Bruce: Anger over format rises ... except from those with good results
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It's crazy and chaotic. It's asinine. It's mayhem. Pick your description; there were many from which to choose, but few that one could actually describe as positive.
No one was overheard saying "I really feel as if NASCAR got this qualifying format right," and maybe that tells you all you need to know about group qualifying on a restrictor-plate track.
Then again, maybe it tells you all you need to know about drivers, that the only positive change is the one that is made to his or her individual benefit.
"Great format, Steve," shouted Daytona 500 Coors Light Pole winner Jeff Gordon, exiting the media center as Steve O'Donnell, executive vice president and chief racing development officer for NASCAR, met with members of the media. "All your idea; explain that to Bowyer."
Gordon, a four-time premier series champion embarking on his final full season as a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor, had reason to be pleased. The Hendrick Motorsports driver rode the draft and a pack of cars to the top spot for the Great American Race; Clint Bowyer rode in an ambulance to the infield care center, his qualifying effort mangled after a block from Reed Sorenson sparked a four-car accident early in the qualifying process.
Bowyer had reason to be livid, but others that fared better were no less vocal about the process. Some were harsh in their assessment; a few tried to balance the enjoyment of a strong result with the knowledge of just how narrow the margin of error can be.
MORE: Bowyer slams group qualifying format at Daytona
Carl Edwards, with a new team and without any owner points to fall back on should his No 19 Toyota have faltered in qualifying or during Thursday's Budweiser Duel qualifying races, described it as "a heck of a way to qualify for the biggest race of the year."
It wasn't an endorsement of the format, he said, but rather "a statement of fact. I said this is one of the ways to do it."
Gordon admitted that it was "crazy," but noted that "it can be extremely rewarding when you have a day like we had."
If group qualifying for the series' biggest event is a crapshoot, it's no more so than Thursday's two 60-lap qualifying races, six-time champion Jimmie Johnson offered, and the Hendrick Motorsports driver has a point. Although the group format is now part of how officials set the field for the race, the 500 remains the only Sprint Cup event that includes qualifying races to determine the bulk of the starting lineup. And those races pose just as much of a threat for teams residing on the border between making the show and going home.
O'Donnell reminded everyone that it was input from the drivers and owners, as well as fans, that led to the move to group qualifying in the first place.
And just as officials made minor tweaks to the system following last fall's qualifying session at Talladega Superspeedway, he said input would be sought once again.
"We can't rely on one driver, one owner, the track," he said. "We have to balance that and see what's in the best interest of the entire sport."
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