Caught part of the "Indycar" race at Laguna Seca today. And was again reminded of something for which I've lobbied for decades - yellow flag laps should not count towards the race total!
Today's race was "96 laps", but 27 of those were merely parade laps so the race was only 69 laps. It was advertised as a 96 lap race, people in the stands paid for a 96 lap race, it will show in the record books as a 96 lap race. But it was a 69 lap race.
Not just Indycar but F1, NASCARE, indeed all racing of my acquaintance counts parade laps as race laps. Other sports do not count time outs as part of the event - football goes four quarters no matter what happens or how long it takes, baseball goes nine innings. It's time for auto racing to step up and give us what is advertised - a 100 lap race should be 100 laps of racing.
End of soapbox.
Today's race was "96 laps", but 27 of those were merely parade laps so the race was only 69 laps. It was advertised as a 96 lap race, people in the stands paid for a 96 lap race, it will show in the record books as a 96 lap race. But it was a 69 lap race.
Not just Indycar but F1, NASCARE, indeed all racing of my acquaintance counts parade laps as race laps. Other sports do not count time outs as part of the event - football goes four quarters no matter what happens or how long it takes, baseball goes nine innings. It's time for auto racing to step up and give us what is advertised - a 100 lap race should be 100 laps of racing.
End of soapbox.