NASCAR Sprint Chase for the Cup

[speedog]

Now I know there's many, many NASCAR haters in these forums, but the new playoff format NASCAR put into place for this year's Sprint Chase for the Cup is creating unbelievable drama and fireworks. 10 races in the playoffs, after the first 3 four drivers were knocked out, one more race left in the second set of three races and the fireworks at the end of the race in Charlotte this weekend were like nothing NASCAR has seen in a while - one driver going after and hitting three other driver's cars after the checkered flag followed by several fights in the pits and much more.

No doubt there'll be paybacks this coming weekend in Talladega - crew chiefs and drivers were already discussing paybacks during the running of this weekend's Charlotte race andsome of drivers who are safely into the next round are so relieved that they can just basically hang back and watch the craziness in this next race. Even crew chiefs and their associated drivers were hashing it out against each over over the radios.

Penalties and fines will most likely be handed out today which will just further add to the intensity of this year's Chase - I know many of you intensely dislike NASCAR but the Sprint Cup series in 2014 is going to be something else for the next five races with a final winner takes all race in Miami for the final four drivers. The champions (Keselowski and Johnson) for the last two years have to win next weekend to advance to the next round - playing it safe and coming in second or third won't cut it and one of them will not be advancing for sure if the other wins. Another past champion (Kenseth) is going to have to have the race of his career to advance - it will be intense at Talladega.

[speedog]

Talladega, Sunday at noon - speeds will be 195mph+ and there'll be accidents, most likely accidental and intentional.

Three drivers pretty much need to win to advance or they have to finish very high and have multiple other Chase drivers finish very low. Earnhardt has already stated that he con't be conservative - that he'll have to be aggressive and run near the front. Harvick has joked that he just start and park and watch the race because he's already through to the next round and the fireworks would be amusing to watch.

Look for there to be some payback moves towards the end of the race and especially so if it's apparent to some Chase driver's that they're not going to advance. Keselowski and Stewart are on probation for 4 races and have to be good boys - gonna be tough for Keselowski as he's at risk of not advancing and he's also got a number of other drivers who've set their sights on him, he is not a driver I'd wager money on to get through to the next round and not so much based upon his capabilities/equipment but more so that he's probably going to get turned at some point.

No F1 this weekend - might as well get some amusement out of NASCAR and there'll be plenty there to amuse/entertain this weekend in Talladega.

[e31]

Sorry, but you're doing a poor job selling this stuff on here. I began to read your sentences and they ended up sounding like a desperate Boomhauer.

My advice, if you are trying to get people hooked you need to start them off with a gateway neck-tan, Like listening to Earl Scruggs. Later you can tempt them with hardcore redneck activities like Nascar and Meth.

[mikestypes]

I love NASCAR, but only when I have pre-recorded it and can fast forward through the boring laps (usually laps 3-490 or so). NASCAR is really a great sport, but in almost all of the races are WAY too long and have too many cautions. They have to do something about the debrise cautions!

That said, I am torn on the new Chase format. If Kyle makes it to the final round, my opinion will probably change though!

[speedog]

Originally posted by e31
Sorry, but you're doing a poor job selling this stuff on here. I began to read your sentences and they ended up sounding like a desperate Boomhauer.

My advice, if you are trying to get people hooked you need to start them off with a gateway neck-tan, Like listening to Earl Scruggs. Later you can tempt them with hardcore redneck activities like Nascar and Meth.

Well let me start by apologizing that my penmanship is not up to a standard that befits your intelligence.

I guess what you do not know is that I actively enjoy watching pretty much all types of motorsports - motorbikes, boats, car. Monster trucks have no appeal to me but drag racing, F1, NASCAR, Indy, USAC, World of Outlaws, off road (trucks and motorbikes), trials - I find them all interesting and entertaining.

What I do know is that NASCAR was in quite a bit of a downward spin with the really only interesting series from the past few years being their truck series. NASCAR attempted to change some of this in the Sprint series back in 2004 with their Chase for the Cup, but in my opinion it didn't help their cause until this year when they brought in a playoff type of system.

