Has Parity Made For More Exciting Racing? NASCAR officials--and the majority of fans--would say yes, but several drivers aren't so certain
After years of flirting with the idea, NASCAR instituted a
common-template rule at the start of this season. By mandating
that every Chevy, Dodge, Ford and Pontiac have an identical body
style, NASCAR sought to eliminate any aerodynamic disparity and
to create a level playing field. After 15 races in which 12
drivers have celebrated in Victory Lane this year, it's clear
that NASCAR has gotten its wish. And that, according to many
drivers, is not a good thing.
"Frankly, I don't like parity," says Matt Kenseth, who holds a
185-point lead in the points standings despite winning only one
race. "I think it's more exciting for our fans to have a guy
winning a lot of races and have everybody chasing him."
Parity has generated a few feel-good stories in which improbable
drivers have won races this year (Hello, Ricky Craven and Joe
Nemechek) and then returned to obscurity. At the same time,
NASCAR desperately needs a star who commands the public's
attention, not in fits and starts but on a weekly basis. It needs
a dominant hero such as Richard Petty, whose record 27 checkered
flags in 1967 made him a recognizable face even to nonracing
fans. Or it could use a precocious villain such as Jeff Gordon,
who inspired a nation of number 24 haters with his 13-win season
in '98 but whose success also created an anticipatory buzz at the
track that has not been matched since.
For the foreseeable future, NASCAR will have neither. "The days
of a guy winning a bunch of races are over," says longtime racer
Jimmy Spencer. "The competition is just too even now."
COLOR PHOTO: KEVIN KANE/WIREIMAGE/ICON SMI TWO TOUGH Busch (top: far right; middle: second from right; bottom: far right) and Newman (middle: far left; bottom: second from left) are the only repeat winners.
COLOR PHOTO: ANDREW COPPLEY/ASP INC. [See caption above]
COLOR PHOTO: MICHAEL ROMANO/ASP INC. [See caption above]
COLOR PHOTO: SHERRYL CREEKMORE/NASCAR PHOTOGRAPHY/AP [See caption above]
COLOR PHOTO: PATRICK COLLARD/AP [See caption above]
COLOR PHOTO: DONALD MIRALLE/GETTY IMAGES [See caption above]
TWO COLOR PHOTOS: BRIAN CLEARY/ICON SMI (2) [See caption above]
COLOR PHOTO: ANDREW COPPLEY/ASP INC. [See caption above]
COLOR PHOTO: WALTER G. ARCE/ASP INC [See caption above]
COLOR PHOTO: STEVE HELBER/AP [See caption above]
COLOR PHOTO: WORTH CANOY/ICON SMI [See caption above]
COLOR PHOTO: NICK WASS/AP [See caption above]
COLOR PHOTO: JAMIE SQUIRE/GETTY IMAGES [See caption above]
COLOR PHOTO: PAUL SANCYA/AP [See caption above]
YOUR TAKE: SI.com Poll
Has parity made for more exciting racing?
Yes 78%
No 22%
--Based on 2,571 responses to SI's informal survey