When NASCAR announced in 2004 that they would be instituting the Chase, I have to admit I was a skeptic. Why punish a guy who has had a perfect season, but wasn’t so great in the final few races? And then I got to thinking, isn’t this what every other major sport does? The Chase for the Sprint Cup has added a new dimension to the sport we love, creating a playoff system that has altered the course of more than one season.
As we enter the third race in the Chase this week at Kansas, things are looking drastically different than they did coming out of Richmond. Points leader Kyle Busch now sits in 12th place, with the odds stacked against him. Carl Edwards has emerged as Mr. Consistent and Greg Biffle has surprised many with his back-to-back wins. Even Jimmie Johnson is getting in on the act, tied for second with Biffle, just 10 points away from the lead.
One argument against the Chase is that, for the most part, early season success does not do the leader a lot of good coming into the final stretch. Sure he has a 40 point lead, but that can easily be wiped out in one race. Any bobbles can mean the end of his season. While I do agree with this to some extent, I think the Chase makes the sport more interesting as the season winds down. Before, there was often a clear championship front-runner by this point in the season, today though, any one of the top 12 cars has a shot. It makes for good TV, and enjoyable competition. Just look at Dover last weekend as an example.
This playoff is really not unlike any other sport. Remember last year when the Patriots had their almost undefeated season? What happened when they got to the Super Bowl? They lost to a 14-6 Giants team that only got to championship game by winning the NFC Wild Card.
Success in sports often comes down to clutch moments. You can lead eight of nine innings in a baseball game, but if the other team is only a few points behind you, a loss could come very easily. The same is true in racing. You may have won several races throughout the season and been on top in the standings, but if you can not get it done when it matters most, you won’t win and frankly don’t deserve to win the championship.
There are still eight races left this season, plenty of time for a turn around. However, I can not stress enough how important consistency is for success. Winning the race every week is not necessary, but finishing in the top five or ten is.
So now it’s your turn. What were your initial thoughts on the Chase? Do you like where it is today? Would you like to see some changes to the system? Let us know what you think!
* P.S. Sorry for not posting in the last couple of days. I have been swamped with other things and TC has graciously picked up my slack. Thanks for the patience.
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on Sep 26th, 2008 at 6:07 am
I think Big Bill is spinning in his grave. Brian France is running the sport straight into the ground. The new car,, the “debris” cautions, The man changed the Bud Shootout, what the hell??!!. Finally, the chase. The dumbest move in the history of NASCAR. Congrats Brian France, now we know why your dad held control so long, he knew you would ruin the sport he loved. It really didn’t take you very long to do it either.
on Sep 26th, 2008 at 7:45 am
The Chase is awesome! But I still thing some tweaks could be made. For instance, qualifying can and should be rewarded. This is a race in it self. Let’s reward those who consistently qualify well. One more thing…..I am not a big fan of the 12 contender format. I thought 10 were better. But at the end of the day the cream always rise to the top! GO GORDON!!!!!
on Sep 26th, 2008 at 7:59 am
[...] NASCAR Insiders talk about what the Chase for the Cup has done to the sport. I have to agree with them. I was worried what the Chase would do to the sport, however, it seems [...]
on Sep 26th, 2008 at 9:02 am
In other sports you can’t play all your competition at the same time like you can in Na$car so playoffs make sense for them.
on Sep 26th, 2008 at 11:41 am
The Giants were a 14-6 Wild Card team but still a playoff team none the less. In NASCAR we have the possibility that a non playoff team that could prevent a playoff team from winning the title. That cannot happen in the NFL or any other sport for that matter. More than once in the history of the chase has a non playoff team ruined the chances of a playoff team.
I don’t think the NFL let Miami play in the playoffs last year, but you could easily have a team in NASCAR that sits about 40th in points ruin a season due to this strange playoff they call the chase.
on Sep 26th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Q: Aren’t the playoffs great?
A: NO
This isn’t a stick and ball sport. Our teams play every single team every single week. We don’t need a contrived system to make it great. Remember the points race of 1992? 1979? 1981? 82? 85? All exciting as can be. Biff could run away with this one but if it were done the right way, everybody would be watching to see if Kyle could get it back together. Would have been fun.
on Sep 26th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I see a good way to up the excitement level in the chase. Make the outcome more unpredictable. We recognize that to be in the chase requires excellence in performance throughout the year. So anyone in the chase at the end of the year has proven themselves to date. However, the excitement level is not high enough. To raise the excitement level further, the chase should be five races in length and the points reset should extend to the top twenty drivers in the points standing. Extra points for wins should be five. Extra points for poles should be three. I’ll agree, these are negotiable points amounts and I would love to be in on the debate. Oh, the top twenty for the points reset should be debated too, but I believe it should be more than twelve. Points demerits should be issued at the reset for any fines, suspensions or other relevent penalties incurred though the year much as poles and wins should be rewarded. There must be other ideas to increase the pressure on the drivers and the tension in the air for the fans. Chime in and let it be heard.
on Sep 26th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
I did not like the Chase when it was announced and still don’t today. I understand the need to create late season excitement and not have the championship all but decided with several races left in the year. However, the Chase format seems so contrived to create artifical excitement. Unlike other sports, it’s much harded to totally control your destiny in NASCAR. Flat tires, freak equipment failures, or a bonehead move by another driver can ruin your chances of a championship in a short 10 race “playoff”. I’d much rather see a return to the old format with some modification to the point system. Perhaps increase the difference in points between finishing positions. By making a win say 300 points, 2nd place 250, 3rd 225, etc a driver still has the potential to make up a lot of points late in the season.
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
When I first heard of the Chase idea, my thought was something along the lines of “If they had a stupid idea contest, this wouldn’t be good enough to get in the competition.” Yes, other sports do it. Yes, it works for them. But what makes sense in one sport doesn’t always make sense in another. For example, if a basketball hits the line, it’s out of bounds. However, if a tennis ball hits the line, it’s in. These totally opposite out-of-bounds rules make sense within the context of their respective sports. NASCAR isn’t the NFL or any other sport. I’m a realist, the Chase is here and almost certainly to stay. However, my initial position has not changed - I still don’t like think it’s a good idea.
on Nov 27th, 2008 at 12:10 am
[...] NASCAR Insiders talk about what the Chase for the Cup has done to the sport. I have to agree with them. I was worried what the Chase would do to the sport, however, it seems [...]