NASCAR Chase 2014: Excitement at What Cost?

Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

So the 2014 Chase is upon us. The hype is deafening, Facebook cover photos and Instagram profile pictures have changed to support one of the 16 ‘Chase Nations’ (urgh), and this weekend the world’s most audacious playoffs kick off. To misquote Fall Out Boy, you will remember this for centuries.

Or at least, NASCAR hopes you will.

Consider this article as two things. First, it is my final word on the Chase before it begins. Believe it or not, I get no kick out of slamming a motorsport series, not least one of my favorite since childhood. Second, if in ten weeks time I’ve changed my tune, feel free to point to this article and tell me to go put the biggest humble pie mankind has ever seen in the oven, set to Gas Mark Egg-On-Own-Face.

But I don’t think that will happen. And here’s why.

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Stick with me here, as I’m gonna talk about a sport you probably don’t know about – snooker. It has three marquee events; the World Championship, the UK Championship and the Masters. Sort of like their Daytona 500, Southern 500 and All-Star Race. A few years ago, a boxing promoter named Barry Hearn took over the sport, becoming if you will their Brian France. And like Brian France, his first instinct was to immediately try and freshen up the game to appeal to a cooler, more hip audience than the old grannies in row A at every tournament. Some events introduced gimmicks like shot clocks, and a lot of events had match lengths shortened. Crucially, the players went along with these changes to a certain extent. But when Hearn tried to bring such features to the three marquee events, the players swiftly turned. Their argument was simple – shorter matches and gimmicks would devalue the luster and significance of such monumental occasions. These crown jewel events were the pinnacle of any player’s career, and as such should not be watered down for a fickle majority audience, thus disenfranchising the hardcore fans and devaluing the achievements of any players winning such events.

This is where we come back to NASCAR, because this is my biggest problem with the current Chase. The pinnacle of any stock car driver’s career being reduced to patronizing marketing spin and awful reality-TV gimmicks? I can’t go for that. What’s worse is the awful feeling that NASCAR is talking down to its own fan base. ‘Hey grandad, no-one cares about your tradition or unscripted dramatic moments immortalized in NASCAR history forever! All the cool kids like football and baseball and watch reality TV so we’re doing that!’ And I would baulk at any suggestions that I and any opponents of the Chase are Luddites fearful of change. I’m all for innovation, as long as it’s an actual step forward and not a sideways step off a cliff.

Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

The Chase in its current form just creates more problems than it solves. Yes, it makes winning races more important, but the new points system implemented a few seasons ago does that anyway. Yes, it guarantees by hook or by crook that the title will go down to the final race, to a ludicrously over-scripted degree, but many times that already happened. The Nationwide Series and Truck Series are still often decided by fine margins, as is every motorsport around the world, even F1. Yes it ensures excitement, but guess what? I’m a motorsport fan. I get excited merely by the flag dropping at the start of a race. And when a super close race or title fight breaks out, like the Truck race at Mosport or Cup at Watkins Glen, that’s even better. And telling someone ‘actually that’s really boring you have to get excited by THIS!!’ is the fastest way to disillusion someone.

And as for the problems? Well what about the glaring one, where consistency and hard work over a season can be ruined and an average driver can luck into a championship? I’m sorry, but a driver who performed really well for one out of 26, maybe 35 races does not deserve to be on the same footing as someone consistently strong and out front in all races. Remember what I said about degrading achievements? Giving drivers a second, third, fourth and fifth chance to undeservedly fluke a championship is the fastest way to devalue the massive achievement winning stock car racing’s biggest prize should be. It still saddens me that Jimmie Johnson is not given the credit he deserves as his six titles were won under the old Chase format – and the new format will only increase this feeling of resentment.

Meanwhile, what of the 27 roadblocks circulating for no other reason other than to fulfill sponsor commitments and potentially ruin a Chase driver’s season? Imagine a Super Bowl with all the other teams already eliminated also on the pitch, getting in the way of the QB and interfering with plays. This is essentially what will be happening for the next ten weeks. At least the British Super-bikes gives drivers not in the ‘Chase’ a trophy and something to race for in the closing weeks of the season.

People probably wondered why I made such a big deal about the recent Michigan test. Simple – it’s because that more than anything showed the direction NASCAR can go in to pack out the grandstands once again. If the dreadful Richmond race proved anything, it’s that no amount of gimmicks and mainstream marketing can pull the wool over the eyes of fans. And if we get ten more races like that in the Chase, no amount of hype and PR spin will save it. The fans want great racing – they don’t walk away from a sport they love after one less-than-exciting season finale. They do if you treat them like their opinions and love for the sport doesn’t matter.

I’ll see you all on the other side…

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