Parity?

Jeff Holtzclaw
June 10, 1999 - I just read an article this morning by Dick Brinster that stated that there is finally parity in Winston Cup. I am glad that Mr. Brinster can see it, because I sure can't. Maybe I have blinders on and I'm missing the picture, but there is no more parity in Winston Cup than there are a shortage of fights on the Jerry Springer show.

Just to be sure that my definition of parity was correct, or if the definition might have changed, I looked it up in Webster's dictionary. Webster stated this...

parity : the quality or state of being equal or equivalent.

Nope, the definition is still the same. Which leads me to ask, what sport is this guy watching?

Sure, there have been eight different winners in the past eight races, that is good, but how many of those eight winners came from a single car operation? Zero. How about the 13 races this season, how many of those races have been won by single car teams? Again, zero. You can even look at the Bud Shootout, the Gatorade 125s, and The Winston, all won by a member of multi-car teams.

So now that's parity? I don't think so. I'll bet nobody asked Ward Burton, Bill Elliott, Bobby Hamilton, Ricky Rudd, Ernie Irvan, or any other single car team if they think that there is parity in the sport. Of the top 15 in the point standings, only two (Burton, 9th and Elliott, 15th) are single car operations. There are a total of five single car teams in the top 25, although you can't really count Michael Waltrip because that team is essentially a third Sabco team, that leaves only four.

Sound like parity to you? Me neither. Maybe Mr. Brinster should have stated that now there is finally parity among the multi-car teams. That I can agree with. This season we have seen at least one winner from the Hendrick, Roush, Penske, Petty, Childress, and Gibbs teams. But to say that there is parity across the board is absurd.

Bobby Labonte stated after his win last week that, unless you are a member of a multi-car team, you don't have a shot. Labonte was right, the way the sport is going now, you can not be successful in a single car operation. Yes, maybe one of the single car teams might make it into Victory Lane this season but the chances are slim to none. The single car teams of Bill Davis and Dale Earnhardt Inc. already have plans to field second teams in 2000. It appears that this is the way you have to go if you want to compete.

Parity among the multi-car teams? Maybe. Parity in Winston Cup? Not even close! The next thing you know, Mr. Brinster will be saying that there is parity among the Busch regulars and the Cup guys driving in the Busch series. I certainly hope not, but that's another story.