 | | Jamie McMurray used the Lucky Dog at Dover to go from one lap down to leading the race near the finish. Credit: Autostock |
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
June 9, 2006
02:55 PM EDT (18:55 GMT)
Note to NASCAR: It is time to scrap the Lucky Dog. The Free Pass. The I-just-happened-to-be-in-front-of-Matt Kenseth-when-the-caution-flew award. Whatever. Just get rid of it. NASCAR, you've threatened to put the rule on the chopping block before. After the 2004 season, you said that you would consider killing it off. But yet, it lives and creates just as much confusion as it did when it was instituted nearly three years ago. It is not that Ryan Newman won with the rule shortly after it was implemented. It is not unheard of for a lap-down car to come back and win, and great drivers certainly don't need a glorified Mickey Mouse rule to make it happen. The rule was created to help discourage racing back to the yellow, but the rule has done nothing but create confusion between drivers, fans and even NASCAR's broadcasters, who refuse to use a standard name for the rule. Sure, the rule has helped NASCAR's safety initiative, but NASCAR also has the ability to score drivers multiple times per lap. Why have a rule that is designed to prevent racing back to the caution, yet it only affects a solitary car?  |  | | Jimmie Johnson may not want to do away with the Lucky Dog. At Dover, he was two laps down but made them up to finish sixth. Credit: Autostock |
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A good example of the absurdity of the rule was showcased last week at Dover. Ironically, Dover's short length, lightning speeds and tight confines make an argument for any rule designed to increase safety. But did you see what Mark Martin did? In the early stages of the event, he ate up the field in short order, lapping cars at will. The car in line to receive the Free Pass literally changed every few seconds. Martin's well-handling car essentially turned the Free Pass into sheer luck. Another reason the rule fails is this: NASCAR has always prided itself on its diverse schedule, and such a rule simply does not fit every track. It's quite a bizarre sight to see the rule in place at Sonoma, and it's even more bizarre to see a car straining to catch up to the field at Sonoma after getting the Free Pass. How does that create good racing? With NASCAR's various scoring loops, is the rule even needed? Even if NASCAR refuses to do away with the rule, can you at least give it a better name than the Free Pass or the Lucky Dog? Those two names have some bad connotations. Each insinuates a gift that was not earned, which is exactly what the rule has represented in the last three years. We get it. The rule stops drivers from racing back to the caution flag. But that very concern was more realistic three years ago. Drivers' habits have changed since then. The rule can afford to die without compromising safety. NASCAR has done an outstanding job in admitting some of its faults and working to perfect an imperfect sport. When the impound race experiment proved to be a failure, NASCAR promptly cut it back. It's time to do the same with the Lucky Dog. Put this dog to sleep. The opinions expressed are solely of the writer. | 
