It’s not too late.
NASCAR apparently has decided to expand the Chase for the Nextel Cup field from 10 to 12 drivers and to alter the points system only by giving the winner of each race an additional 10 points over what he gets now.
The additional points for a winner is a baby’s half-step in the right direction, and the change to go to 12 in the Chase is worse than staying at 10 but better than going to 15 and much better than slapping some bizarre “wild-card” appendage on the format.
On the good side, going to 12 gets rid of the ridiculous notion that anyone gives a flip about who finishes 11th. And for people who find some kind of reason to care who finishes 10th and gets to make a bad speech in New York, the new format means two guys who make the Chase won’t actually finish in the top 10 at season’s end.
Wow, that should really solve the whole problem with flat TV ratings, huh?
Tweaking the Chase format in such minor ways would be perfectly fine if NASCAR had the courage to address the real problem, though. The problem isn’t with how many people get to be in the sport’s version of the playoffs, the problem is with the overall system of how points are counted.
I’ve said this until people are tired of hearing me say it, but the problem is that winning races should be the predominant factor in determining who qualifies for the Chase and then for who wins it.
NASCAR can change that. Nothing has been announced yet – the changes will be unveiled on Jan. 22 on the first day of the Lowe’s Motor Speedway preseason media tour. There’s still time to make the kind of bold move that would actually fix the problem that makes the championship part of the problem in this sport and not the core of the solution.
Winning has to matter more than anything else.
More than “having a solid points day.”
More than “keeping our nose clean.”
More than “putting ourselves in position to win.”
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I’ve never liked the Chase. I get tired of hearing about the chase, from Daytona on we start hearing if the chase started tomorrow these 10 guys would be in it. FFS. There are 25 more races to go but of course after the first fifteen the announcers start talking about the chase for the chase. There center focus the top 15 guys. Oh and who will be lucky number 11. After the change tho at least that will be illiminated.
Why on earth would I want to see the 12th place driver that was lets say 900 points back without a real snowballs chance in well u know win the cup in 10 races. He wouldnt have done it any other way but getting lucky at the end of the season and having a great run, while mr first place by 200 points before the reset loses out because of a bad race or two?
And its points racing, how many points do I need to stay where I am they can ask and race for position. 10 extra points for winning don’t mean much when everyone is points racing. And then there is the don’t wreck the guys in the chase comments. And what ifs? I never was a channel flipper but this chase has made enjoying a race dang near impossible.
They want the ratings to go up, give more points for winning, if they don’t just drop the chase all together, after the first five illiminate half of them from the chase. Its a stupid idea that has ruined racing.
So what if the points winner wins by a landslide for winning races and doing his best cos they are the best. At least everyone then races to win the race not keep there spot in the points.
Great post Peggy! I couldn’t agree more! They are RUINING the sport!!
I’m so sick of the Chase and NASCAR in general that I watch a mere fraction of the races I used to. For a good 10 years, I’d rarely miss a race. I think I only saw two races in there entirety last year.
Wake up, NASCAR!
I agree with Peggy and everybody else. Nascar is getting to be a bore. And, like Glenstapo, I don’t watch as many races as I used to. I watch to Pre-race show and check in occasionally to see who is in what place. Its a shame that they have put profits over the fans. But Nascar is a corporation and money is the bottom line, but corporations and sports have been known to bottom out.
Excellent post from Peggy. The only changes that should have been done is to the points awarded to the winner. Maybe you would see all the top drivers, actually racing to win instead of just points racing. NASCAR is getting boring and like all of you, I channel surf more than I used to.