NASCAR: Chase Format Creating Drama Earlier This Year

Prior to the 2014 season, NASCAR announced that they would be changing the format for the Chase. Based on four rounds with three races each for the first three, fans and drivers alike were divided on what to think. However, it was safe to say that after the Chase ended last season and Kevin Harvick was crowned champion, everyone could agree that NASCAR made the right choice.

With the elimination method, drivers became more reliant on getting wins since that could get them to the next round. Bad finishes, though they are never good, were even worse for drivers because one bad race could spell the end to the season, since they likely wouldn’t be able to recover from the points deficit. This created lots of tension between drivers and we saw some get very irritated when they usually stay calm in the face of disagreements.

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NASCAR fans got their first taste of that after the fifth race of the Chase in 2014. Charlotte had just provided us with a great finish in which Kevin Harvick had recorded a win but that wasn’t the most thrilling part of the night. Brad Keselowski had gotten into minor incidents with Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin and he paid the price after the race. After a wild set of events involving many cars bumping and ramming each other, Keselowski attempted to get out of his car and was nearly confronted by Hamlin.

The night hit it’s highest point when Keselwoski, who was walking in between haulers on the way back to his own, was attacked from behind by Matt Kenseth. He put Keselowski in a head lock before things were broken up by crew members.

The next incident happened a few weeks later at Texas when Keselwoski shot the gap in a very controversial move that damaged Jeff Gordon’s tire and eventually sent him to a 29th place finish. Gordon calmly got out of his car and confronted Keselowksi about the issue and after a shove from Kevin Harvick, Keselowski was in the grasp of Jeff Gordon and the two were caught up in a fight between crew members. Bloody faces and hands came out of the fight and post-race interviews had all NASCAR fans caught up in the drama that was unfolding.

This season, the tense moments have started just one week into the Chase. At Chicagoland, Jimmie Johnson was forced down below the apron on a re-start. He tried to come up and damaged Kevin Harvick’s car, which ultimately led to the No. 4 car spinning and hitting the wall after a few laps of smoking. The incident caused the reigning champ to finish in 42nd place and drop to a disappointing 16th place in the Chase standings.

After the race, Harvick came out to give Johnson and firm push to the chest and had to be held back despite a calm Johnson attempting to walk away. Though the incident wasn’t as intense as last years events, it certainly caused an uproar and could make things interesting between the two in future races.

The higher sense of urgency is the cause for more entertaining races and it also causes disputes to occur after the race. NASCAR had slightly higher ratings and gained some more viewers after the drama that unfolded last season and it looks like this season could be even crazier.

NASCAR’s switch to this new format has caused nothing but success. With more being on the line, the smallest things can spark drivers to get mad and that creates a different feel coming into each new race.

One mistake any fan can make during the Chase is turning their TV off as soon as the winner crosses the line. With the new Chase format, you certainly cannot do that anymore, especially if something interesting has happened during the race. Keep an eye on events that come up afterwards in the following weeks because this year’s Chase is already setting up to be fun.

Next: Is Joey Logano Ready For A Championship?

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NASCAR: Chase Format Is Creating Drama Earlier This Year

By Cole Mentzel | Sep 24, 2015