Is it really working? New Chase format not without its flaws | FOX Sports
![Image]()
With one more race before the final Championship 4 are set, some of the most dominant teams are facing elimination while mediocrity and consistency are rising to the top.
So far in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, it's been a wild eight races.
We've seen Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon, two of the sport's most seasoned and sensible veterans, each go berserk and try to throttle Brad Keselowski after races.
There have been six different winners in eight races, passionate racing, fantastic finishes and more excitement then we've had in NASCAR in decades. All of that has been great.
The Chase math, on the other hand, doesn't add up. Not even close. Consider the following:
Joey Logano -- two wins in eight races, tied for most in the series; six top-five finishes, most in series; average finish of 5.25, best in series. 4,072 points, tied for first place.
Denny Hamlin -- zero wins in 8 races; zero top-five finishes; average finish of 13.375, ranked seventh among 8 Chase drivers. 4,072 points, tied for first place.
What is wrong with this picture?
In a word, everything.
When the season began, NASCAR told us it was all about winning. Win a race and you're in the Chase.
It was thrilling to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. win the Daytona 500 and lock himself in. It was thrilling to see Keselowski and Joey Logano win a bunch of races for Team Penske. It was thrilling to see Kurt Busch win his first race with Stewart-Haas Racing and Kasey Kahne get in at the last minute. And it damn sure was exciting to see underdogs like Aric Almirola and AJ Allmendinger win to make the Chase.
Winning wasn't just everything, it was the only thing.
But the law of unintended consequences once again has reared its ugly head.
In this case, it's the Chase format. Win a race and a driver automatically advances to the next round. But in the Eliminator Round, none of the Chasers has won either of the first two races, so at least three and maybe four of the slots in the championship round at Homestead will be awarded on points. Points racing is back with a vengeance.
The top three guys in points right now are Logano, Hamlin and Ryan Newman. Hamlin hasn't won since the spring Talladega race and has only six top fives all year. Ryan Newman is winless on the season and has four top fives. Newman hasn't won any poles and has led only 41 laps in 34 races.
Logano has more wins and more top fives himself than Hamlin and Newman combined.
Understand, I mean no disrespect to Hamlin or Newman, but neither has done enough this year to merit championship contention.
Some people will argue they do belong. I've heard several folks say, "But, but, but ... It's like when a No. 14-seed beats a No. 3-seed in the NCAA men's hoops tournament!"
No, it's not.
The NASCAR underdogs high in Chase points aren't beating the field. They're not winning a bunch of races or running in the top two or three every week. They just aren't. It's not their fault -- they're doing the best they can, racing as hard as they can and consistently finishing sixth or eighth or 10th or 15th.
To me, those are pretty good numbers, maybe even very good numbers. But they damn sure aren't championship numbers.
All year long, the consistent message we've gotten from NASCAR is: "Winning is everything!"
And winning has provided plenty of drama thrills so far.
Let's hope winning -- and not finishing sixth or eighth -- determines the champion.
With one more race before the final Championship 4 are set, some of the most dominant teams are facing elimination while mediocrity and consistency are rising to the top.
So far in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, it's been a wild eight races.
We've seen Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon, two of the sport's most seasoned and sensible veterans, each go berserk and try to throttle Brad Keselowski after races.
There have been six different winners in eight races, passionate racing, fantastic finishes and more excitement then we've had in NASCAR in decades. All of that has been great.
The Chase math, on the other hand, doesn't add up. Not even close. Consider the following:
Joey Logano -- two wins in eight races, tied for most in the series; six top-five finishes, most in series; average finish of 5.25, best in series. 4,072 points, tied for first place.
Denny Hamlin -- zero wins in 8 races; zero top-five finishes; average finish of 13.375, ranked seventh among 8 Chase drivers. 4,072 points, tied for first place.
What is wrong with this picture?
In a word, everything.
When the season began, NASCAR told us it was all about winning. Win a race and you're in the Chase.
It was thrilling to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. win the Daytona 500 and lock himself in. It was thrilling to see Keselowski and Joey Logano win a bunch of races for Team Penske. It was thrilling to see Kurt Busch win his first race with Stewart-Haas Racing and Kasey Kahne get in at the last minute. And it damn sure was exciting to see underdogs like Aric Almirola and AJ Allmendinger win to make the Chase.
Winning wasn't just everything, it was the only thing.
But the law of unintended consequences once again has reared its ugly head.
In this case, it's the Chase format. Win a race and a driver automatically advances to the next round. But in the Eliminator Round, none of the Chasers has won either of the first two races, so at least three and maybe four of the slots in the championship round at Homestead will be awarded on points. Points racing is back with a vengeance.
The top three guys in points right now are Logano, Hamlin and Ryan Newman. Hamlin hasn't won since the spring Talladega race and has only six top fives all year. Ryan Newman is winless on the season and has four top fives. Newman hasn't won any poles and has led only 41 laps in 34 races.
Logano has more wins and more top fives himself than Hamlin and Newman combined.
Understand, I mean no disrespect to Hamlin or Newman, but neither has done enough this year to merit championship contention.
Some people will argue they do belong. I've heard several folks say, "But, but, but ... It's like when a No. 14-seed beats a No. 3-seed in the NCAA men's hoops tournament!"
No, it's not.
The NASCAR underdogs high in Chase points aren't beating the field. They're not winning a bunch of races or running in the top two or three every week. They just aren't. It's not their fault -- they're doing the best they can, racing as hard as they can and consistently finishing sixth or eighth or 10th or 15th.
To me, those are pretty good numbers, maybe even very good numbers. But they damn sure aren't championship numbers.
All year long, the consistent message we've gotten from NASCAR is: "Winning is everything!"
And winning has provided plenty of drama thrills so far.
Let's hope winning -- and not finishing sixth or eighth -- determines the champion.
