GREAT THREAD!! Some really good ideas here, and awesome to have Todd and Randy weighing in. I'm with those that see the need for changes in the system, and agree heartily with Todd's points 1, 2 and 3. As for 4, that needs some thought to avoid total confusion. What's important is that there be very clear criteria for whether one races in Sportsman or Champ (we're enough of a headache for the guys in the pits as it is, can you imagine us disagreeing about where we're supposed to race?).
Despite agreeing with Dom's perspective on trophy inflation, I think continuing to award trophies for Sportsman races is essential-- this is such a difficult sport for many of us that we need the encouragement of attainable triumphs to keep us in the game. However, we could probably do without the separate Sportsman "championship", since it can produce the unintended consequence of reluctance to move up just to get something that says "champion" on it. One overall championship-- and maybe awards recognizing the Sportsman driver(s) who has/have improved the most or been the most competitive.
As one of the people nominated by Pat for advancement to Champ: thanks, Pat, for the vote of confidence, but I'm with Chris here. Pat, at Sebring, you were running a full 2 seconds faster than my best lap ever. I have only in the last month or so had my skills and mental preparation advance to the point where I can run somewhere in the top 5 in Sportsman, at least for the majority of the race (not counting last lap goof-ups
). I am finally learning some racecraft after months of lapping by myself at the back (well occasionally Big Al would slip halfway through the race and I'd find him back with me pushing me around
). At Sebring, the gods smiled (or at least chuckled a little) and I finally managed to put it all together for a whole weekend. Believe me, I would love to move up soon (
that would be the ego trip for me, to call myself a
Championship group driver) but I think a lttle more experience at the pointy end of Sportsman is needed before I walk the gangplank into the shark tank. If I can win another Sportsman race, I think I'll be ready to move up, unless of course the powers-that-be say different.