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Is the
Chase causing
competition to suffer? I
don’t know the answer to
that, but an interesting
conversation on Sirius
Radio’s mid-day show
makes me wonder about
the effect the Chase has
on drivers in the Sprint
Cup Series. Let me relay
the conversation between
Steve Post and Danny
“Chocolate” Myers today.
The
discussion was about
Marcos Ambrose’s
comments immediately
after his Nationwide
Series win at Watkins
Glen International last
Saturday. Ambrose said
that he would try to win
on Sunday, but he would
be very aware of those
who were running for the
Sprint Cup championship
and not take any chances
that might cost them a
bad day. That was
praised by both hosts as
what was great about the
Chase. They went on to
say that Ambrose
probably had the best
car and would have won
if he had not been so
“concerned” about those
going for a
championship. That led
me to ponder what the
purpose of an automobile
race was. Was it to win
the race or stay out of
the way of the leaders?
NASCAR
likes to compare itself
to the NFL, the one
sport that fills the
sanctioning body with
envy. Many consider it
to be the reason for the
Chase. It’s like the NFL
playoffs, but one
difference is obvious.
No team, including the
last place team, stays
out of the way of the
first place team. Each
team tries to win every
game. It used to be that
way in NASCAR’s top
series. Now, all that
matters is a berth in
the Chase, and pity the
poor driver who wrecks
one of those drivers who
sit high in the
standings. Somehow, that
seems wrong in a number
of ways.
I’m
one of those who never
cared much about the
Chase. After Matt
Kenseth won the
championship in 2003,
while only winning one
race, the Chase was
born. It has been
tweaked some, with bonus
points going to winners,
and when some of the
more popular drivers
didn’t make the top 10,
they added two more
spots. It has resulted
in some close finishes
and the fans have
embraced it, but what of
winning races?
When
the Chase was born, I
talked to several
drivers who were
concerned that all the
attention would
immediately go to the 10
or 12 drivers in the
championship, and they
have basically been
right. Now we have this
new issue. Should the
driver with the best car
not take chances because
he fears it would ruin
someone’s chances to win
a championship? My
opinion doesn’t really
matter, but winning is
all that’s mattered to
me for most of my life.
I find it strange that a
racer could feel
otherwise. And is this a
good thing? I’ll leave
that up to you to
decide.
You can
contact Ron at
ron.fleshman@verizon.net
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