Even Without Top Stars, There Are Still Many Reasons to Enjoy Rest of the Chase

Forget the first six races that have passed—the real test for the new Chase for the Sprint Cup format begins Sunday.

With eight of the original 16 Chase qualifiers having been eliminated in the Contender and Challenger rounds, will fans still tune-in to watch the last four races of the season on TV or actually attend a race in person knowing their favorite driver is no longer in contention for the championship?

On the surface, the answer might appear to be no, especially when so many of the sport’s biggest stars are out.

Defending and six-time Sprint Cup champ Jimmie Johnson, brothers Kyle and Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart (didn’t even qualify for the Chase) are all still racing but for little in return but pride.

Admittedly, most of NASCAR’s races on TV this season have shown slight to moderate decreases from last year’s ratings.

For example, according to Jayski.com, Sunday’s telecast on ESPN averaged 4.328 million viewers, down from last year’s fall-race viewership of 4.916 million.

That’s a pretty sizable drop, especially when you consider Sunday was the final round of the Contender Round and the advancement fate of so many star drivers was on the line.

And now with those stars out of the running for the title, will that mean viewership of the three upcoming Eliminator Round races, as well as the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, is going to drop precipitously?

I don’t think so.

And neither does Talladega winner Brad Keselowski.

"At the end of the day, what validates any format to me personally at least is if we look back and we have better ratings, better ticket sales and better numbers in general—more fan popularity—that’s what’s behind any change we make in this sport," Keselowski said Tuesday during Eliminator Round media day at Texas Motor Speedway. "So, if we see increases in those metrics then I would say yes, we’re successful.

"...I think the most important measuring stick is ‘Does it grow the sport?’ And ‘Does it make everyone happy that’s already a fan of the sport?’ If we can get two yesses out of that then it’s obvious what that final answer is."

I agree with Keselowski. I also believe the real, true diehard fans of Junior, JJ, KyBu and KuBu, Smoke and the like will still tune in to see if their drivers—devoid of Chase advancement—may play the roles of spoilers and still manage to grab a win or two for themselves.

That in itself provides a whole different element of drama and suspense, especially now that the pressure of no longer being in contention is off.

And while some at-track attendance has resulted in numerous empty seats, honestly, from my viewpoint, it appears in-person attendance has been equal to—if not on the increase from—last season's.

I think that will continue in the last four Chase races, if for nothing else than many fans purchased their tickets long ago.

Why would fans waste good money and not use those tickets when they can still see their favorite drivers compete for wins and top fives—just not for the championship?

As hard as it may seem to believe, there actually are incentives for fans to stick with NASCAR in the final four races.

Credit: NASCAR

Here are a few examples:

* The Anti-JJ Factor: How about all you anti-Jimmie Johnson fans who spent much of the last eight years complaining that you were tired of JJ winning so many championships, that it wasn’t worth watching NASCAR anymore because he was going to win it anyway?

* The Public Enemy No. 1 Factor: Love him or hate him, Brad Keselowski gets fans stirred up. For those who love him, they’d love to see him redeem himself from last year’s fluke finish (failed to even qualify for the Chase) and win his second Cup crown in three seasons.

The anti-Keselowski fans would love nothing more than to see Bad Brad fall on his face in these next three races and not advance to the final race at Homestead.

* So Much For Wins Being Crucial: Can Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman potentially go on to win the championship even without winning a race in 2014? What would that say about the Chase’s format of wins being most important to advance to the title?

* Is It Freaky-Fast Time: Will Kevin Harvick, one of this season’s tough-luck guys, finally earn his long-sought first Cup championship?

* Perhaps the Best Storyline of All: And then there’s the sentimental reason to stay glued to your TV sets for the next four Sundays: Jeff Gordon.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Gordon is the only one of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers still standing in the Chase. With his vaunted “Drive For Five” bid for a fifth career Cup championship—and the first since 2001—you can’t get a much better story if it was scripted.

And would Gordon potentially retire on top if he was to win the title this year? It’s certainly a scenario that would draw attention and publicity.

Frankly, and I know this may sound sacrilegious to some, but in a way not having the likes of Johnson, Earnhardt, both Busch brothers and Stewart still in contention may wind up being one of the best things to happen for the Chase.

Keselowski quotes provided by Texas Motor Speedway Public Relations Department.

Follow me on Twitter @JerryBonkowski