NASCAR: The idea of adding an in-season tournament

Should the NASCAR Cup Series consider the idea of adding a six-week tournament during the season to honor one of the many legends of the sport?

By and large, NASCAR is a sport all about history and traditions. The addition of an in-season, elimination-style tournament will be a new annual tradition fans could get really excited about. Similarly to March Madness, this tournament could provide viewers with last-lap passes and big-time upsets.

The best part? There would be no addition to the schedule or extra races. The tournament would essentially be several races within a race. For starters, all 40 drivers would be eligible to compete in the tournament. It would last six weeks and in the end a driver would be crowned the winner. The trophy the winner would receive will be named after a legend of the sport.

In the first place, all 40 drivers are eligible at the start of the tournament. Of course, just like March Madness, the first week would feature a “play-in race.” The drivers in 32nd through 40th place would battle for the one and only spot in the round of 32.

In week two, the 1st place driver would compete against the winner of the play-in race. Correspondingly, the format would go 2nd vs. 31st and so on. The driver who finishes ahead of their combatant goes on to the next round. Finally, by week 6, the two left standing will go head-to-head for the trophy.

It’s like the Dash 4 Cash, but better

Now that we have the format squared away, there are still a few questions to be answered. During the season, when would be the best time to hold the tournament? Who would be the best driver from the past to name the trophy after?

There are a few different ways to work out when the tournament could be held. It could be one race a month from March to August. Or it could span six straight weeks during the regular season. In my opinion, the best six weeks would be Kentucky to Bristol.

My reasoning is quite simple. This stretch would avoid a superspeedway and hit almost every style of track. It would start at Kentucky and follow up with a short track in New Hampshire. Then they’d race at the “Tricky Triangle” of Pocono before road course racing at Watkins Glen. To close out the tournament, the remaining four drivers would first compete at Michigan and decide a winner at “The Last Great Colosseum”.