NASCAR needs to drop the Chase waiver
When NASCAR introduced its revamped Chase format in 2014, it said that drivers needed to attempt a full season to be eligible.
But with the announcement less than two years removed from Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s concussion that sidelined him for two races and less than a year from Denny Hamlin’s back injury that put him on the bench for four, the sanctioning body said there was an exemption for drivers who missed races.
From the official Chase fact sheet:
“What if a driver is prevented from competing in one or more of the first 26 races due to injury or illness?”
“NASCAR, for rare instances, can waive the requirement of attempting to qualify for all of the first 26 races as long as the driver is in the Top 30 in points.”
Through the first 14 months of this Chase format’s existence, four drivers have missed races not counting the lengthy broken leg absences of Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart.
• Hamlin missed last year’s race at Auto Club Speedway with an eye issue. However, he attempted to qualify, and by the NASCAR rules, didn’t need a Chase waiver.
• Stewart missed three races in August after he struck and killed Kevin Ward during a dirt track race. Upon Stewart’s return to the track at Atlanta, he was given a waiver for the Chase. Stewart didn’t win at Atlanta and Richmond and missed the Chase.
• Brian Vickers missed the first two races of the 2015 season after heart surgery in December. When Vickers’ absence was announced NASCAR said that he would receive a waiver and be eligible for the Chase if he qualified.
• Wednesday, the sanctioning body reinstated Kurt Busch after his indefinite suspension that sidelined him for three races. With it, NASCAR waived the every race requirement to make the Chase as well.
Given how NASCAR has responded the same way to the three issues, “rare” isn’t applicable any longer. But rather than simply removing the phrase “for rare instances” in its Chase fact sheet, NASCAR should just drop the waiver altogether along with the requirement that a driver must attempt every race. If a driver wins and is in the top 30 in points, he or she should make the Chase, no matter how many races he or she attempts.
In the case of Vickers and Stewart, there’s little room to quibble with the Chase waiver. Vickers’ heart issue seems to fit well within the boundaries for which the exemption was initially designed, and while Stewart’s issue is a little less black and white, a man taking three weeks off to cope with an incredibly traumatic experience can certainly fit into the health category.
With Busch, the usage of the waiver is curious at best. The sanctioning body, tasked with both watching the civil and criminal courts involved in the assault accusation as well as the piercing stare of public perception in this post-Ray Rice world, decided to act swiftly when the civil court decision was explained. While you may feel that Busch was slighted with NASCAR’s indefinite suspension on Feb. 20, you must also see that NASCAR wasn’t presented with a scenario that had an obvious answer.
However, once the suspension was announced – for actions detrimental to stock car racing and a violation of the sport’s behavioral code – NASCAR needed to stick to its statement referencing the “serious nature” of the findings of a Delaware county commissioner.
If Busch had committed an act so egregious that it warranted his absence from the Daytona 500 (and subsequently two other races) it was also an act egregious enough to disqualify him from postseason play. The use of the waiver allows observers to infer that it’s a tacit admission by NASCAR that the suspension was harsh or even incorrect.
Dropping the waiver entirely would remove those inferences in any future situations.
As it stands right now, the “win and be in the top 30” rule to make the Chase is pretty self-selecting. A driver can’t miss more than five races and have a realistic shot of finishing in the top 30 in points. And besides, being in the top 30 is a moot point unless a driver wins one of first 26 races anyway. There’s no way – barring a Richard Petty-like domination that’s virtually impossible in the current state of the Cup Series – a driver can miss more than a race or two at most and hope to get into the Chase on points.
As NASCAR likes to point out, the beauty of the current system is that it values winning more than ever. And the emphasis on winning gives drivers – like Stewart, Vickers and Busch – the chance to make the Chase when they would stand no shot under old formats.
Excellence in the consistency department provides a nice buffer if a driver can’t get to victory lane and a clause preventing part-time teams and drivers from making the Chase. Because of the Chase’s outlines, Vickers and Busch still need to win one of the next 23 races to make the Chase. That’s a pretty big accomplishment and one that should automatically be rewarded with a playoff berth without the necessity of a waiver.
– – – – – – –
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!
