NASCAR rant: Not drinking the Daytona 500 Kool-Aid

Are you talking about the same system that both the NHRA and the PGA have now modeled theirs after?

 

NHRA's actually might work, but interest in drag racing is, has and always will be niche.

PGA's is going to blow, just like NASCAR's. "Playoffs" in those sports are just dumb -- they don't all have to be the NFL, dammit.

 

Oh, I'm not arguing that, nor am I defending the Chase.

But I'm saying NASCAR's not the only group doing it, though it was the first.

 

But ... but ... but ... that's points racing, and we can't have that.

Remember that the Chase came about after the 2003 season, when Matt Kenseth won once (the third race of the season, at Vegas), wrapped up the points title sometime in mid-August and went into the tank in late September. He had just 11 finishes outside the top 10 -- five of them were in the final eight races. He dominated the season, but he'll best be remembered for playing it safe, racing for points, and blowing up after 28 laps in the season finale at Homestead. (Lord knows what Roush had done to that engine. Guess it's never too early to start testing for the next season.)

I think what NASCAR really needs is not a Chase or a not-a-Chase or a shorter (or longer) schedule or races in Montreal or five more points for a win. What NASCAR really needs is a new Dale Earnhardt or an early 90s version of Jeff Gordon - someone who wins just about every race, someone you either love or hate -- someone like the Yankees or the Patriots or Tiger Woods or Duke. Right now NASCAR doesn't have that dominating, polarizing figure.

 

I'll admit that NASCAR needed to put much more points weight on wins in the old system, but the Chase was a massive overreaction to the Kenseth thing. Not to mention a failed attempt to try and steal the NFL's thunder.

 

This is a very good point, but now I wonder what the reaction would be if someone started dominating all the races. NASCAR has gone so far out of its way to even the competition that one person winning all the time would look fishy, too.

 

Probably. But think back to last year's Busch season, when Harvick clinched the title by Memorial Day. If that had happened in Cup, Brian France would have jumped off a flag stand as the field was coming to green. So would the ESPN guy who approved the TV deal.

Maybe NASCAR is imitating football the wrong way. Instead of trying to compete with the playoffs, maybe NASCAR needs a shorter schedule. (Definitely shorter races - the Cali race Sunday is too long by half or so.) People freak over the NFL (and college football, too) because Every Game Matters. It's hard to get excited about much of NASCAR's June-July-August schedule.

Maybe NASCAR just needs to get David Pearson out of retirement.

 

You're giving Kyle WAY too much credit. It wasn't about losing his push it was about not being able to block Harvick. We all saw what happened when he pushed the issue harder against Kenseth. Get rid of the Shrub and alot of the late cautions will go away as well.

 

Guarantee he'd win at least three.

 

Playthrough: I agree with you on Pocono. I'd add about 8-10 others, too.

Matt: Lil' Busch has a (well-deserved) bad rep at the plate tracks. I was surprised he went 199.90 laps Sunday without taking out a few cars. He can drive - just not at Daytona or Dega. Not yet anyway.