NASCAR Behind the Wall Hot Laps: Week 3

Qualifying and "Where is My Car?"

By Richard Tix

Hot Laps will be a weekly article on news in the world of NASCAR. I will write these articles any weeks where I have a thought or opinion on NASCAR news that is worth sharing. So, this could be an every week thing, or just every few weeks. Its an opinion piece, so it is open to discussion and debate and would love to here your thoughts.

Just two races into the 2015 season and we have another Hot Laps article. This week NASCAR was at Atlanta and a few remaining issues have been hanging around I would like to touch on. So, without further introduction, lets get into them.


Travis Kvapil, "Where's my car" addition


What a strange week leading up to the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Social Media went from watching llama's run loose, to "What color is the dress," right into where the heck is Team XTREME Racings #44 car?

This weekend the #44 team was to be taken down to Atlanta Motor Speedway and to be driven by Travis Kvapil, only one problem, the car never made it there.

With early weather reports for many teams drive from there shops to Atlanta coming in with a lot of inclement weather, teams decided to packed up early to get down there and beat it. One of the teams included Team XTREME Racing. They packed up but left the car at the shop as they were still finishing some things up.

So, the plan was to finish it up and put it in a car trailer to get it down to ATL. Well, on the morning of Friday 2/27/15 they found out that there truck and trailer was missing from the hotel parking lot it was parked in. Yes, someone stole a NASCAR Sprint Cup car! I know its old news by now, but how shocked were the guys who stole it? The thieves probably though they were stealing a bunch of construction tools or even some kind of maintenance tools, but much to there shock they had a Sprint Cup car.

Early Saturday morning the #44 car was found on the road side by itself. The trailer, truck, and everything else in it was still missing, but the car was found near Snellville, GA near a wooded area off the road.

The team soon announced that they would have to withdraw from the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. It was sad news from a team that really needs to make it to the track and not waste any funds week to week.

It was a strange story to start the weekend in the NASCAR world. In the same weekend a parked SUV ran into Denny Hamlin's Motorhome when it rolled back down a hill in neutral. So, this past week did not lack strange stories and conspiracies. The #44 team did announce that hey would make it to Las Vegas this week and attempt to make the race.


NASCAR Qualifying Woes


After the mess of qualifying at Daytona for the 500, NASCAR again ran into "issues" week two at Atlanta. If you remember last weeks Hot Laps, I think that NASCAR should go back to the old way for the Daytona 500 qualifying, but everyone has there opinion.

But, this is Hot Laps and as stated above it will be the one place on NASCAR Behind the Wall where I will let me full opinion come out on NASCAR issues. This week at Atlanta many fans were upset with the way things turned out.

That's because on Friday during qualifying 13 drivers did not get out onto the track during the first round, including Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Matt Kenseth. That is where the biggest issue came up and why social media blew up, top drivers not qualifying.

NASCAR originally moved qualifying back 15 minutes when they saw the number of cars still in line to get inspected (which was the reason guys didn't qualify; inspection). This week was the first week that NASCAR would be running its new 2015 car package and the first time teams would be going through inspection with this package for qualifying.

At the start of qualifying every team had gone through the line once and many who were back in line had failed the first time (if not more than once). This left many teams and drivers not on the track to qualify.

So, fans started attacking NASCAR, because who is an easier and more convenient target than NASCAR?

Fans looked right past that everyone had gone through once and had a shot at coming out clean. Now, reports were that some officials were not as organized as they could have been, but again everyone had a chance to get through on time for qualifying.

That may have been a small part of the problem but the bigger part were the teams, but fans never want to point the finger at there own teams they cheer for, right? Each team had a car at testing on Thursday where they got to test the new package, tires, and the inspection process. At this time they could smooth those issues out and work with officials to help them with the process.

When Friday rolled around teams should have known what to expect. However, like teams will always try to do, they pushed the limits of the new car and its limitations. Should teams stop doing that? No, they will always be looking for the slightest little advantage, but they should also realize it runs the risk of failing inspection.

Inspection is a cut and dry stage were lasers will say yes or no, green or red. Now, it was a ton of cars that had to go through more than once, but again this is on the teams as much, if not more, than on NASCAR. The teams are the ones working in the gray area of trying to get as much out of the car as possible.

