Thursday, June 4, 2009 | 7:21 p.m.
NASCAR has seen the light. The governing body announced today that beginning with this weekend's race at Pocono, the race format will be changed to include double-file restarts when the green flag flies on each restart.
After seeing the positive benefits of the double-file restarts at the Sprint All-Star Race, NASCAR decided it was time to implement this long overdue change. "We heard the fans loud and clear," said NASCAR CEO Brian France. It's about time the race leaders had the opportunity to compete with each other unencumbered by the cars that are a lap down.
It's safe to assume that NASCAR, in looking for ways to reverse the sliding TV ratings, realized that this new format was sorely needed. Obviously, NASCAR can't increase ratings by forcing Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win a few races, so this is a move it had to make.
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Numerous NASCAR-related web sites are abuzz with passionate opinions regarding the penalty against Carl Long for the use of an oversized engine. Long and his wife, who is the car owner, were suspended for 12 races , docked 200 points and fined $200,000.
Using an engine that is over the cubic-inch limit is one the biggest no-no's in the sport, and the harshness of a penalty for this violation shouldn't be assessed based on the ability of a team to pay a fine.
Some have argued that NASCAR is unfairly picking on Long's team because he has a small, under-funded organization that may find its future in jeopardy as a result of the financial burden the penalty brings. But what would really be unfair are two sets of rules, one for the wealthy teams and one for everyone else. Fans always claim that NASCAR should have a level playing field when applying penalties. But arguing that a small team should play by a different set of rules promotes applying the rules in an inconsistent fashion.
Of course there have been other instances when "creative" tinkering with the cars has led to punishment that was less harsh. When the No. 24 team ran the T-Rex car in 1997, NASCAR simply told the team never to bring that car to another race. But Long's infraction was a gross violation of the rules, not an act of innovation.
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Long contends he shouldn't be held responsible for an engine built by an outside supplier. But the teams have always been held responsible in this sport for the parts that go into the machines, regardless of where the parts are coming from.
Long has also contended that the increased size of the engine could have been caused by expansion due to overheating. If this is actually a possibility, then I hope NASCAR will address it.
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