Chase V My Yearly Diatribe

By Keith Ott 

Yes, it is that time of year where I wax poetic about the evil NASCAR event. First, in case anyone is in doubt about my position on the (ugh, and I hate to type it) Chase. I just did a quick self check, and yep, I’m against it. It’s a bad format for racing. All the reasons wherein one might need a playoff are moot, as far as racing is concerned. The Playoff will never become a must see racing event, and as far as I know, no-one ever plans a Chase party, so it’s not really much of a fan event either. 

- Who needs a playoff? : The NFL, NBA, NHL, Baseball, and the SWNVL (Swedish Women Naked Volleyball League) need playoffs because they all can’t play each other at the same time under equal conditions. A playoff equalizes those factors, and okay, the SWNVL needs a playoff because there’s nothing else to do in Sweden, and it gets lots of votes. This isn’t so in NASCAR, or racing in general. Every team plays every other team, every week.  There are no easy schedules or home team advantages. They see each other every week. They earned the spots they’re in. If you’re #12 you’re there because after 26 races that’s the effort your team put out. I don’t care if your name is Earnhardt, Allison or Petty, if you’re #12, you don’t deserve a shot at #1.

- It’s a 36 race season:  But, hey, let’s just throw away those first 26 weeks. Why do we even have a season? We know at the start of the season, or pretty much so, who the best 10 or so teams are. Why waste all that time and gas on 26 races we don’t need?  Now, it seems to me that some sort of ratio of Wins/Consistency is what NASCAR fans want for a Champion. Then why a playoff? The #24 had all that, and a huge point lead going into the Chase last year. So, and no I really don’t like him, his consistency and winning gave him about a 700 pt lead at one time, but no, not with the playoff. Inconsistent, during the early 26, JJ came on with late wins and had a solid Chase. So, Gordon’s solid 26 weeks was trumped by Johnsons late run. Of course if NASCAR hadn’t adjusted the points, the guy who earned the title would have won. Twenty-six weeks of solid racing thrown into the dumpster. A NASCAR racing Champion should be someone who has shown, throughout ALL 36 weeks, I repeat, throughout ALL 36 weeks, that he/she has been there, with the team, and they got it done with wins and consistency. A NASCAR Champion isn’t a ten week wonder, or, IMO, it shouldn’t be.

 

-   A Playoff with no consequences: Getting into the playoffs is an honor, I suppose. But, we all know that there are not 12 guys that belong there. The 12^th place guy will garner over $1million more than the 13^th placed guy, even if he squeaked into 12th by just a point. #12 can then suck butt the rest of the season and still have that cool million. That, my friend,  is pure BS. Stewart missed the playoff in 2006, raced hard, and, in real points, would have finished the season in 6^th, I believe. The very premise of a playoff involves consequences. You win or you don’t go on. If they want a playoff then they need to whittle down the opportunities, so that at the end only the best, and I’m going with 5, are there. Them thar other pretenders lose their fake NASCAR points and are thrown back into the reality shark pit with the points they actually earned.

 

- Road races in the Playoff: Sure, why not? I’m for it, with a caveat. No “Ringers.” The regular season is over and road races were a part of it. A Road course can be part of the playoffs also, but I think the drivers should have participated in at least 80% of the regular season’s races to qualify. The playoff is no time for a veteran road racer to audition for a NASCAR ride possibly at the expense of influencing a Championship. Road racers may be, okay are, excellent drivers, but this is our playoff, our championship stretch, and part timers should not be allowed.

 

- A no win Champion: While Matt may have set the bar for a consistency championship, he did have a win. If you want to see how much fans love this Chase, let a non-winner take the title. NASCAR has never had one, but the Chase makes it more likely.

 

 

NASCAR’s Chase has no business in racing. Its purpose was solely to inflate TV ratings and put more green in the wallet. Race fans aren’t stupid and NASCAR, try as it does, isn’t the WWF. Get over the State Fair/Carnival attitude, NASCAR. You’re not a Mom and Pop operation any longer, and if you continue to steer this course, pushing the sport/entertainment envelope, you will lose fans. All sports are entertainment, but all entertainments are not sports. Again, JMO, and you might have a different one. What,  and I put a few ideas in there, would you do to fix it? Then again, you might not think it’s broken. You feel free to tell me to STFU, but be ready for an answer. You all have a fine NAVY day!

Note: Tomorrow my first girl is poppin’ out my first little grandsailor/rugrat. I have to hit sporting good stores, and I have to buy masks to change diapers. Posting will be sporadic.