Why I miss DNQs and you should too!

DNQs have been left behind due to the charter system, and teams have been promised a spot as long as they meet NASCAR’s financial requirements. But with that, we lose the passionate drivers and team owners who, despite not having the money to win, want to be in the Cup Series regardless!

Corey Heim’s Chicago DNQ Woes

This was brought up when I remembered Heim’s DNQ at Chicago earlier this season, when he crashed in qualifying to miss the race at NASCAR’s only street course. Heim was a young driver dominating trucks who was being kept from his Cup opportunity by circumstances beyond his control.

He was thrown into a part-time ride for 23XI and is trying everything he can to show everyone that he deserves a cup ride. Mix that with his inexperience, and he overdid it, causing his only Cup DNQ. This got me thinking about how we don’t see many DNQs nowadays, and as a result, we miss out on a lot of stories that are just as good, if not even cooler or crazier, as Heim’s at Chicago.

The Importance of DNQs

These stories can be seen in any finishing position every single week. To use Heim as an example again, his only career top 10 at Bristol showcased his true potential. He utilized all the skills he had gained and was motivated by the desire to prove he belonged in the Cup Series. He also beat the team’s infamous rookie pay driver, Riley Herbst. It was a pivotal moment to highlight the enormity of the mistake made by prioritizing money over results.

What DNQs Say About a Driver

Delma Cowart is one of NASCAR’s most unique drivers with one of the most unique reasons to show up to race on Sundays at an oval in front of thousands. Someone with 21 Cup starts but a ridiculous 59 DNQs tells a different story. Cowart was more known for being at the parties at Daytona than he was for driving at Daytona.

He was an independent racer from Georgia who used his job as a swimming pool contractor to fund his racing ventures. Fans loved his fun-loving nature and knew whether he qualified or not, he was having fun. Now, for someone like Mike Bliss, DNQ means something else entirely. The Oregonian had a very successful lower series career.

Delma Cowart and Why Quality Matters

Winning the 2002 truck series title and two wins in the Busch/Nationwide series, 1 of which was by beating Kyle Busch at Charlotte. In the Cup Series, though, aside from 3 starts with JGR, 1 of which he finished 4th with at Richmond, which was his only top 5 in the Cup Series. Plus, replacing Marlin at CGR for a race. He only raced with backmarker or lower midpack teams such as Tommy Baldwin, Phoenix Racing, or Go Fas.

So, he never had a chance to win, but his love for racing was so strong that he rarely turned down an opportunity for a ride. Often racing in all three series in a weekend, regardless of the quality of the ride. His quality as a driver was known throughout the garage, but he still struggled to complete all the races he attempted. Mike Bliss made 179 starts in Cup but DNQ’d 53 separate times in his 20-year Cup career.

Final Thoughts

The fact that colorful characters or passionate underdogs are regularly being stripped of a chance to enter the Cup Series is concerning. Therefore, this strips them of opportunities for a cult fanbase or even a chance to live out their dream of racing weekly in the NASCAR Cup Series. It is a tragedy, and something is missing from the sport with nothing to replace it.