At first, this playoff version of the Chase just seemed to be another grasp at keeping a struggling series somewhat relevant and even more so because I don't believe that any other racing series has in place anything similar - it was a bold move. But now at the halfway point of the 2014 Chase, I personally believe that what NASCAR did for the Sprint series is appearing to be brilliant as it has brought back in a level of competitiveness that hasn't been readily apparent for a long time - that's not to say that drivers/teams/owners weren't trying to be competitive but it was too easy to just run safe and still maybe win a championship. This year though under the new Chase format, running safe won't work.

In the end, I really don't care how much you berate myself or what I post - all I know is that the Sprint Cup race last weekend was one of the most entertaining races I've watched in any racing series for quite a few years and it wasn't because of the accidents (very few in fact) or the apparent copious quantities of meth that I consumed. The emotions/edginess that was all too apparent in many of the competitors, their crew chiefs and even owners really came to a head all throughout this last race and will only escalate going into Talladega this weekend.

In closing, if there is any kind of racing on the television I'll watch it (excepting monster trucks) but for now NASCAR's Sprint series is by far the most entertaining and unpredictable of any series that I'm aware of and for a motor sports racing fan, that unpredictability brings the entertainment level up quite a few notches. Anyhow, the sun is shining - got to get out in the back woods to work on that neck-tan, eh.

[speedog]

Originally posted by mikestypes
I love NASCAR, but only when I have pre-recorded it and can fast forward through the boring laps (usually laps 3-490 or so). NASCAR is really a great sport, but in almost all of the races are WAY too long and have too many cautions. They have to do something about the debrise cautions!

That said, I am torn on the new Chase format. If Kyle makes it to the final round, my opinion will probably change though!

I'd like to see Kyle get into the final round as well - I must admit he's exhibiting a lot more maturity this year and hopefully that bodes well for him. Myself, I'm an age old Petty Racing fan and it's been far too many dark years for them with little hope for them in the future as well. I wouldn't mind seeing Harvick winning or Bowyer see some success in the future as well and who knows, Patrick is showing some signs of promise - who'd have thought that.

As far as the length of the races, have to agree with you on that - how mind numbing must it be for the drivers to run at Talladega this weekend, probably at least 2.5 hours in their cars. Cut the race to half the distance like in the truck series and keep the playoff format - problem is the pressure from the race track owners and the television networks is what's keeping NASCAR from doing this. 500 miles is just too long - an old guy like me will fall asleep, thank god for the PVR. Martinsville though will be probably be worth watching for the whole event - a half mile flat curbed oval with 43 cars banging on it for 500 laps, always good for lots of action, emotions, and anger.

[SKR]

Watching NASCAR now is like watching a hockey game where the refs keep calling penalties to make sure the game ends up tied and has to go to overtime. I'm not saying it's scripted, but it's less a race and more an engineering exercise. Things are constantly being changed or added or removed to keep things as tight as possible all the time, and that's not racing to me. I feel like NASCAR has an image of what it wants to be, and that's what they're trying to force it into rather than just letting it be what it is. I liked it much more when it was just 36 races, and each race stopped at the advertised distance. I never liked any of the chase formats, and I think at one point I probably liked the green-white-checkers format but now I hate that too.

Having said all that, I still watch a few races a year. Bristol, Darlington, Atlanta, Charlotte and the road courses. I'm not too interested in the rest of them anymore. I find the restrictor plate races to be completely unwatchable. If you're going to keep all the cars that tight all the time, just make the race 30 laps long. That's enough. There's no point in racing all afternoon just to get wrapped up in a 20 car wreck that NASCAR has designed. Have them start up, go around a few times, have the big smash up and then that's the end of it. There's no need for the rest of it.

[speedog]

So last lap, let's say Stewart's leading and Keselowski's second right on Stewart's bumper - does Keselowski turn Stewart for the possible win and no doubt ensuing fireworks? What of Johnson, Earnhardt, Kenseth or Kahne - would they turn anyone to get the win? Better yet, Keselowski leading and Kenseth on his tail. Too bad there'll most likely 475 miles of mostly fluff to get to the meat.

[ghostS10RT]

Been watching for years. Love it!! Wife and I have been to a few races too.
If you take it for what it's worth its good entertainment.