NASCAR 2014

[abpk2903]

I doubt anyone here really is into NASCAR (or willing to admit it) but behind college football and hockey, it strikes highly on my interest radar. I thought I would put a post up for the year to come to keep anyone that doesn't follow it too closely but will watch the Daytona 500 this week of generally wants to be kept in the loop.

NASCAR changed its playoff structure (again) so here is how you become this years champion:

-Win at least 1 of the first 26 (regular season) races of the year. This will grant you an automatic birth in the playoffs. If at least 16 drivers don't win a race (it's only happened 1 time in the chase era) the rest of the 16 car field will be set by highest point earners throughout the season.

-The points of the 16 "playoff" qualifiers reset to equal footing.

-Race 27, 28, and 29 are the opening rounds of the playoffs. If you win any of these 3 races you move on. If not, the remaining of the 12 slots into the next round are filled by points. So if there are 3 different winners 9 highest non-winning point scorers move on. If one driver wins all 3 races then the 11 highest non-winning point scores also move on.

-Race 30, 31, and 32 is the second round of the playoffs. 8 drivers move on the same way as the 1st round. If any of the remaining playoff contenters win one if these 3 races they automatically advance.

-Race 33, 34, and 35 is the "semifinals" and reduces the field from 8 to 4 in the same format as round 1 and 2 of the playoffs.

-All drivers eliminated to this point are competing for 5th place.

-Race 36 is the championship race. The highest finishing driver of the 4 remaining is the champion.

NASCAR implemented this format to "emphasize" winning. Ironically, with this format last year, Dale Jr. would have won the championship without winning a race. So the winner of Sunday's Daytona 500 will clinch a spot in the playoffs which don't start until after Labor Day.

[Eaglealum]

There's flaws with every system. Obviously this is to draw fans back and for TV . Could be good. Just like other sports, I'm a little bit old fashioned, with "any change is bad" in the back of my head, but you must evolve or die I guess. I'm done when they go to "green cars" ... Just saying

[konjo78]

I really like the system, yes it does have more impacts for winning a race but also it allows the super consistent top drivers like earnhardt to be rewarded. Even in the old system last year little E would of won. I think it will make races more enjoyable to watch at the end

[abpk2903]

I've had an idea for years on a way to draw excitement.

The PGA has it's diehard fans that watch every single tournament Thursday to Sunday. But when a major is on, a few more (like myself) are more likely to tune in. Same with Tennis.

Why doesn't NASCAR adopt some type of "major" for its races? Not many people will watch 36 races a year but why not try to get them to watch 6. It draws people to the sport and who knows maybe they will like what they see and they will tune in to some of the non-major events. Here's my thought:

-Have 4 pre-set majors a year (Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400, and the Championship 400)

-Rotate 2 open "National" events each year. This can rotate among tracks.

-Have astronomical purses for these major, encourage older drivers (Martin, Burton, B Labonte, Michael Waltrip, K Petty, ect) to try to make the field to generate interest from the older NASCAR fans.

-Put the race on Primetime national TV. Yes NASCAR, it's time to showcase your sport on a Monday or Thursday evening.

-The winner of a major gets automatic entrance to majors for the following 5 seasons.

[Manfred]

NHRA. I am a fan of things mechanical, but not necessarily Nascar. I love the smell of nitro in the morning! My opinion, watching Nascar is like watching a tennis match. I get more excitement out of someone who builds a 4 wheel hand grenade, and races down the strip and hope their mechanical skills were good enough to keep it together. For the cost of admission, you can get within mere feet of the cars and their crews in the pits as they thrash them apart and back together in an hour between rounds. An admission ticket doesn't cost you a days' wages. With a linear grandstand within a hundred feet of the track, you're closer to the action than nosebleed seats in an oval grandstand. IMO, just a better experience for the money. For oval track races, I prefer the World of Outlaws dirt sprint cars for excitement.

[abpk2903]

I hear a NHRA is incredible.

[konjo78]

Watching the duels last night made me think a little. How successful could qualifying races be in NASCAR? Shorten the Sunday race and also give it a smaller field. Have Friday be 2-3 races narrowing down the field to the top 30 or so drivers. Have Sunday be about half the distance but it feels more like a final day at the track. Have the Friday races be kind of the ccuts like in golf

[bleacherbum]

NASCAR needs to have the same format as the local dirt tracks.
Draw pills run heats, then a B main and A main. If you don't make the field load up and move on. Shorten the feature by about 400 laps. Then throw the green flag and guys would have to race. Instead of riding along for 3 hours waiting until 100 laps. I love racing but hate NASCAR !

Couldn't agree more with Manfred, if you have never been to a NHRA event and like motor sports it's a must! TV does not do the true power and speed justice,
The same stands true for professional motrcross.

[abpk2903]

A problem with NASCAR over the years is they developed this little league mentality that everyone gets to play. Richard Petty and DW started missing a few races in the early 1990s so they panicked and created owner point provisionals, past champion provisionals, created 43 car fields, allowed teams to buy smaller team points and starting spots, and so on over the years. I like you idea, only let 30 cars race. Force good cars to make the field. If Jeff Gordon or Danica Patrick misses a race, so be it get better. That would be like Tiger shooting 15 over par Thursday and Friday yet allowing him to tee of Saturday 2 strikes behind te leader while another golfer who shot +3 over those 2 days goes home.

[bleacherbum]

The problems with Nascar began when the rich owners started buying four and five car teams.
It's always the same three or four owners that win.
Big dollar owners ruined NASCAR the same way it ruined baseball.