This was just a storm created by the first race with a new 2015 package and teams were trying to see what they could get away with. Maybe inspection officials were a bit slow (because it was also there first time doing inspection for an actual qualifying event), but this in my opinion was more on the teams pushing limits and not giving themselves enough time to get through more than once than anyone else. But again, no fan wants to blame there favorite driver or team and no driver will call out there team and throw them under the bus.

So, next time don't just go the easy road and call out NASCAR when this has more to do with what teams are trying to get away with and being ill prepared than NASCAR.

Note: One last thing on this issue. To all the fans blaming this on group qualifying, wake up. First, qualifying isn't changing anytime soon. You can try and start a petition or stop watching, but its not changing. Group qualifying has, in my mind, been a great improvement and brings back strategy and excitement. Second, the format (group qualifying) had nothing to do with your favorite driver not getting through inspection.

We used this same style for a full season on every track but some of the superspeedway's and we had no issues. Just because we had issues at Daytona, does not mean you can just roll them over into Atlanta. The format does not correlate into the inspection process and really brings down any argument on an opinion you have.


NASCAR Safety Part Two in 2015


"After the Denny Hamlin wreck with Joey Logano I thought we understood there was no longer any more excuses for things like this to happen that could have been prevented by proactive thinking, yet it did.

So NASCAR, its your last warning. No more excuses."

Yes, that is a quote from NASCAR Behind the Wall Hot Laps: Week 2. Yes, somehow at Atlanta it happened again.

If you missed the race and still do not know what happened, here is an update. In the second half of the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 a wreck broke out that ended up catching Jeff Gordon. Gordon spun down to the inside of the track and hit the wall almost head on. Again, like last weeks wreck in the XFINITY series with Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon found a spot on the track that was just concrete.

This time, Gordon hit ruffly 100 feet from where the track did have SAFER barriers, but this spot did not. At a time when NASCAR is getting hit left and right with safety questions, we still have wrecks that involve bare concrete walls.

I called out last week that its 2015 and NASCAR no longer has the excuse when it comes to bare walls. Its true, NASCAR will never, ever be 100% safe because racing as a sport just can not be. Cars go around a track at 190+ MPH and anything can happen. But, we have seen how much SAFER barriers can help, just like the HANS device did after the passing of Dale Earnhardt.

Unlike the HANS which now has to be warn by every driver, we still lack that accountability by tracks and NASCAR to have SAFER barriers on ever spot on a track where cars can hit a bare concrete wall. Why? I have no idea and I think NASCAR needs to take some accountability.

Tracks should have to put up SAFER on every inch, not just the ones with a high probability to get hit, and NASCAR should be helping to fund these tracks. Its is the product NASCAR puts out there and they should be taking care of there drivers safety. Atlanta brought in some extra tires and mesh barriers to help in the time being because it was too quick to get up SAFER barriers. I give them a pass on the SAFER, but they should have had more of the track covered by some kind of protection.

If we have learned one thing by now, it is that these cars will find that one open area without protection and NASCAR along with tracks need to continue to be proactive about making the sport a safer product, and not just wait for something to happen and react to it.


NASCAR's Little Guy's

With how crazy the Daytona 500 turned out to be when it came to some big names having troubles, many small teams and lesser known drivers ended up heading to Atlanta with some good standings. But, the story line doesn't end there. That kind of thing tends to happen every year because its only one race and plate tracks can bring all kinds of crazy results.

After Atlanta we still have some great small team small driver headlines that I think are too good to pass up. Its still very early, but when you look at the standings its refreshing to see guys like Martin Truex Jr 5th (Furniture Row), Casey Mears 6th (Germain Racing), AJ Allmendinger 8th (JTG-Daugherty), and David Gilliland 11th (Front Row Motorsports). Also, both RPM drivers are also in the top 12 at the moment.

The new package might be playing a part in some of these drivers being in the top 12 at the moment, but will they be able to stay there? Even if it is just a case of pure luck and a small sample size and not because of the new car package or smaller teams gaining anything it it still nice to see for the time being.

You know what they say, the cream will rise to the top, but lets take a moment to put these guys in the spotlight. These small teams help NASCAR round out a field and its great to see some of them become more competitive. They put it out there week after week even though they do not get the results or profit that big teams do. So, give them the time of the day and maybe sponsors will start to see that they can make a splash with a big of spotlight and funding.

