by Michael Daly

Created on: September 23, 2007   Last Updated: November 24, 2008

The changes that have hit NASCAR's Winston Cup Series have been widespread and their effect is being felt more and more, and the effect of these changes has shown no indication of being good for the sport; on the contrary, changes have had the effect of beginning an erosion of popularity of the sport.

The most dramatic changes in the sport of recent have been the implementation of a playoff format, the Chase For The Championship, for the season's final ten races, and the phase-in of a radical new car design, the Car Of Tomorrow, during the 2007 season with full implementation scheduled for 2008. Neither of these changes have had a positive effect on the sport, as fan disapproval of these changes has been widespread with no evidence of any increased fan interest in the sport with these changes.

The Chase playoff format isolates the top twelve drivers in points for the final ten races of the season; they are reracked in points to over 5,000 points, a mark mathematically impossible for any driver outside of the top twelve in points to break. The top twelve in points thus have only to race each other over the final twelve races; there is literally no incentive to actually win the race, as long as you beat the other Chase racers. While it is true that there have been few non-Chase racers that win Chase races - Tony Stewart in 2006 was almost the only non-Chaser who made any noise during that season's playoff run - this isolation of the top twelve from the rest of the field in points has done nothing but make the season's point race all the less relevent or interesting. By making the top twelve have to race the entire field, the old points format "kept them honest," if you will.

There is also the issue that on more than one occassion, a driver accumulated enough points over the final ten races to have taken a top-ten points finish under the old points format, notably Jamie McMurray in 2004. It doubly shows how the isolation of the top twelve in the Chase is only that - isolation, not exposure to competition.

There is no evidence that the Chase format has increased any interest in the sport; on the contrary, TV ratings and attendence for races has slipped noticably over the last four years, with some recent ratings barely exceeding a 3.5 rank. Some in NASCAR, notably Brian France, blame this on lack of promotion by former broadcast partner NBC, but this is patently absurd given the impossibility of avoiding promotion of NASCAR on any television or radio outlet.

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