NASCAR Considers Increasing Number of Drivers in the Chase
Quote selected text Published September 10th, 2006 in NASCAR NewsNASCAR is giving serious consideration to widening the Chase for the championship field and awarding more points to race winners beginning next season, series officials told The Associated Press on Saturday.
NASCAR chairman Brian France promised slight changes to the Chase in July, and those two options are under the heaviest consideration. Changes to the final 10 races - which won’t happen in 2007, anyway - are unlikely.
The sanctioning body is looking at ways to award a “wild card” but hasn’t finalized anything.
“We’re trying to see if there is a way to earn a spot in the Chase without harming the integrity of it,” spokesman Ramsey Poston said. “Everyone made a big deal of Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. not making it last year, but it really only legitimized it.
“It proved you really have to be on to get into the Chase, and we don’t want to change it.”
Bookmark to:
- Changes Coming for ‘The Chase’ in Nextel Cup
- NASCAR seriously considers increasing age limit for Cup-UPDATE
- NASCAR to expand number of ‘Chase’ drivers, more points for wins
- NASCAR to expand Chase field to 12
- Tony Stewart doesn’t like ‘Chase’ changes
I hear NASCAR is going to do something revolutionary and open the chase up to all competitors. They continue to blaze trails no other series dares considering. I mean, can you imagine that every guy running would have a chance to win the championship if he scores enough points? AMAZING!! Bravo, NASCAR!
Hey Glenstapo, Isn’t that the way it use to be in the day? LOL! Everyone raced to the end to get the most points!
It is amazing that when one of the big four (Johnson, Gordon, Stewart, Junior) have issues with rules that are already in place…or worse still they cant make the chase, lets bend the rules. Better yet… let the Cowboys and Steelers in the NFL playoffs every year b/c they are the two big names right now. Or how about we just let the Red Sox into the playoffs not of playing merit, but b/c eveyone likes them and they are a better money maker. Come on NASCAR…man up and enforce your rules an d your fairness ideals. But I think Brian France would rather see the green then be fair. This is why the season has been a tribute to Hendricks and the neverending favoritism given the Hendricks Motorsports this season. Oh well…I see my beloved NASCAR has been sold up the river to corporate America just like the other big sports. NASCAR has finally arrived right? Maybenot the way wewant it too:(
Actually it is these changes that have brought back some of the excitement that years back lacked. Hell, once football season started back and your points leader was hundreds ahead, we already knew who the champion would be with many races remaining, and everyone ran to their football. Viewership and attendance suffered terribly at that time of the year. could sit anywhere in Atlanta on the final race as it was the last race at that time. However, now with the changes that have been made, did we not see the compitition really become more exciting the past few weeks, just leading up to setting the field, and we still have the chase to look forward to over the next ten races, and these drivers are neck and neck again as most were anyway, but now we have 10 drivers fighting it out rather than just 2 as it would have been under the former system, and Jr or Gordon wouldn’t have been in it and attendance and viewership would be down again as in years past. The rules are in place, and no matter the team, or the driver, it worked, the season has more exciting moments leading to setting the field, and then the chase itself. Kudos to nascar for taking steps to create a more exciting format to winning the championship, and kudos for considering giving the winner a few more points, the mere 5 points they added was not sufficient as we can see race winners don’t get enough. Lets add some more, really make them want them to try harder to win rather than settle for 5th. Keep up with the sport and it moving forward fans, get out of your recliner and go to a race weekend and stop crying about it not being like it use to be and get with the times as the world and things change everyday, thank nascar for doing whatever they can for making the sport more exciting every year.