I've been so wrapped up in the Olympics (the fact that they're ending is probably a good thing for the sake of my normal life) that I almost completely forgot that the Daytona 500 is on Sunday. And that means the start of NASCAR season along with it. Or, as I like to call it, nine months until Jimmie Johnson inevitably wins another Sprint Cup (yawn!).
Speaking of Jimmie Johnson, that brings me to the new rules for the Chase this season. I absolutely love them. The whole point of the Chase in the first place was to increase excitement at the end of the NASCAR season. Well, when everybody knows Jimmie Johnson's ultimately going to win the championship, the excitement of the late-season races is gone and everyone's watching football instead. Something had to be done to make the end of the season less boring (and seem less predetermined), and I think this new elimination format was a great way to do that.
The field for the Chase has been increased from 12 to 16 and they're putting a greater emphasis on wins, which had always been one of the problems with all previous NASCAR scoring systems. After all, the whole point of being in a race is to try and win it. Now a win in the regular season guarantees you a spot in the Chase. Then they fill in the rest of the field based on points. The only person guaranteed to get in on points is the leader, who you'd figure would have to have at least a couple wins anyway. And once the Chase starts, there's no seeding of drivers. Everyone's points are reset to 2000, with three added for each win. Then the fun starts.
My favorite part, though, is the new elimination system. Just like a lot of other sports, they're going to have rounds of the playoffs. Four guys are eliminated after each of the first three races in the Chase, leaving the finale at Miami as a shootout between the top four guys. Whoever finishes highest among those four wins the title. Nice and straightforward. No figuring out how many places somebody needs to beat somebody else by or anything like that. Not only will this format make it more exciting, it'll make things a lot easier to understand.
I also like it that the guys who are eliminated will have their points reset again back to the regular format. Now everyone who misses the Chase isn't automatically left fighting for no better than 13th place. You can not make the Chase and still finish as high as fifth in the final standings if you have a great finish.
There's only one problem with this new system that I can foresee. I'm concerned that it would make the pre-Chase races somewhat less relevant. What happens with that guy who wins a race in May, then is content to simply be in the middle of the pack since his place in the Chase is already secured? Of course, NASCAR has built in fail-safes in an attempt to prevent something like that from happening, but I still think it's possible that we'll see it as the Chase gets closer. Especially since a win and being in the Top 30 isn't very hard for the full-time drivers.
Regardless, I think this new format will be incredibly exciting, and it's worth seeing how it works. Some of the drivers seem a little unhappy with it, but I think even they'd concede that NASCAR is ultimately for the fans. And the fans, by and large, are going to eat this up. NASCAR had become boring and predictable. You can't fault them for wanting to do something to change that. Or for listening to the complaints of critics who correctly pointed out that drivers weren't being rewarded enough for winning.
Now moving on to the Great American Race...The No. 3 car is back, and Austin Dillon will have it on the pole. I'm still not sure how I feel about the No. 3 being back in circulation, but it does seem kind of fitting that the number will return to NASCAR on the same track where Dale Earnhardt was lost. Dillon's got big shoes to fill. Hopefully he can live up to the legacy of the Intimidator.
As for my prediction about the race, it'll probably be all the usual suspects. I've got a feeling it's going to be Matt Kenseth that takes the checkered flag, though. That's my official pick.
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