Backmarkers, Be Gone!

It’s time for NASCAR to get tough with drivers who just aren’t competitive

Times are still tough, so far be it from me to wish anyone out of a job. But really, NASCAR, do we have to keep putting up with cars that shouldn’t be on the track?

Crew members work to replace the fuel pump assembly on Kevin Harvick’s Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet during green flag racing action. Teams that can’t justify car problems should be docked their prize money.

I’m talking about the perennial backmarkers, the guys who just fill out the field and quickly go a lap down, or two or three. Or worse, the start-and-park contingent, those teams that squeak their way into the field, then exit immediately just to collect the check.

Cars that can’t keep up add nothing to the show. At best, they clog up the track. At worst, they ruin the hopes of more legitimate drivers — and their fans — sometimes in catastrophic ways.

To clear out the deadwood, NASCAR needs to think like Formula 1.

For several years, F1 had what is called the “107 percent rule,” which meant that any car that couldn’t qualify within 107 percent of the pole winner’s time couldn’t race that week. As an easy example, if the pole-winning time is 100 seconds, then anyone who qualifies slower than 107 seconds goes home, regardless of whether it’s a big-name driver with a zillion-dollar sponsorship or a first-timer running on his own dime.