To Chase or Not To Chase
There’s no doubt that the Chase for the Nextel Cup has had an impact on the way the drivers and teams approach the first 26 races of the season. Yes, everyone would like to win every race, but each team knows that it’s consistency that will ultimately win out.
Take Matt Kenseth for instance. One could argue that one of the reasons there is a Chase format in place today is because of Kenseth’s run to the title in 2003. The Robbie Reiser led No. 17 bunch was on a roll. Their cars were fast every week, the ‘Killer Bees” were lightning fast on pit road and Matt led the point standings from week 4 until the end of the year. Critics of their run point to the fact that they only won one race that year, the third event of the season at Las Vegas.
Kenseth beat Jimmie Johnson by 90 points and the top 10 were separated by 860. This week with two races remaining before the Chase contenders are confirmed, point leader Johnson is leading Kenseth by a mere seven markers and the 4th through 10th place teams are separated by only 48.
It’s interesting to take a look at the situation that’s occurring this year in the Busch Series, running under the ‘old’ point system. Kevin Harvick is leading 2nd place Carl Edwards by 519 and 10th place Kenny Wallace is 1335 behind Harvick. So much for an interesting championship scenario for those guys.
Of course, many would point out that this year is an anomaly because so many Nextel Cup drivers (and teams) are participating in the Busch Series full time this year.
On the Cup side, it’s obvious that teams are thinking about points from the very beginning of the season. They know that they only have 26 race weekends during which they must perform at a high level, or risk being on the outside looking in when the championship “playoffs” start.
Seeing marquis drivers Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. miss the Chase last year seems to have gotten the attention of those in the garage area. Knowing that a mistake here or there could leave them without a chance at the big trophy is affecting the way the teams approach these last few races before the Chase. At Bristol Jeff Gordon’s crew chief Steve Letarte said he brought a car that was only about 90% as fast as it could be, sacrificing speed for reliability.
So, to Chase or not to Chase? There were a vast number of critics of the new system when it was first announced, but many of those have now seen the increased excitement it has brought to the end of the year and have become strong proponents. Not long ago I asked former driver Lake Speed what he thought of the Chase format.
“It’s a slam dunk.”, he said.
With only California and Richmond remaining until the point differentials are reconfigured, it seems that the ten contending teams in place, although there will definitely be movement within the top ten over the next two weeks.
During the time of year when many sports fans are looking more to college football and the NFL for their entertainment, NASCAR and Brian France have successfully brought a very stimulating playoff atmosphere to the table.
No wonder the sport continues to grow.