This will give the 2nd week qualifiers a better starting position anyways. Seeing how next Saturday the last 22 spots will be filled.
The entire day today looks like rain-rain-rain. Iowa is getting pounded by some wind, maybe that wind will start blowing the rain between here and Indianapolis farther east faster.
Isn't next week qualifying on Saturday and Sunday? Personally, I am not in favor of the 11 only on Pole day deal, because of this situation. There are probably a dozen teams out there that could easily have qualified yesterday for the race, and now they have to wait around all week spending some time on qualifying setup. Nobody cares about who gets bumped from a phony bump point, only who wins the pole.
I tend to agree. Yesterday was the first time I have gone to to quals under the new format. While I like the three chances for the pole, I hated the fake drama of "bumping" from the top 11. I say give them three chances each day on qual days 1-4, but let them fill the field. Let the top 11 be locked day one, but let the others qualify for 12-33. They will have their positions at risk. They can lock in P12-22 day two based on the two days, same for P23-3 day three and four.
That way there can be bumping along the way and less time waiting around. At least 10 other teams would have made a run yesterday without the stupid only 11 rule.
I can't see ever going all the way to Indy again for pole day if there is 2 hours of qualifications and 4 hours of waiting, all for an artificial, fake "bump." I think by attempting to maximize attendance over four days, the speedway is lowering attendance on pole day, the traditional day of the largest crowd. When weather happens (which seems like it has some impact every year now), the overall attendance is lower. IMS is pretty naive to think that people will come to each of the four days just to see their bumping plan. Majority who come to quals can only manage to come one day and they want to see as much as they can. Notice yesterday how many people left by 3:00. Quite a few.
I agree, the new format stinks. What is the big deal about letting the field get filled from the beginning? Don't you think that the smaller teams could use the extra exposure of making a valid qualy run and at least taking a preliminary place in the field?
Sometimes I wonder how many ways they can screw up a good thing.
Please remember that the format was adapted pre-unification, with a different car count. Cavin said the IMS officials like this format, but it isn't ideal if you ask me. If one day is rained out, or God Forbid, both, you are handicapping a lot of teams who cannot focus on race setups this week. Then you have one day of "Carb day" the following week. Especially this year with the CCWS teams being behind the eight ball as it is. Should consider a change for next year.
I am going to actually do something I dont normally do. I am going to agree with Grizwold. The new qualification format was pre-unification. I say if teams can get in the field on Pole Day, they should. That way if 33 cars happen to go out and get qualified, so be it. The slowest time will still get bumped on bump day regardless what day they qualified. Just because you qualify in the field with a 217 on Pole Day, you can still get bumped out by someone going 218 on the final day of qualfication. Now those teams that could have qualified, now have to wait a week before they really can work on race setups.
