Thoughts, observations and a few questions:
During a conversation with a high-level NASCAR official earlier this year we were discussing possible changes to the Chase format and I made what I thought at the time was a fairly sensible suggestion. Why not start the 10 Chase races with the 12 drivers in the Chase starting in inverted points order in a separate pack at the tail end of the regular field? This kind of separate starting group is already being done in NASCAR; in it’s Grand-Am series. At the start of Grand-Am races, the slower GT class cars (like Porsches, Camaros, Mazdas and BMW’s – all sedans) start in a separate pack about half a lap behind the faster Daytona Prototype cars.
By starting the Chase field in a separate pack, it would make it that much easier for fans to see exactly where the Chase contenders are starting. And it would make for some pretty fantastic racing. To prove that point, what did you think about the opening laps of Sunday’s Chase opener at Loudon? Nearly every Chase driver was starting from mid-pack or worse and watching them work their way to the front of the field, at times three-wide, was entertaining to watch and was exactly what you’d want to see in a championship contest.
Also, why not have a unique characteristic identifying each of the Chase cars so that it becomes much easier spot who the Chasers are in a pack of cars? Maybe paint the spoiler Sprint Yellow, or a Sprint Yellow stripe above the windshield?
The question coming out of Loudon is: Why not us? The answer: Because you won’t.
If ESPN is going to go straight to commercial when the caution flag flies and then returns just as the field is getting ready to restart, then how about giving the viewers an easy to read, but detailed graphic that tells us at home who did what during their pit stop?
Could you imagine Jimmie Johnson publicly scolding his team over the radio the way that Kevin Harvick did on Sunday? That’s the difference between a four-time Cup champion and a guy who hasn’t won one yet. Would having my driver (and supposed teammate) bitch at me so that all the world can hear inspire me to want to go that extra mile for him? I don’t think so. It comes down to respect. And your karma.
What was up with the tonnage of commercial breaks during Sunday’s Cup race? And yes, the IZOD IndyCar broadcasts still feature side-by-side commercial breaks. Do television executives really expect the audience will sit and watch another five minute break of commercials when there are several other choices now that football season is upon us? Thank goodness for the NFL RedZone channel, which is non-stop without commercials.
Speaking of the IndyCar Series, how is it that America’s open wheel circuit has no Chase format for deciding its champion, yet for the past five years in a row the championship has been decided at the season finale?
Say what you will about the two-time champion, but I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for Tony Stewart to keep a stiff upper lip while being interviewed on live television five minutes after losing the Chase opener because he ran out of fuel on the final lap.
The good news coming out of Loudon – Dale Earnhardt Jr. finishes fourth, which was practically a win for that team and for NASCAR, which needs its most popular driver to do well. I’m willing to bet that the television ratings will be up for next Sunday’s race at Dover, as fans tune in to see if Dale Jr. can make it two good races in a row. Dover is one of Earnhardt’s better tracks, too.
The bad news coming out of Loudon – Jimmie Johnson and the Lowe’s team had a mediocre start to the Chase. That doesn’t bode well for the competition. Now the 48 team is going to be even more adamant about winning their fifth title.
When your race track has an official capacity of 93,521 and it’s apparent that you’ve got tons of empty seats, how can NASCAR or the track’s general manager announce an official estimated attendance figure of 95,000? It happened at Loudon. Do they think no one is looking or worse yet, no one cares? I know that us media types have beaten the NASCAR attendance story to death, but that kind of hocus pocus mathematics is over the top, don’t you think?
Melanie Troxel. Her name may not be as familiar to racing (specifically drag racing) fans around the world as Shirley Muldowney’s, but it should be. Troxel is a second-generation drag racer that scored her first win in the NHRA Pro Modified class at ZMax Dragway on Sunday. But it wasn’t her first win in drag racing. Her win on Sunday made her the first woman to win in four of drag racing’s professional categories – Pro Modified, Fuel Funny Car, Top Fuel Dragster and Top Alcohol Dragster. That’s an amazing feat for any man or woman. She also holds the record for the fastest female racer in NHRA history – 330.31 mph. Troxel is a fierce competitor, a consummate professional, attractive and the kind of driver every team owner would want driving for them. Google her name.
Does anyone really believe that Sam Hornish Jr. will move to the Nationwide Series next season? Especially after being told by his team that he’s “free to pursue other opportunities?” Name me a driver who went to the Nationwide Series full time after racing for several years in Cup and then returned – successfully – to the Cup Series? I expect Hornish will be in an IndyCar next season. I can see the headlines already – “Three-time IndyCar champion returns to his roots.”
It’s time to put your NASCAR experience/experiment in the rear-view mirror, Sam. I believe that you still have another Indy 500 win (or two) in your future, if you want it.
*****
Postscript
Sunday’s Sprint Cup race was a decent opening round for what arguably will be the most competitive Chase yet. I was surprised at how mediocre the Fords were. That should change next weekend at Dover, which is one of Roush Fenway Racing’s better tracks.
And I’ll never get tired of seeing Jamie McMurray mixing it up with the Chasers. For some, winning both the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 in the same season should have been an automatic invitation into the Chase. I don’t think so. McMurray’s team has to earn their way in. Watching the party from outside this time around will push them towards that goal. I’m betting McMurray wins a race or two in these final nine. I’m thinking Talladega and…
I do think if NASCAR brought back the Crown Jewels (add Bristol night race and Indy, dump ‘Dega), as another article I wrote stated, then winning two of them should grant automatic entry to the Chase.
But under the current system – no – it’s just the way it is. McMurray wasn’t consistent enough, for whatever the sad reason is.
But I’ll tell you this – he looks like a hell of a lot more of a contender than Kenseth or Biffle. So, before NASCAR thinks about “expanding the Chase”, I hope they realize that they basically have two “field-fillers” (and a debatable one now that Bowyer is penalized to the back).
I am becoming more convinced – because I go to ~5 races a year and watch the rest on TV – not DVR – from beginning to end – that commercials are the single-largest item killing viewership. Not the Chase – whether it’s hated or not by 40% of the fans. Not being vs. the NFL – that’s always been like that. Not start times or any of this other tinkering. Unconscionable amounts of commercials. And there is basically no way to fix it in the current contract format, that I’m aware of. Anything you know that is REALISTIC that the networks might actually consider before their ratings drop below a 2.0?
Also, what did you mean by this:
“Why not us? The answer is: because you won’t”. Not sure what you were referring to?
Thanks as always for a great read, Sir!
Nathan