FYI WIRZ: NASCAR's Sweeping Chase Elimination Changes Brought Surprises

Probably a good place to start an evaluation of NASCAR’s changed Chase championship strategy is with the current Sprint Cup champion, a past Super Bowl and NSCS champion owner and the CEO and chairman of NASCAR.

Driver Kevin Harvick, former NFL coach Joe Gibbs and CEO Brian France have valued opinions, so their take on the revised Chase for the Sprint Cup championship format is worth examination, especially after a big year of implementation.

Humans aren’t always warm to change, even when they expect it. Avid fans are notorious for negative knee-jerk reactions to rule or format alterations.

In 2014, NASCAR increased the championship contender field from 12 to 16 and then set up three knockout segments in the final 10 events. Some fans were angered all season, even when the excitement of four finalists racing for the big prize in Homestead was obvious.

Playoffs have been a big part of sports. Baseball has had a World Series since 1903, and the NFL has had a Super Bowl since 1967. The NBA, NHL and all other major team sports on a professional level have had playoff schemes for decades as well.

At the collegiate level, a playoff setup such as basketball's NCAA tournament has long been popular. And this year, college football fans finally have an elimination scheme for the new four-team College Football Playoff.

After decades of college football championship decisions being made by a panel of experts instead of by the pounding of dozens of active feet on football turf, teams now decide all with play on the field. Playoff formulas are a proven and successful sports concept.

Playoffs have been the recent focus of NASCAR as well.

NASCAR got away from championships determined solely by point accumulation when it devised the Chase playoff format in 2004 for the final 10 races of each season. NASCAR has tweaked it often over the past decade.

The biggest changes came in 2014, when it made the Chase a competition between 16 drivers with three levels of elimination. After nine events, the final four left standing headed into the Homestead-Miami Speedway finale chasing one championship, not more points.

With the changes came surprises. Harvick shared an honest effect at Homestead.

“It's probably going to end up shortening my career,” he said. “It's been so stressful over the last 10 weeks.”

He continued his take.

“It was definitely high intensity as we went through the new format,” he added. “It created some really good racing, everybody just kind of throwing caution to the wind to try to win races and to keep advancing through the rounds. It was very easy to follow.”

Coach Gibbs talked about increased stress also.

“It was so different that I don’t think we knew what to expect,” Gibbs said. “So when we all get in there, we get in the 16. And then I found out that’s as much pressure as you can get in a three-race playoff. “

Gibbs also described the new playoff experience.

“If someone had a bad day, dropped a lug nut, had a flat tire, you’re in a bind,” he said. “I think it’s something that the fans really enjoy. For me, for an owner, a lot of pressure. You go three races, you’re holding your breath and then you go three again. It’s a lot.”

CEO France emphasized that NASCAR wanted to create an elimination formula that didn’t reward point accumulation and did stress racing hard for wins.

“We were creating a formula for points racing, period,” he said. “That wasn't good in qualifying for the Chase. We wanted to change that. We didn't want to have a bad race or two take somebody out early on in the Chase, which has happened every year."

France continued to explain the goal of the sweeping changes.

“You're never out until the transfer race comes, and then you get a win and you're back in,” he said. “So we wanted a format that accomplished all those goals and, most importantly, got the drivers to take chances, race harder because they can.”

Gibbs analyzed the results of the changes, too.

“Even though we said it’s going to take wins,” he said, “it really took being consistent, really consistent.”

France stressed the unknown reality created by change, and added his take on the results.

“You're always worried about unintended consequences more than you are is it going to achieve the goals,” he said. “It's going to achieve the goals, but what else did we miss that might be a negative? And we haven't found that yet, thankfully.”

Credit: Dwight Drum

The consensus first-year grade analysis of the new elimination Chase looks like a B or B+. Although some fans still object to the changes, perhaps next season will deliver an A- or A.

First-time NSCS champion Harvick summed up the playoff changes for all.

“I think the racing world has enjoyed it,” he said. “That's what it's all about in the end.”

FYI WIRZ is the select presentation of topics by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com. Unless otherwise noted, information and all quotes were obtained firsthand or from official release materials provided by sanction and team representatives.