NASCAR Behind the Wall Hot Laps: Week 2

Driver Carousel and NASCAR Safety

By Richard Tix

Hot Laps will be a weekly article on news in the world of NASCAR. I will write these articles any weeks where I have a thought or opinion on NASCAR news that is worth sharing. So, this could be an every week thing, or just every few weeks. Its an opinion piece, so it is open to discussion and debate and would love to here your thoughts.


It's just week two of the NASCAR season which means news in the racing world is still at a high. We have yet to hit those hot summer months where sometimes the only story lines are how each driver does on the track (or if you're Clint Bowyer what late night bonfires you have attended).

What that means? Tons of things to talk about and tons of things for every fan out there to have an opinion about.

NASCAR Safety


It's no question after the XFINITY race at Daytona International Speedway that safety concerns and talk were at the forefront of NASCAR. All of this after Kyle Busch late in the race jutted towards a inside wall at DIS that did not have a SAFER Barrier. He hit that wall head on (which also was angled backwards so it was easier for him to hit head on) and ended up being carted off with a broken right leg and broken left foot.

Right when that happened NASCAR knew they had another issue on there hands and took action to get something in place for Sundays Daytona 500. I commend Daytona for taking action right away. However, it is 2015 and NASCAR as a sport has to start being proactive and not just reactive. It is true, racing as a sport will never be 100% safe because somehow someway something will happen that is unexplainable and almost unpreventable unless we stop racing.

But, we now know how much SAFER Barriers help out the impact of rough collisions and there should be no excuse not to have them on every inch of a track like Daytona (that is going through a HUGE seating reconstruction). The money should not be an issue when it comes to driver safety and preventing a horrible accident.

Every single track should be looking at putting up SAFER barriers on any locations that can (and will) be hit by cars, and NASCAR should help fund this. After all, the drivers are what NASCAR needs to make money, and putting them in danger is in NASCAR's hands.

After the Denny Hamlin wreck with Joey Logano I thought we understood there was no longer any more excuses for things like this to happen that could have been prevented by proactive thinking, yet it did.

So NASCAR, its your last warning. No more excuses.

Note: Some tracks have already taken note. Atlanta Motor Speedway is having tires and mesh jersey barriers sent to them from Charlotte to help for this weekends races.


Driver Marry-Go-Round

One day after Kurt Busch helped push Danica Patrick back into the Daytona 500 during the Budweiser Duel he was suspended by NASCAR (for this article I will not touch that situation). That left Stewart Haas Racing with a big hole to fill, or not? Then on Saturday during the XFINITY race Kyle Bush was injured and Joe Gibbs Racing announced he would be out indefinitely until his leg (and foot) healed.

So, for the first time in a long time NASCAR went into a race weekend without a Busch Brother. For the Daytona 500 Camping World Truck driver Matt Crafton stepped into the #18 for JGR and Jr Motorsports XFINITY driver Regan Smith jumped in for the #41 at SHR.

Both had quality runs at Daytona but up until that point no one knew who would be in either car going forward. This week SHR announced that Regan Smith would be back in the #41 for Atlanta, but still no news on if they will continue to run the #41 week to week. In a rather shocking announcement JGR said that David Ragan would be stepping in for Kyle Busch for the time being in the #18. JGR also announced that after Erik Jones ran some more races in NASCAR's lower levels that he could get a shot to fill in after NASCAR approved him to run at the Cup level.

That move left the #34 car open that David Ragan was running. I really like the move by SHR for Atlanta. I also hope that SHR keeps running Regan Smith as much as they can going forward. It really is a call by Gene Haas though, as he hand picked Kurt Busch to drive the #41 and expand the team to four cars in 2014. So, will Haas continue to fund races for Smith? After his impressive runs in Nationwide in 2014 I don't see why SHR wouldn't give him a shot early on in the season to see how it goes.

The JGR move was a bit more shocking after letting Crafton drive at Daytona. I think Crafton (if he wanted to) would have been a on par pick to sit in the #18, but I don't think he has as much upside as Ragan. Ragan, once a RFR driver, may impress in his time at JGR. He has done a pretty good job in the #34 getting what he can out of the car the last few years. I think its a big opportunity and second chance for Ragan to prove if he has the car, that he can compete.

