Prelude to the Chase, Part 2

(Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

And just how fair is the Chase to the drivers who have excelled once the chase has started, only to be “locked out” from maybe getting a top-10 finish in the points?

Ask Tony Stewart how that might have felt in 2006 when he won three Chase races, and 10^th-place finisher Kyle Busch was barely able to pick up two top-10 and two top-five finishes? However, Stewart was “locked out” of the top 10 before the Chase; consequently, he was not allowed to move up despite his success.

Last season, David Ragan could have easily traded spots with 12^th-place finisher Dale Earnhardt Jr., since Earnhardt went on a skid once the chase started, but because he was “locked in,” he couldn’t drop any lower then 12^th.

These are just a couple of examples showing how unfair the chase can be. Is that anyway to reward our drivers who fight hard every week and put their time in to give us fans the best that they have?

How much adrenaline is sucked out of these drivers once the chase starts, knowing that all they are racing for is first-place trophy without being able to advance past the No. 13 spot?

Sure a win is a win, but in the past, that win also accounted for more than just the trophy because it also gave the driver hope that he could salvage a bad season while, at the same time, pleasing a sponsor that was maybe on the brink of pulling away from the team and hooking up with a driver who is within the top 12.

Now looking at the way the chase is shaping up so far this season, realistically speaking, any driver that is behind Brian Vickers at this point has no chance of getting into the Chase.

Now, with that being said, how much of a chance does Marcos Ambrose have being 251 points out, while sitting in the 18^th spot? Or for that matter any driver that is even further back, since the only driver who has ever made up a big deficit was Matt Kenseth in 2005.

Matt was able to come from 218 points out of the 10^th spot and get himself into the chase to eventually walk away with a very impressive 7^th-place finish.

And once again, as in years past, the Chase will be without a couple of NASCAR’s big-name drivers such as RCR’s star driver Kevin Harvick. This will be the third season that Harvick will miss the chase, which also includes 2004 and 2005.

NASCAR’s golden boy Dale Earnhardt Jr., who also missed the Chase with Harvick back in 2005, will most likely also be excluded from the 2009 season’s Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, since points are not that easy to come by.

Each year, as the teams get a better handle on the C.O.T., making the Chase will become more difficult, and the points race will become tighter and hopefully more exciting in the years to come.

The chase is what it is, and even though many have expressed their strong beliefs that it is still has its flaws, all that the fans can do is go along for the ride and accept it for what it is.

The formula that NASCAR has put into place in order to make the postseason more exciting has instead done the opposite and kept the top 12 “locked into” their own special world and kept the other 27 “locked out.”

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