March 28, 2024

11 thoughts on “What Can be Done to Fix Restrictor Plate Racing?

  1. Reduce the engine to 280 cubic inches.
    NASCAR does not want to change the on track product at Daytona and Talladega. At some point the owners should start to complain about the cost of these wrecks as sponsorship dollars continue to become hard to come by.
    I’m glad I didn’t spend time and money to witness that poor excuse for a Stock Car race. In my over 60 yrs. of attending races I’ve never seen that many top cars eliminated from a race. Pathetic.

    1. Al, thanks for reading. I wish something could be done to produce a good racing product at these two tracks but not have so much carnage more often than not.

  2. There are 3 viable solutions: 1) reduce the engine size; 2) Cut down the banking; 3) Close the tracks. Of course, all these cost money, so NASCAR will do nothing as usual to end this demolition derby style racing. All the other suggestions are bandaids on a gunshot wound. But NASCAR shills like yourself continue to believe that plate racing can somehow be saved. It cannot be saved and does not deserve to be saved. Yet NASCAR actually wants to expand the carnage to other tracks. Just another nail in the coffin of this trashsport!

    1. You are the first person that’s ever called me a NASCAR shill. Take a look at a lot of my articles that burns NASCAR’s hind end over the current racing product. If I’m on NASCAR’s side I’d sure hate to see the guy that’s not. But thanks for reading!

    1. I have been in favor of smaller engines across the board for years. Robert Yates himself said in the late 90s that NASCAR needed to get the engines under control. That was coming from an engine builder!

  3. What I can’t believe is that the owners have not at least threatened to boycott the restrictor plate tracks. Every “big one” collectively costs them millions in race cars every time it happens.

    It would be easier in practice than you may think. The Big 6 team owners (Stewart-Haas, Gibbs, Penske, Hendricks, Childress, Furniture Row) get together and agree to effectively “boycott” the race. Now, I understand that to be eligible for the championship they have to start every race. Doesn’t say where they have to finish though… Here is how it would work. Qualify the cars like normal. On lap 2 they all pull the cars behind the wall for “electrical issues”. There is certainly precedent for Na$car allowing that with the regular and many start-and-park cars over the years and currently. Then they “fix” the electrical issue with about 3 to go and get back out on the track to complete the race without a DNF.

    Doesn’t violate any rule I can think of. Na$car says they have to run all out (no following the field 1/2 lap back like the Gibbs cars have tried), but they can spend as much time in the garage as needed to fix a “mechanical issue”. The 5 minute rule only applies to crash damage.

    But what about the championship son! Won’t that affect the championship? Nope, not really. All the championship contenders are still on equal footing, finishing 195 laps down. So the “winner” is championship eligible. So what? Some normal backmarker wins the race and is “eligible”, but that backmarker is not going to be a car in the top 20 when the chase rolls around anyway, so again, who cares? Ray Black (jsut to pick a name) wins one from 39th, but he still isn’t making the playoffs.

    No harm done to the standings, point made to Na$car, that happens once, something WILL change.

    1. The sponsor that would be on the car for the race where the drivers done what you mentioned above would not be thrilled for one. That would never happen IMO.

  4. Simple solution. Groove the tires to reduce the contact patch. The problem now is that they can all hold their throttle to the floor without having to lift for the turns.

    Reduce the contact patch and bring handling back into the equation.

  5. Take the restrictor plates off and make rovals out of all tracks 2 miles and above.

    1. That would start a riot the likes we’ve never seen. It “would” be interesting though to see how cars could run at Daytona without plates on a road configuration that allowed them to get about 210-220 and able to draft before they hit the inner road course section. A combination of plate drafting and road course racing would definitely be interesting to watch.

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