What NASCAR can learn from Helio’s mistake

Helio Castroneves’ move on Will Power was deemed illegal.

When I first saw that I sided with Helio. I couldn’t see how that could be considered a block. But, then I saw the rules. It was definitely illegal, though I have to argue about whether that was actually a block, and Helio got what he deserved. And I finally got to see him throw a temper tantrum. ^_^

NASCAR thinks that loosening the reins on the drivers will create controversy. But this is proof that tight reins create even bigger controversy. It made the YouTube home page as one of the top watched videos. Do you ever see NASCAR doing that? Possibly the only time I did was the Aaron’s 499 last year – obviously.

Loose restrictions and regulations do not make people want to watch. Tight restrictions and regulations don’t either – but they increase the chances of a huge controversy when someone strays outside the rules. And that makes people want to watch. I have a feeling that the next IRL race will get a few more viewers than normal – all because of Helio Castroneves’ tantrum. If IndyCar’s approach this year had been “have at boys” like NASCAR’s, then it’s possible, very likely, that Helio wouldn’t have been stripped of his win and he wouldn’t have yelled at / cussed out everybody and IndyCar wouldn’t have made the news. But because of tight restrictions, they did and they’ve gained a little popularity.

I’m not saying NASCAR should go all psycho and make all the rules as strict as possible. I’m saying that they should tighten the rules enough that when someone knowingly strays outside the lines, it’ll be big.

But they should be a little more careful, though. I saw a lot more blocks in that race, plain blocks that didn’t need explaining about why exactly it was classified as a block, that were unpunished. If you’re only going to enforce a rule half the time, don’t enforce it at all. Also I don’t get why exactly it’s illegal to use that part of the track to defend your position, but what do I know. I’ m just a straight A+ student who scored in the top 2% of teens in the country on the SAT’s. *shrug*