NASCAR: The Chase Needs A Heads Up Format

From my understanding, the creation of the new Sprint Cup Chase has always been about three things; late season excitement, an emphasis on winning, and a more mainstream playoff format. With that being said, what if NASCAR really could format its playoff system to be more like that of the NBA, NFL and NHL?

The new Chase format is already similar to more traditional sports in the way that it consists of a set number of rounds until the championship is decided in a four-car fight to the finish at the end of the season. While that’s all well and good, what if NASCAR could take their format a step further and institute actual matchups and divisions into their playoff system?

The idea would work like this. Once the postseason begins, the 16 driver field is divided into the two groups. The first group would consist of the drivers that placed in an even numbered chase spot (2, 4, 6, 8), while the second group would consist of drivers who fell into an odd numbered chase spot (1, 3, 5, 7).

From there the chase would begin as normal, but instead of drivers gaining points for every position they gain on the track, they would only gain points for drivers that they passed in their group during a race. This will work to the make the points a little tighter and make eliminations a bit more interesting as well.

Then, instead of eliminating the four drivers from one group at the end of three races, two drivers would be eliminated from each of the two groups. While some fans might think that this change wouldn’t really effect the elimination aspect of the chase, it would make it a little easier for drivers to avoid elimination after only one bad race, especially with the aforementioned tighter points system in place.

After the usual three rounds of eliminations (two for each team after each round), the four remaining drivers would then be paired together and championship weekend would commence as normal. NASCAR could choose to do a heads up format for the championship weekend of the chase, but that wouldn’t be as climatic as what championship weekend currently offers at the end of the season.

Another idea that could really put the Chase for The Sprint Cup on the same level as more traditional sports playoffs would be to institute a heads up format. This format, like the last one, would involve seeding, but would act more like a best of three basketball playoff system and would allow for drivers to compete with drivers of different strengths on a more of a one-on-one level.

This format would work by pairing up the 16 drivers that qualify for the chase and having them compete to see who can get the most points at the end of a three race round. At the end of the round, the driver in a matchup with the most points will move on to the next round of the chase, while the loser is eliminated entirely. The remaining eight drivers are then paired up again and the process is repeated until only two drivers remain.

Some might see this format change as ridiculous and completely unnecessary, but if done right, it could be a huge equalizer for the Chase. For example, if NASCAR seeded the Chase so the first place driver in the standings took on the second driver in the standing and so on and so on, it would allow the weaker teams a better shot at surviving in the Chase, especially since it’s a one-on-one matchup.

It’s not perfect and might anger fans who long for the days when the Chase didn’t even exist, but this would it would also  give the Chase a level of checks and balances that it so desperately needs right now. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of seeing one Chase race ultimately bring a drivers season to end, especially if it’s due to uncontrollable circumstances. The Chase needs fixed and its time NASCAR works on making that happen.