Happy Hour: Once again, we’re talking about the Chase format
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Welcome to the final race of the year. Does it feel at all that the year has flown by? If it does, don’t worry, we’ll be in Daytona soon enough and wondering where the heck the offseason went.
Here’s what the points standings would look like entering the race with the old Chase. It’d be Joey Logano’s title to lose, which possibly explains why Kevin Harvick was antagonizing him last night. Logano took it about the best way he could, and judging by his reactions, it’s doubtful Harvick’s comments affected him at all.
1. Joey Logano, 2,368
2. Kevin Harvick, 2,342
3. Brad Keselowski, 2,320
4. Jeff Gordon, 2,312
5. Ryan Newman, 2,311
6. Matt Kenseth, 2,296
7. Denny Hamlin, 2,293
8. Kyle Busch, 2,280
9. Carl Edwards, 2,278
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2,271
11. AJ Allmendinger, 2,256
12. Jimmie Johnson, 2,239
13. Greg Biffle, 2,245
14. Kurt Busch, 2,229
15. Kasey Kahne, 2,202
16. Aric Almirola, 2,170
The stone-facedness of the drivers during the press conference Wednesday night was a little odd. It almost felt at times like it was an interrogation. Sure, Harvick was having some fun, but he had his best poker face on. When the drivers were paraded out on stage in front of the assembled media and cameras before they sat down at the podium, if you would have photoshopped in a jail booking room background they would not have looked out of place in the slightest.
Things lightened up when each driver had his one-on-one sessions, but the stares, especially at the beginning, were impossible to ignore.
Ryan Newman was one of the four at Wednesday’s gathering and we all know how he got there by now, right? Let’s start off with some Newman reaction.
What Ryan did in Phoenix was completely different than what Brad did at Texas: Brad took out a chase contender and out of contention before the eliminator round. Gordon lost a minimum of 26 spots. Brad was the cause of the 24 not advancing. Ryan bumped a fellow racer into the wall in the last corner of the eliminator round to advance to the final 4. His fellow racer lost 2 spots. Ryan was sorry and would explain to Larson and Larson understood the position he was in and understood. Brad didn’t want to talk or explain his action and basically blew his competitor off. After all was said and done Brad wouldn’t have advanced unless he won Phoenix.
Bottom line is Newman is respected and explained his actions to his fellow driver and the media. Brad basically told his fellow driver to pound sand and he is who he is and won’t change his driving habits or his attitude … YOU GET RESPECT WHEN YOU EARN AND GIVE RESPECT. If every driver drove like Brad did in Texas we would have 30 or 40 cautions a race and a lot of banged up race cars. If you want demolition derby go to your local track!! – Steve
Steve, you’re right, what Newman did was totally different than Keselowski did. Nor am I sure how it can be any better.
What Keselowski did at Texas was make an aggressive move for the win, and a move that was necessary under the circumstances. Was there a chance of contact? Yes. Was there the intention of Gordon having a cut tire or going into the wall? Not sure.
Newman flat made a video game move. And, yes, it too was necessary under the circumstances. But with Newman, the way he drove into Larson ensured Larson would slide out of the groove and into the wall, giving Newman the spot.
That’s where I draw the line. I don’t fault Newman for making the move at all. But the environment of NASCAR and the new Chase allowed it. In the ever-ambiguous “Boys have at it” era, there was little to no chance of Newman getting a penalty, especially since the move created the drama at Phoenix that NASCAR’s system was designed to do.
And, simply put, the video game move is more of a demolition derby move that Keselowski’s. If every driver drove like Newman did in Phoenix we would have 30 or 40 cautions a race and a lot of banged up race cars. See what I did there?
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I can’t believe that there are people who actually like this year’s chase format. Having a driver like Jeff Gordon not being able to drive for a championship is unbelievable! NASCAR is not football, basketball, or hockey. If Nascar wants to follow their playoff system then follow it completely. All contenders that are not in the “playoffs” go home for the season. I’m sure that would sell a lot of tickets. Who cares about consistency throughout the season, just win one race and you know you’re in. Once the “playoffs” start just ride around like Newman did, never competing for a win. It will really be hilarious if Gordon win and Newman finish second next week. The driver who never won a race being crowned champion while the driver who had the most total points for the season won’t even be acknowledged. What a joke! – William
Nascar has made Sprint Cup a crapshoot. Gordon, Brad, Johnson and Little E have 17 wins combined. Newman has none & Hamlin didn’t even race a full schedule. How is Nascar going to hold fans when one race decides progressing & 3 of 4 drivers are in must win position. 3 doesnt go into one. Suspense wins. – Timothy.
I do agree about the point of suspense winning. Anyone lauding the format for the drama it’s creating needs to realize that the lauding isn’t necessarily a compliment but rather a statement of fact. The Chase system is producing what it is designed to do. The upside is the goal.
The best teams in other sports are eliminated early all the time. I’m not sure that’s the best argument, especially because it was applicable under the old Chase too. But I totally understand the frustration of a one-win and no-win driver in the final round of the Chase given the incredible and overbearing emphasis on winning by NASCAR and partners this season.
While a Newman title would be perfectly logical when you dive down into the points system, it’s a walking marketing contradiction.
I’m all for giving the winners of races more points, as I’ve said before in this space. But, again, should NASCAR really be changing this format just one year into what everyone associated with the sport claims is a fantastic system? The Chase already changes every 2.75 years, should the average go down even further, even if it’s a necessary move to marry reality with the ideal public relations perception? It may be a necessary move, but it could come at a significant credibility cost.
Also, on the points format note, look for a modest proposal on Friday. I’ve got ideas, and that’s dangerous.
The word “execution” was heavily emphasized on Wednesday night, and it included having a fast car, good restarts and no mistakes on pit road. I think the latter two are more important than the first one.
While long green flag run speed will be important, we know that in the current Cup Series, the cost of a pit road mistake can be astronomical. So can the cost of a poor restart. While you can make up spots on restarts and spots on pit road, you can lose them a lot faster with dropped lugnuts, unsecure tires, penalties, or any number of different mistakes. Especially as we get late in the race as we’ve seen the propensity for late-race cautions increase this season.
Sunday’s Cup champion may not have had a flawless race, but it’ll be a race that had the smallest mistake. We saw how tough it was for Logano and Hamlin to fight through traffic at Phoenix last week after a penalty (Logano) and a flat tire (Hamlin). Having the fastest car on track is only good for so much if there’s a big mistake.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
