2010 NASCAR running thread

Wow, just like The Chase. :

 

I don't really mind the Chase, but I would like to see more of a nod given to the winner of the regular-season.

 

A bit more of a lead would be nice. But how is the Chase different from playoffs in other sports?
In the NFL, if you finish 14-2 you get homefield advantage and a bye but you don't start your first playoff game with a 24-0 lead.
In MLB, the NBA and NHL, you don't start the first round of the playoffs with a 2 games to none lead.
The Chase is different from how NASCAR did things for years, that's all. It's no worse than the playoffs in other sports, except you're still running full fields instead of 12 cars (which would be boring as hell).

 

NASCAR, more than any other sport, needs to reward season-long excellence and consistency due to factors that are largely out of a team's control, such as getting caught up in wrecks and mechanical problems.

You blow an engine on the first lap of the first Chase race and you're basically out of it. I think Teh Chase is incredibly lame.

 

WFW

 

Interesting point made by Nate Ryan of USA Today ...<blockquote>RT: @nateryan: Deep thought walking into California garage today: Original owner Roger Penske once envisioned expanding track to 200,000 seats. #nascar</blockquote>Yeah, how'd that work out?

 

And if a quarterback blows his knee out in the first quarter of a playoff game, that team is done. See Palmer, Carson.

 

That's not a good comparison.

 

Why not?

You're saying an entire season of success can be ruined by one shitty thing happening in the first round of the playoffs. How is that different from football?

 

Somebody can come off the bench and lead a football team to victory. It can happen. Maybe it won't happen, but it can.

But cars that blow engines don't get to come back and win that race - they're done for the day. Without exception.

And a DNF in the Chase is absolutely crippling.

Unlike football, you can lose a NASCAR playoff race and still win the championship. But it's awfully difficult to do it with a DNF.

 

Because, at the next race, you have a new engine and a new car.. You are ready to go. But you have NO shot to win becasue you got a DNF.

And then there's Talladega, where no matter how good you are, your at the mercy of luck.

In football, if you lose Palmer, you are toast. Even if you win the game, You don't sign Tom Brady to start the next playoff game against the Colts.
You can not accurately compare the two. It's apples to bananas.