NASCAR: Five Things Fans Were 100 Percent Right About

The Chase Hurt The Sport

It goes without saying that NASCAR basically sold out when they announced the Chase format in the spring of 2014. Not only was the new format a pitiful attempt at creating a playoff system that resembles that of mainstream sports, it was also a huge departure from the way NASCAR used to decide its yearly champion. The format also featured intense eliminations periods, which only muddled the post-season further.

While younger fans flocked to the new format with open arms and mouths wide open in excitement, the older crowd felt that they have had the NASCAR they loved snatched away from them and given a poor substitute in its place. If anything, the addition of the new Chase format in 2014 was NASCAR’s way of telling older fans to get with the times and embrace change.

Unfortunately for NASCAR, that didn’t happen and now older fans are leaving the sport they once loved in droves and it doesn’t look like they will ever come back. Not only is that apparent by NASCAR’s continued changes that would make better sense for a demolition derby or a monster truck show, it’s also obvious by NASCAR’s multi-million dollar switch to NBC and NBCSN in late 2015.

Can it change? Yes! Will it change? Hell no! NASCAR  has too much money invested in this new NBC sports deal and would be dumb to change the Chase format to something else, especially since NBC and NBCSN hold exclusive broadcasting rights of the entire Sprint Cup post-season. In fact, one could probably argue that a change to the format would greatly damage the relationship between the two.

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With that being said, there’s really no hope for the future of NASCAR. At least for those that long for the days of the old championship format. Sure, NASCAR could pander to the old fan base and eliminate the championship at the end of the year, but doing that would alienate their new and younger audience.

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