If you are the leader that means you have a fast car, keep the other guys behind you because that is what you have to do to win the race.

You make a valid point to put them in the back, I think I make a valid point, along with others, to keep them where they are.  What I don't like about ASCS, is their 360 rule.  Now that needs to change.  

As a fan, I hate lapped cars as many times they end up being in the way (as they go where the car behind them asked them to go, yet they hold someone else up as a result.

As a competitor, I would want them in there.

As a fan that would like to see more people in the stands, THEY HAVE TO BE MOVED TO THE BACK.  How do you explain to a "newbie" that those guys lined up 2nd though 6th on the restart aren't in 2nd though 6th place, that it's actually the guy lined up 7th that is the 2nd place car and the guy lined up 12th is in 3rd place?

As much as I hate to "dumb down" the format, it has to be easier to understand if you want to gain new fans to the sport (they understand that when you make a basket, it's 2 points in basketball, and when you get a touchdown in football it's 6 points (and soon to be 7 in the NFL if Roger Goodell has anything to say about it (no more PAT's)).  Yet, in auto racing, it's, well, that guy is the fastest, but he has to start 12th this week.  Well, that guy is the fastest, but the invert is only 6 this week.  Yes, that guy is the fastest, but this week is twin features, so there is no invert and he gets to start on the front row.

Racing NEEDS new fans, we've got to make it easier for them to understand in order to keep them coming back after their first trip (and the announcers need to understand that there may be new fans in attendance and explain the format better).

Great point on the newbie thing!   If ur trying to explain it the green flag has dropped  it gets noisy and the point is lost. Watching something u dont understand has to b fustrating.   I also agree with putting them to the back.  Many very good points on both side of this argument have been made here but i still like all the leaders mixing it up on a restart without cars that are obviously off the pace that said leaders are running.

There is already a series running that goes out of it's way to stack the deck in favor of manufactured finishes. It is called Nascar. Moving the lapped cars to the rear is like kicking the leader in the teeth. Yes, you worked your ass off to get as far ahead as humanly possible, but because bobby in the rear can't keep his car pointed straight, or tommy in the middle had an engine flame out we are going to take all of your hard work and hand it off to the guy who was not quite as fast as you were and make you work for it all over again. Kind of sounds like our messed up government, doesn't it?

If you want to move the lapped cars to the rear why don't you just flag them off of the track the minute it looks like they are going to go a lap down? That is basically the same thing. If we are going to manufacture finishes then we may as well go the whole way.

Never hit stationary objects!

I don't get all of this trying to create racing for the lead stuff. Everyone acts like a battle for the lead is the only racing that matters. Most night you will see great battles between multiple cars for positions other than first. Does it matter that those great battles weren't for first? Of course not. If you go to see racing, then you will see great racing everynight, it just might not be for the lead. If all you want is battles for the lead, then you might as well throw a yellow any time the leader hits lapped traffic or builds up a straightaway lead.