I would also like to state, that while Jones is young and may need some grooming, that I would love to see him get some seat time in the #18. Jones is talented and also has the approval of Kyle Busch, but many fans think it might be too early for the young driver to be in a Cup car. I lean in the middle, because look what Larson did when fans thought it was too early for him. On the other side it took Joey Logano a few extra years to develop into the contender many thought he would be, but I'm not sure keeping a guy in the lower levels is the way to do it. Drivers just don't get the exposure in XFINITY and therefore the sponsors are harder to come by meaning at some point these young kids may run out of opportunities. This maybe a big one missed by Jones, but in return it is a big one found by Ragan. Lets see who takes advantage the best (note: Jones is still getting a big opportunity on XFINITY with Kyle out, so all is not lost).

Note: Will be interesting to see if/who steps into the 34 for Front Row Motorsports. As I was writing this, Front Row Joe was announced to driver for Font Row at ATL (Joe Nemechek). Still no word long term.


NASCAR Points Dilemma 


With the news of both Busch Brothers and the replacements decided for the time being, what happens with the points issue? My biggest issue I have right now is concerning Regan Smith and where his points are allocated.

Before the season he announced he was going to run points for the XFINITY Serious, obviously. He had a full time ride with JR Motorsports and no news on the horizon that he would be in a Cup car. After Kurt Busch was suspended a door opened and Regan was going to take it.

I understand why NASCAR has the rule and I hate when NASCAR has so many gray areas in there rule books, but I really think they need to have some "special circumstances" where early in the season a driver like Regan could switch to Cup points. Now, it could be an advantage at times because a driver could see, "hey I have two top 10's, lets switch over to Cup points," but we will not see these occasions come up like they did this year very often (if ever). I would assume that Regan would stick with XFINITY points over Cup points if you asked him right now, anyways. He has no clue if he will be running full time the rest of the season, but what if he does? It could have been the opportunity of a life time to make a comeback to Cup and he didn't get that shot to switch to Cup points after race one.

This would only be an exception when issues like suspensions, injuries, or fired drivers come up week 1 or 2 in the NASCAR season, but I can't see where it would hurt. I would not want the rule changed to where every driver doesn't declare points until week two, but rather keep the rules the same but add this wrinkle in, so if Regan wanted to take a chance that he gets a full ride for the season he can. It would be 100% his risk anyways as he has a "know" (full time XFINITY ride) and "unknown" (no idea if he will get the ride past ATL).

Past the Regan issue it will be interesting to watch these guys going forward. If Regan Smith somehow wins at ATL it would be weird to know that win doesn't go to a Chase driver, even if he ran every race and finished top 30. At the same time, David Ragan could use the #18 as a way to get a win, or help get him to the top 16 in points and make the Chase. Yet, if Kyle Busch comes back, he could enter the Chase in the #34.

Another tough questions could come up under other avenues. One would be if Ragan wins in the #18 a few times and Rowdy wants back (or even once), would JGR ship Ragan back off to Front Row even though JGR would lose a Chase driver? Would Front Row demand he comes back so their team gains exposure and a Chase driver? Its a weird situation that could arise and will be interesting to watch if he can find a win in the next 25 races. I would think that JGR, Front Row, manufacturers, and sponsors would want to work a deal out to get the best exposure for all parties involved. Maybe they could approve Kyle to run the #34 while Ragan stays in the #18? Maybe if it happened they would just talk Kyle into resting a bit longer, but we all know Rowdy doesn't seem like that kind of guy. An alliance wouldn't work, because we are working with Ford's and Toyota's, so it would be very interesting to watch how it would play out.



That's all for this first addition of NASCAR Behind the Wall Hot Laps. What are your thoughts?

How Can NASCAR Fix it's Biggest Problems?

NASCAR's Big Changes Before it is too Late

By Richard Tix

I will start out with this statement. This is not the first "NASCAR has a problem and needs to fix it," article nor will it be the last.  That's because in some sense NASCAR does have a problem it needs to resolve.  Everyone has heard hundreds of times by now that NASCAR has an attendance problem.

In recent years less and less fans have been going to see races. When NASCAR hit it's boom they did not think ahead to the day when things even out. NASCAR just went for the jugular and expanded aggressively. They left the southern roots behind for a more general demographic.

