NASCAR: Drivers Share Thoughts/Critiques On Chase Thus Far
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The chase was supposed to change everything this season in NASCAR. The revamped chase model was supposed to make winning the most important thing and it was also going to bring back the excitement that has been missing in the sport the last handful of years. Thus far the chase has received mixed reviews from the fans. Some NASCAR fans are taking the wait-and-see approach while others have already made up their minds one way or the other about how they feel about the chase.
Along with fans, the drivers also seem to have mixed feelings about the chase. One of the topics that was brought up recently with some drivers courtesy of FoxSports.com was whether or not the points should be reset following each round of the chase. Below are some of the comments from drivers about the points being reset and bonus points for victories not carrying over into the next round of the chase.
Carl Edwards
"I hesitate to talk about any ‘shoulds’ or whatever, because I feel like whatever points system we have, we should just keep it the same for a long time so that it has the highest level of credibility and it’s easiest to understand. I just hope we keep this the way it is for a while, you know what I mean?"
Kasey Kahne
"I don’t necessarily care, because it’s kind of the first year for this new format, and we have to kind of see how it goes. To me, it’s fine. It’s exactly how NASCAR wants it, at this point, so I don’t need to critique it."
Brad Keselowski
"It’s much, much harder to get a foothold on the Chase this year as far as a foothold on the top, because you win a race, and, well, that was great, because three races later it means nothing,. You win another race, (and) alright, three races later, it means nothing. You win another race, (and) alright that was great and it means nothing. You’re like, ‘damn,’ you know? At some point I’d like to be rewarded, but who wouldn’t?It’s still the same rules for everyone and as long as that’s the case, that’s all you can ask for. The rules are what they are, you know. So we’ve just got to make the most of them."
Ryan Newman
"I don’t think it’s fair for them for a guy like me, who hasn’t won a race at all this year, to come in and be equal with them going into this next three-race bracket.We’re not other sports. We can’t lose that fact. We’re still not other sports. This isn’t stick-and-ball and is nothing to do with anything like that, so I struggle to compare ourselves to other sports. We’ve made a really good living being ourselves, and we can’t lose that side."
Joey Logano
"Sitting in the shoes that I am right now, yes, I would love it. If I was sitting in someone else’s shoes right now, I might say, ‘No, no. Three thousand (points) for everyone’s great.’ So I think it just all depends. But I think we’ve kind of set this whole thing up to reward the win. The win’s a reward to get into the Chase, and it’s the reward that gets you through to the next round."
Feelings on whether the chase should be used or not, how do you feel about the points being reset after each round? Be sure to comment below to let us know what you think!
Christopher Olmstead is the Editor of BeyondTheFlag.com on the FanSided Network. Follow us on Twitter @Beyond_The_Flag and “Like” us on Facebook.