CONCORD, N.C. -- Elder statesman Richard Petty is bemused by NASCAR's series of changes this week, which continued Tuesday with a revamping of the All-Star format. He chuckled at the stated reason for the changes, that being increasing the excitement of the racing.
"Must have been kind of dull, right?" a smiling Petty said yesterday as the NASCAR media tour visited Petty Enterprises in Randleman.
But Petty, who has been around the sport since 1949, when he helped his father, Lee, race, understands change sometimes is necessary. Others have noted declining television ratings and stagnant ticket sales as calling for the moves to jazz up the sport. The solution seems to be an attempt to meld racing and show business.
"Basically, it is," Petty said. "You go to Charlotte, and they have all these tents around and they have all this stuff and all of a sudden 200 people jump out of an airplane and all that kind of stuff. And, oh, by the way, you've got to call this off because we're going to have a race. That's just the way it is. If we want to continue to be involved and do the best we can, then those are the rules that we've got to play under."
Charlotte, more specifically Lowe's Motor Speedway, is host to the All-Star race on May 19 this year. A pit-crew challenge event May 16 will again be held at a Charlotte sports arena as a precaution against poor weather.
This year, the All-Star race will be run in four 20-lap segments. Qualifiers for the event are those drivers who have won Nextel Cup races in either 2006 or the 2007 races ahead of the May 19 date, as well as the top two finishers after two 20-lap segments of a Nextel Open earlier May 19 and an additional driver voted in by the fans.
Teams will have the option of pitting after the first 20-lap segment and surrendering track position. A mandatory 10-minute stop will follow the second 20-lap segment in which work can be done on the cars without losing position. After the third segment, the remaining cars will circle under caution with cars facing a mandatory pit stop, and then the final 20 laps will be run.
To connect the third-year pit crew competition with the race, the winning crew gets first pit selection for its car.
"That decision is going to be big," said television analyst and former crew chief Larry McReynolds. He also sees crew chiefs having to face critical decisions during that final stop of how much or little to do to the car in terms of taking tires or making adjustments.
"The whole deal is to get it so that last 20 laps are as close as possible and the fans get to see the best possible race they can," said H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, president and general manager of the Lowe's track.
Wheeler, a noted showman, defended the custom of having the pit crew competition indoors, citing control of the elements and allowing fans a closer perspective.
"That's showtime down there," he said. "Maybe we ought to shoot the cars out of a cannon."
Earlier this week, NASCAR changed the rules for its Chase to the Cup championship over the final 10 races, expanding the field to 12 drivers from 10.
In the spirit of change, Petty Enterprises had a surprise of its own yesterday, announcing an intent to move part of the operation closer to Charlotte from Randleman, which is about 85 miles away.
"Pool of talent, that's all," Petty said of the reason. "The talent pool as far as engineers or the mechanics or fabricators or stuff have gathered over there because that's where the action is."
Newer Nextel Cup teams have clustered around Charlotte, leaving operations such as Petty's and Richard Childress Racing removed from the hub of activity.
Additional Information:
All-Star changes
NASCAR has revised its All-Star race format for 2007.New format: Four 20-lap segments with mandatory stops. Winner of pit-crew competition gets first pit choice.
Old format: Forty-, 30- and 20-lap segments with mandatory stops and running order inversion during one segment.
