NASCAR may allow unlimited testing in 2009

[VilleneuveTracy]

This will only benefit the big budget teams and further increase the gap between the "haves" and the "have nots." The big budget teams will be testing all the time at tracks before they race at them while the small teams won't have that luxury and will fall behind. The correct thing to do, if NASCAR truly seeks a semblance of parity, is to ban all testing and allow all teams a free test at each track on Thursday. Since the small teams will be there anyway this would give them equal opportunity to prepare for a race. It would also save costs for all teams since they would not have to make a special trip to test at a track.

Sprint Cup teams may be allowed to test next year whenever and wherever they want to, including all tracks where they currently race.

"That includes anything from leaving our policy exactly like it was in '08 all the way to going to what I am going to call wide-open testing - any track, any week, any time as many times as you want to go."

"Today you can go to Milwaukee and work really hard for two days to try to simulate being at New Hampshire. ... Is that the right way to do it? Maybe the right way to do it is to test at New Hampshire."

Darby said he would get back with crew chiefs in a couple of weeks. NASCAR will then formulate a testing plan for 2009, but it won't necessarily come down to a vote.

http://www.thatsracin.com/topstories/story/16030.html

[J-C]

Your Hendrick's etc will always find ways around testing restrictions - wasn't a large reason they got a head start on everyone else with the CoT because they tested at non-Cup tracks using ARCA-type Hoosier tyres? So unless you were truly draconian with the testing rules - which would probably be unenforceable - you might as well open them up more.

[VilleneuveTracy]

True but testing at the actual track is more beneficial than, say, making them test at Milwaukee for New Hampshire or Rockingham for Darlington because the information from those tracks won't fully transfer over to the cup track.

[johntt]

I think the current system works fine as is, maybe they could put in a mileage limit a la F1 for the private testing they do on Hoosiers.

[StuiE]

Yeh I don't like it.


The Thursday open test actually seems like a decent idea.

[ss_collins]

the best wayto cut costs would be to keep the regulations as they are now but allow data logging at race meetings.

[Jacko44]

Yeah sounds like it's gonna be fun for all the low-funded teams who can't travel to any track as they please...

[mattcat]

There are two sides to this issue and I see merit in both. It could hurt the smaller teams a little, yes, but the more well funded teams will just continue find loopholes in the current regs. I say ban testing altogether (but they'll probably find a way around that, too) or let them test as much as they want. I don't think teams really want to be at a track for four days, a la Thursday test day.