Now that the Chase is on, it seems like there is even less racing going on. Not much astion is occuring, just lots of folks driving around and around without passing each other.  

Maybe it just comes from the broadcasting crew not focusing on showing us the small battles in the race outside the chasers. But even if it is a battle for the fortieth position, a good overtake is fun to see no matter where it is on the track.

With all the COT hype, I thought the racing would be more competitive. But, all we seem to see on Sunday are three levels of competition. 

The first level is the 10 or 12 cars that run up front week in and week out. Then, there is the middle of the pack, just waiting for a good wreck or two so they can gain track position. 

Then, there are the rest of the cars running in the back, sucking dirty air all race and all season long. 

This seems to be the script on stock car racing every week, with the non-elite, non-chaser teams just waiting for divine intervention—or the big one—to get them to the front.