Before the start and parkers, NASCAR had strokers

That NASCAR finds itself having to deal with teams that appear to “compete” for a quick buck rather than actually race – they’re called “start and park” – is nothing new.

The sanctioning body has done it before.

“Start and park” teams are defined as those with limited sponsorship and low budgets. They do not have the resources of their well-heeled counterparts and thus can’t hope to compete with them.

But, if they are fortunate to qualify for races, there’s a golden opportunity to earn some needed income. They just drive around for a few laps and then return to the garage area with some mechanical malady.

Equipment isn’t used up and the money ain’t bad. For example, last place in Daytona paid well over $250,000. It was about $80,000 at Auto Club Speedway.

Simple math says that if a team can successfully adopt this tactic for a sizable number of races the money adds up.

This sort of thing has been going on, in one form or another, as long as NASCAR has existed.

It was never more pronounced than in the 1970s and it culminated in drastic changes in NASCAR. It can be said that if the sanctioning body had not taken action to ease the plight of its lesser teams it might have ceased to exist.

Nearly forty years ago there were four, perhaps five, teams with the wherewithal to win races. The rest existed virtually hand-to-mouth.

They did exactly what the “start and park” teams do today – they drove around for a few laps and went to the garage area, content to earn a few bucks and save what equipment they had.

They were called “strokers” and most – not all – were disdained by fans and media alike.

But unlike today, “strokers” could not count on an appreciable income by competing in the majority of races. Purses and the point fund were nowhere close to what they are today. Most of them raced where the money was good and expenses could be held in check.

Eventually, it reached the point where they could not make ends meet, even with a series of decent finishes.

Revolution was in the air. The “strokers” united. They essentially told NASCAR that if things didn’t change they’d simply stop entering races and find other occupations.

NASCAR faced a dilemma. There were far, far more so-called “independent” teams than there were those with factory backing or significant sponsorship. In fact, the “strokers” made up the majority of every starting field.

It would be tough for tracks to sell tickets for races with only five or six entries. If that were the case NASCAR could hardly survive. And the “strokers” knew it. Still, many of them ceased operations.

In 1975 the situation came to a head. In a series of meetings between independent team owners and NASCAR, significant changes evolved.

First, NASCAR assured itself that its top-tier teams would enter every race by providing them with appearance money. Four teams – Petty Enterprises, Junior Johnson and Associates, Bud Moore Engineering and K&K Racing – would receive $3,000 for every superspeedway race and $2,000 for every short track race entered.

Then the sanctioning body granted appearance money for the independent teams to help offset their expenses. They would get $500 for each superspeedway event and $250 for each short track race entered.

Doesn’t sound like much, but prices for everything were much lower four decades ago – and amounts increased as the years passed.

There were two caveats: To get the money, teams had to rank in the top 20 in points and compete on the full Winston Cup schedule.

Sound familiar? Today the top 35 teams in owner points get a free pass into every race.

With appearance money – and sizable increases to the point fund provided by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. – the “strokers” found it far more profitable to enter every race and finish as high as possible.

To do so regularly assured them a decent points finish which, for many, meant a season in the black.

Sure, the “strokers” still got passed – and almost never won - but they did their share of passing among themselves as they fought for the highest finishing position possible.

It made racing better. And seldom did a team “start and park.” It couldn’t do so and hope to exist. Last place didn’t pay what it does today.

“Strokers” don’t exist today. Every team races as hard as possible for position and many more win than did years ago.

“Start and park” is a new phenomenon. But it’s not unlike many NASCAR faced, and dealt with, in years past.