NASCAR needed to, at that time, move to more areas in the country. Many fans across the nation were hooked on NASCAR. At that same time NASCAR forgot what was working. Southern tracks had a more home town feel, and a lot of this was because NASCAR had a lot of good short-intermediate tracks on the schedule.

Well, when NASCAR expanded it was mostly 1.5 mile tracks that many fans call "cookie-cutter" tracks. I do enjoy most of these tracks, but what NASCAR was thinking with these 1.5 mile tracks was more seats, better views, more money. They thought more seats was good for the fans as well as themselves ($$$), but they were living in the moment and not thinking about the day it could catch up to them.

The day has come where this grand expansion has caught up with NASCAR. This happen's in every major sport that we know. It is how NASCAR handles it from here on out that will decide the sports future and how its fan base take it.  NASCAR is not yet too deep to dig itself back out. Let's be honest, NASCAR still brings in far more fans in a single weekend race then any other US sporting event. Just because we saw how big it was doesn't mean all the less fans we see in the stands every weekend wasn't going to happen anyways.

But NASCAR has to start considering some changes before it is too late. A race weekend becomes too expensive to go to for the normal fan. When these fans have a family that also loves the same sport as them it becomes almost impossible to go to the track on Sunday (Saturday night). These same fans would much rather visit there local small town track for a much more reasonable price, plus its arguable that the action is just as good on a given night.

So what should NASCAR do? This is the part where everyone has there grand idea that will be a sure fire fix. Most don't realize it won't be that easy. I mean heck, the NASCAR fan base didn't take a Chase points system change with a grain of salt. The changes will have to be a wait and see change and as we know, NASCAR fans get upset over that. First reaction is, "Mr France is ruining this sport." "This sport has gone down hill starting with Dale Earnhardt's death." The reactions go on and on without giving NASCAR a chance.

So, it has to start out with us fans admitting things need a change and we have to actually accept change. Next, something has to happen to the schedule. I am all in favor of adding more short tracks, road courses, and tracks with character.

New Tracks (Short and Unique)

Iowa Speedway in my mind would be a great addition, which many drivers have also said. This is just one of many ideas. Short tracks would allow NASCAR to fill the smaller stands while still giving the fans great on track racing with some bumping and banging. When NASCAR heads to a 1.5 mile track the smallest nudge can ruin both drivers day. Racing started with bumping and banging and short tracks give these drivers that opportunity without ending there day because of a dent ruining the "aero."

When adding in the short tracks, take some 1.5 mile tracks out of the schedule who get two stops. Even a track like Michigan International Speedway (which I really do enjoy and go to every year) could be reduced to one stop a season. Texas, Kansas, and Pocono all also come to mind. Same with Dover (not a 1.5) if they don't figure out attendance issues of there own.

Some of these smaller or unique tracks can start there own history. How Darlington lost a second race on the schedule after a storied history is beyond me. NASCAR needs to bring the character back to the tracks. Even when a 1.5 mile track has some weird bumps that actually provide great racing rumors pop up that they are going to repave it.

More small tracks, less two stop 1.5 mile track (or larger tracks like MIS and Pocono), and add a road course or two (including in the Chase). Road courses don't exactly provide the best views and sight lines, but they do create a lot of great on track racing (beating and banging). Adding one to the Chase would only amplify the excitement on the track and hopefully some fans in the stands.

Race Length:

Past my scheduling ideas NASCAR needs to take a look at race lengths. This has been talked about a lot and every angle has been looked at. I am in favor of changing some of the race lengths. Some fuel mileage races a shorter race would be beneficial. I don't want to touch some of the traditional races, like the 600 or the Daytona 500, but some events can be shortened to provide more excitement. As much as I love scheduling my Sunday around a 4 hour race, fans attention spans are becoming shorter. Not only that but the longer the race, the better chance we have of a drawn out fuel mileage finish.

Weekend Expense's:

One more thing that NASCAR really needs to take into account is the expense of a race weekend. The big issue isn't the ticket price (in general a good seat to a Cup race ins't far off from say a good ticket to a NBA

or NFL game) but rather the rest of the expenses. NASCAR has a very unique dilemma when it comes to fans attending its events. Unlike most other sports where I would say 70-80% come from the nearby area (this is just a simple guess), NASCAR brings in fans from surrounding states. I know at the Michigan race I go to fans from touching states plus Minnesota, Iowa, and Canada all attend. This is the norm when it comes to track attendance.

