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Should we abandon the Chase because Johnson has a big lead? Of course not
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There’s a website I frequent that contains all the stats on any NASCAR driver I could ever hope for.
One curious thing though, after every race they post the finishing order along with all the related facts and figures and the updated standings. Beside the current standings they also provide the ‘traditional’ standings; that is the points how they are today ad how they would be under the old system…
And I always wonder why.
When NASCAR instituted the Chase format in 2004, the old points system at least in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series was gone. Kaput, over, done, forget about it.
The problem is that now that we have a Chase where Jimmie Johnson has seemingly locked up the title, and some of the old school pundits and fans are crying foul and saying that the old point system should be brought back.
Of course it shouldn’t.
What the Chase has given us has been some pretty exciting finishes; titles that weren’t decided until the last race every single year; something that didn’t always happen under the old system. In fact under the old Latford system it was a much more rare occurrence when the outcome of a title was decided in the final race of the season. The old schoolers will point to 1992 when Alan Kulwecki won the title in the last race at Atlanta. While that was a legendary race and a great title fight, more often then not under the old system that was the exception rather then the norm.
Under the Chase format every single year since 2004 the title was not clinched until the final race. Using the old system twice in the five years of the Chase the title would have been clinched.
There’s also the argument that the Chase doesn’t reward those who run consistently throughout the entire 26-race schedule leading up to the Chase. Those who are in the top essentially lose their advantage once the points are re-set. Someone who has ran well all season, the argument goes, ends up losing in the final ten races once they have all the points taken away that they gained. The truth of course is that those who are inside the top 12 when the Chase is set would have been there anyway, owing to the fact that until the Chase the old point system is used. Under the Chase format though, now all those inside the top-12 have a shot at the title, not just two or three as there were under the old system.
Looking at both systems the title would have been up for grabs going into the final race under the Chase system more times then under the old system.
Bottom line, the Chase works.
Even this weekend, the title isn’t locked up. Johnson has a 108-point lead, a deficit that second place Mark Martin has made up nine times in a single race, most recently two weeks ago in Texas when he made up 111 points.
So it ain’t over till it’s over…
Of course there will still be those old-schoolers who will bemoan the Chase, talk about how we need to have the old points system back just because one year out of the last five there is a big points gap.
But most would rather have the title decided in the final race, every year.
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