16 cars in the chase, win you're in (most likely unless more than 16 cars win), eliminations during the chase and final race points reset 4 cars race for the championship. I hate it!
I don't watch much Nascar, but if the Championship is going to come down to a one race shoot-out between 4 drivers, wouldn't you want that to happen at Daytona or Charlotte instead of Miami? Would it be possible for them to restructure the schedule to have the final race at one of those locations?
Charlotte is probably too cold by November and Daytona being a restrictor plate track would be bad for a championship race if they get caught up in big wreck.
I haven't seen the details yet, but what I hear sounds like desperation attempt at revitalizing interest in NASCAR while competing with NCAA, NFL, MLB, etc. Often desperation results in measure best left alone. Looks like that is the case here. Also obviously they want to be as sure as they can be that Gordon, Earnhardt,Jr, Stewart et al are included. Expanding the participants to 16 should ensure this since that covers about all the potential race winners. It just dilutes the prestige of making the Chase. It is an attempt at setting up an artificially close final race.
I agree. They grasp at straws trying to fix things, which generally makes things worse. I dislike the chase, and it sounds like the proposed format will be even worse.
If they think they are ever going to get back to 2000 levels of popularity, they are sorely misguided. Go back to the niche sport you were and embrace it. Then you might fill your stands again.
Exactly, they somehow seem to think that they could sustain the growth trajectory they had around the turn of the century. How long before there's going to be a land mine planted on the track once a season to boost viewership.
I'm no NASCAR purist. I'm not even as knowledgable about it as the average causal fan. That being said: 1. I like the idea that drivers get eliminated, and would like to see the bottom 1-2 get bumped out after each race in the Chase. I'd watch that every week, because every race would matter. Like it or not, the lack of a compelling win-or-go-home format in NASCAR hurts them when compared to other sports. 2. A near exclusive interest needs to be placed on the winning of races. Period. Nobody gives a shit if you run in the Top 5-10 over X number of races. Win, or you sucked. NASCAR is over-flowing with far too many drivers who seem perfectly content with just making laps once they get in the Top 10, unless they are clearly the most dominant car on that day. Consistency is no suitable replacement for winning. 3. They need to get the last race the hell out of Homestead, no matter what format they decide to use. If its weather you're worried about, go to Texas, Vegas or somewhere similar. I'm biased, but I'd love to see the final race at Bristol. 4. Kill the road courses. All of them. 5. Get the hell out of California and never go back. 6. Get out of Indianapolis. The novelty has worn off long ago, and its about the most boring race on the schedule. 7. Stop with the WWE-esque shit like allowing drivers into a race based on owner points and past championships. If you cannot quality as the Top 40 cars, you shouldn't be racing that weekend. 8. Take the restrictor plates off. Everywhere.
They can't and won't ever take restrictor plates off going forward. Imagine a driver or spectator getting killed after the fact knowing they would have lived had the car been restricted on power and not ended up in the stands or something. That would be like removing Hans device or taking down soft walls, they won't go backward on safety. They have to have some protection for drivers that may wreck during their qualifying run. It may not be fair but fans come to see the big names so they have these provisionals to get them in. I think watering down the season and chase has a reverse effect on ratings. For example, if my guy wins Daytona ( under the proposed system), I don't have a reason to watch until the chase starts because they're in and the season is no longer that important. It then becomes no more important than the all star race. Anyway, that's my take on a few things.