Nearby hotels are on to this and will jack up prices for the weekend. I am lucky as we have friends that live 45 min from MIS in Brooklyn MI, but many are not so lucky. What NASCAR really needs to look into is a package deal. In a sport that is known for its sponsors and sponsor relations why can't they look into partnering with airlines or hotels in the area to help out the budget conscience fan? Package a deal that is a two night stay with tickets to qualifying and the race. Sort of an all inclusive deal but for a race weekend.

Chase Scheduling

I am also a believer that the Chase races needs some rearranging. I know it isn't going to happen now that Ford and Holmstead inked a new deal, but I think at the very least the last Chase race needs to rotate between a few tracks (ones that would work during that time of the season weather wise). If the last race is going to mean so much (top finisher of the final four wins the title) then the venue needs to change so that drivers who are strong at Miami do not always have the obvious advantage.

If NASCAR did change more then just race #10 I would start by tweaking the last 9 (including taking a few tracks out and adding a few, like a road course and maybe adding Bristol, Richmond, or both). I think each segment should be set in there three race group as to keep something in the schedule constant.

Example:

Segment 1

1. Loudon- Always stays first segment
2. Bristol- Always stays first segment
3. Sonoma- Can move between segment's if needed for scheduling conflicts because its in CA.

Segment 2

• Segment 2 can switch with segment 3 and vice versa. 

1. Texas- Warm enough to be the last race.
2. Charlotte
3. Martinsville

Segment 3

1. Richmond
2. Talladega
3. Phoenix

Championship

1. Miami- Phoenix, Texas, Talladega, Martinsville (might be too cold, 60's), and Richmond (also probably too cold for November) could all be interchanged. Really, I just want at least two tracks to switch with, so Texas and Phoenix would work.

So, explaining this a bit. Segment one would always stay there (except Sonoma can move being in CA) because NH and Bristol, CT will just be too cold to move around to later dates. Segment #2 and #3 can swap spots. So in 2015 segment 2 can come first and then in 2016 segment 3 can come first. Within each segment Miami can be exchanged out for Texas or Phoenix (or any track deemed ok to run that late in the season). 

I would like to keep some consistency from year to year for fans to know about what the schedule will be. Many fans like to schedule these trips to the tracks annually, so knowing the track they go to will be a part of the same segment every year helps. Also, for the most part other then the Championship race, the race will only have one of two days (depending on if the segment comes second or third during the Chase (segment one doesn't move). 

One thing I couldn't work in would be adding Fontana or Las Vegas into the Chase. Both could also be good decent weather tracks for the Championship. I would be open to the idea of even moving out Miami in a given year to the beginning of the season and replacing it with either track. I do like both at the start of the season because they have helped 2013 and 2014 get off to hot starts. "If it's not broke, don't fix it." But, in the future this could be a possibility easy to swap. As we know, in this day in age NASCAR will make a change whenever they feel like it.

Obviously, after looking at the way I would possibly set up the Chase schedule, I am ok with keeping NASCAR new rules. I do like the new rules in general (except for the last race always being Miami), but I also know NASCAR isn't ready to explode there newest idea (so why mess with it).

I think after moving Richmond into the Chase and Dover out, that Dover could be a big draw as the last race of the regular season. Yes, Jimmie Johnson wins a lot there, but he will start to fade eventually. Plus, Dover would gain some attendance with its new spotlight and it (in my mind) is an exciting track. At the same time, if there attendance stays down later this year for the Chase race, I would also pull one of the stops at Dover in this new schedule off (making Dover another track with one stop and possibly adding another new short track).

Fan's "ways to fix NASCAR" ideas are endless. What will actually fix NASCAR has yet to be seen, but I don't really think it needs to be fixed as much as tweaked to fine tune the system. Sometimes we as humans are exposed to something that is too good to be true (that was NASCAR's hay day). We start to think too much about, "man those were the good ole days," and then it is too late to realize we could have made things better in the present. Getting back to the roots of more short track racing where cars can trade paint and still stay competitive, making a weekend trip a bit more inexpensive, and changing the Chase schedule are just a few of my ideas to get the ball rolling back in the right direction. Then one day we can think, man those were the days when we changed NASCAR for the better forever.

So what are your ideas? Let me know on Twitter or Google +. Do you like these ideas? Do you think they would help? What else needs a change?