NASCAR's Brian France Got the Chase He Wanted, Will He Change It?

The 2010 Chase is a playoff of three drivers, all within striking distance of the NASCAR Sprint Cup title and each of the players is in a must win, lead the most laps scenario.  Each of the contenders for the Championship no doubt is hoping for challenges that impede the other two competitors on their journey to table on stage at the NASCAR Awards Banquet in Las Vegas.

Brian France wanted the Chase to be exciting and he got it this year.  Earlier in the season he spoke of changes to the Chase format that would make it a playoff more like other major sports.

France spoke to the media at Homestead-Miami Speedway and said, "When these guys have to go up a notch, they are going up a notch."  He added, "And what fans like about that is that they see that."

France stated, "These guys are talking about I've got to win today.  I've got to get out there and I'm not looking for a good finish. I'm looking to lead every single lap, an on and on and on."

It is just what NASCAR's head man wanted when the Chase format was implemented in 2004, and he sure got his money's worth with Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick this year.

With the Hamlin only 15 points ahead of Johnson and Harvick 46 points behind the leader, drama will absolutely be at play in the final race of the season at Homestead. 

Hamlin seeks his first title and said he would be a contender in the next year or two after his win at Homestead last November.  Johnson is obviously on a banzai run for his fifth straight championship title.  Harvick wants to bring a title to Richard Childress Racing once again just like Dale Earnhardt.  It was Harvick that replaced the "Intimidator" after his tragic death at Daytona in 2001.

France still wants a winner-take-all finale just like they have in other major sports.  "They have incredibly big moments where the best teams have to elevate their performance," France said, "And that's what excites us as fans.  That's what excites our fan base, and it excites casual sports fans who are going to look to this sport one day to enjoy as much as we do."

Despite this season's final race being the decision maker for the title, France intends to sit down with other NASCAR powers to see if there is a way to have this type of Chase every year.

Tinkering can be overdone, and France wants to tinker with the Chase just as he made other changes in NASCAR strategies and policies right down to the generic COT.  The pros and cons of his decisions can be debated adnauseam, but complicating the Chase is not an option that will play well to fans. 

France wants to make NASCAR a major player against football, baseball and other major sports.  He wants to do everything possible to expand the fan base.  Let's just hope he gets it right along the way.

Quotes from Brian France courtesy of Nascar.com