Danica Patrick can no longer claim a starting spot in NASCAR's Sprint Cup based on another driver's success.
NASCAR rule changes are like Wednesdays, you know that every week there is going to be one.
But this past week there indeed was a rule change that not only made sense, but it looks to be one that will level the playing field and produce better racing.
What the tall foreheads at NASCAR did was scrap the top-35 rule that gave starting spots in every race to the first 35 teams in the owner standings, regardless of who was driving the car.
That means a driver — say Danica Patrick — could claim a starting spot solely based on somebody else’s success in the No. 10 Chevrolet, as was the case last season.
What it did was throw a huge road block in front of new teams and gave a huge advantage to established teams.
The new format will go into effect immediately, so there will be much more at stake in this weekend’s qualifying and next week’s Budweiser Duel 150s in preparation for the Daytona 500.
