Rule change to the Shootout just for Tony Stewart?

May be...

yeah, its pretty stupid if you ask me, just so all popular drivers can race

Nascar has always made up the rules as they go. Whats new?

This is why Nascar gets accused for playing favorites so they bring it on themselves. Tony didn't make it under their new format, oh no, wait, don't worry, they will just change it. Now the most recent past Champion of each manufacturer is now a wildcard in the race. Tony is in.

Oh come on we all know that Nascar changes the rules, why not this one, its nothing new. I would not put this past Nascar at all.I hate this new format anyway, I prefer the old format. I'm sure Nascar will tweek this race several times before it happens. If I had a penny every time Nascar changes the rules for all sorts of reasons, I'd have beach front property in Key West, Fla.

Edit: there is a great article on Thatsracin.com by David Poole of the Charlotte Observer, calling this the Tony Stewart rule (pretty good article worth reading) I can't live without this racing website its great check it out just go to Thatsracin.com

Go Dale Jr & Hms in 2009

I gotta agree with Tom P. on this one Tom. Smoke wasn't the only one to benefit from the rule change. I see where you could think that, but realistically several drivers gained from it. It's a non points race so what's it gonna hurt. Now, if they dropped the past Champions from all the other races and just left it in the Shootout, what difference would it make?

why not add more drivers.

Yea that is kind of bad but I love your idea ! Nothing against Smoke .

somebody call the waaaaaaaaaaaambulance for subby

I agree, I'm just glad they can't say that NASCAR is favoring Jimmie Johnson on this one LOL
4's FINE N 09!!!!

i love the rule, im interested to see how his team dose, plus more cars in the race

I wonder what the people who think that NASCAR changes the rules just for Dale Jr. think about this one?

Now that I think about it, this is the second time in the past few months they've changed their minds all of a sudden just for Tony. Anybody remember Talladega?

Greenbean: I'd just like to see what the people who think that think about this is all.

And just to be sure, before anyone tells me to get over the Talladega thing, trust me, I am. Just figured it was interesting enough to throw out there considering.

OFX: Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, and Kyle Busch.

Sounds like the big name drivers still outweigh the nobodies in the Shootout. There's pretty much no reason I can think of for the wildcard rule except for more sponsor exposure. And if that's the case, why not just make it 7 drivers from each manufacturer allowed in instead of adding the Past Champion thing?

And that's not to mention that Sorenson, Reutimann, and McMurray are drivers who, except for McMurray's case, haven't had the equipment to prove themselves to be better drivers than their results show.

Oh well, they have past champions provisional in every other race, so why not this one.

Besides, Tony wasn't the only one to be given a spot because of this rule change.

Yes, I know what you mean. I don't have a problem with Tony racing, but it definitely looks like this happened just for him. None of the other manufacturers have past champions in the wild card spot, so Tony is the only champion that benefits from this.

The new format for the Shootout was announced a long time ago, and now they just change it again less than a month away from the race. Maybe they did this to sell more tickets. This looks fishy, just like Stewart going into victory lane when Regan Smith crossed the finish line first at Talladega.

Edit: Actually, Bobby Labonte might get the wild card spot for Ford, so Tony might not be the only champ. But Tony is a real popular driver and a top seller for NASCAR, so it might have been changed just for him.

Unbelievable. Something else to add to my list of why NASCAR is pi$$ing me off lately. I'm a Stewart fan and think it's a "crock". Well we have had the Dale Jr rule and now the Tony Stewart rule.

I know how it looks but you have to say that Tony has more business being there than most of those other drivers.

Ah you got to love NASCAR politics Tom....I have been a fan since the late 70's....it's always been that way. They have always played favorites and always will....they like to manipulate outcomes. So in their wisdom they will sell more tickets and will not alienate any fans....well bully for them. They shouldn't have changed the Bud Shootout to start with....idiots!

To begin with, this crap with top 6 in each manufacturer was stupid to begin with. The Bud Shoot-Out has always been pole winners and former champions. With this rule change you now have drivers like Robby Gordon, Jamie McMurray, David Stremme, Reed Sorenson, David Reutimann, Micheal Waltrip and no Tony Stewart or Ryan Newman. How much sense does that make?

and as for Talladega, Regan Smith broke the rule by going below the yellow line. Anyone remember who the first person that got penalized by that rule? Yep, Its was Stewart.

Anyone who thinks NASCAR would change nay rule just for Smoke must not watch alot of NASCAR because NASCAR doesnt really like Tony Stewart because he voices his opinion not NASCAR's like alot of big name drivers. The first rule change for the shoot-out came after Stewart annouced he was moving teams so you can make an agruement they did it to keep him out and they make this rule after Bobby LaBonte is out

So who did they really change this rule for? My geuss would be for NASCAR's pocket


On them making this rule for Stewart, Its about like when they decided to make the cutoff for the chase at 12th instead if 10th. That year Jr and Jeff Gordon were both out in 2005so the extended the chase field in 2006 by 2 more spots

hey 26 why you gotta drag JR. into this ?
and no its not a surprise

PLEASE DON'T MAKE A OLD MAN CRY JIMMIE !!

How many times have sponsorship issues screwed everything up.(Bud/Coors)
I hate the way it is now. It should be a package deal. If you sponsor the Pole awards, it means you sponsor the shootout.

Also, even as I watched it live, it was very clear to me that Regan drove below the yellow line.
Also, they changed the Chase from 10-12 after Stewart missed the Chase and proceeded to dominate most of the Chase races that year.

Politics suck. I wonder what had to happen behind doors to get this rule change.

Well why not change if for little Tony. They expanded the Chase from 10 to 12 drivers the year AFTER Tony missed out. A little FYI, not in '05 when Jr & Gordon didn't make it but the year after Tony missed it.

The way I remember it, after Stewart was the "big star" to miss out in '06, they changed the Chase from 10 to 12 and it was nicknamed "THE TONY STEWART RULE"

No offense to anyone but that is how I remember it going down.

Don't know where I've been hiding but this is the first I've heard about it. But it doesn't surprise me, and Hey I like Tony and want him in the shootout. so it doesn't bug me they changed it. They change "their rules" all the time and just keep us shrugging wondering what is up with them.

tony stewart sucks

When I first read about the rule change, my first thought was actually that it was because enough people complained to NASCAR that a huge name was missing from the Shootout (by complain, I of course mean that someone paid NASCAR a bit of $$$).

I can understand that they didn't do it before now because it would have obviously been favorites. Now, there are two past series champions (Bobby Labonte AND Stewart) that would have been in the Shootout this year had they not moved teams, so it is easier for NASCAR to make the change and not get blamed for playing favorites because it helped teams for each manufacturer.

Although I still don't get why drivers like Joey Logano and Scott Speed, who aren't even approved yet to RACE at Daytona, would be allowed to run with their teams in the Shootout: with only a couple practice sessions before the Shootout to get them prepared. Both have been helped by the recent rule changes of the Shootout and yet don't have approval to race at the track yet in NASCAR.

Now that's just a dumb rule. I like it when just the pole winners gets to raced, but now it's cramping its style.ia presenter