Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch, who both had mulitple 2009 race wins, are noticably absent from the 2009 Chase field. Getty Images/Rusty Jarrett
Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth have one two things in common, they both won multiple 2009 Sprint Cup races, and they both failed to qualify for this year’s chase. Since there are four drivers; Car Edwards, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, and Juan Montoya all made the chase without winning a single race, the question must be asked, should a team with multiple regular season wins earn an automatic Chase birth?
Let the debate begin.
The case of Kenseth is a little easier to determine. Kenseth has not won since California way back in February. He would say that simply have not run good enough to qualify for the chase. Even if they did their program isn’t strong enough currently to do much with a chase birth. In Kenseth’s case two early season wins, even a win as big as the Daytona 500, just isn’t enough.
Kyle’s case is much different. While Kyle has struggled through parts of the 2009 season, he won a race as recently as two races ago. With four wins on the year he would have joined Mark Martin as one of the chase field’s top seeds, but he fell just short, by some 8 points of making the chase. Should a few laps late at Richmond determine a chase spot over a season full of four wins?
Many have argued that any driver who wins a regular season race is entitled to a chase birth. For 2009 that means Brad Keslowski, Joey Logano, and David Reutiman should join Kenseth and Busch in the chase. That would make a chase field of 17, which is far too many.
So we have it narrowed down a bit, one win isn’t enough, and two early season wins isn’t enough, but what is? Should NASCAR have a 13th chase birth reserved for a multiple race winner? Should the fans get to vote a 13th chaser into field based on multiple wins? Or should NASCAR leave well enough alone?
Comments
This is an easy one. Leave well enough alone. Like it or not, the current format rewards consistency, which is pretty much what the pre-Chase format did as well. They way things stand right now, there is additional drama, but there's a sense of tradition as well.
The points system could use a little tweaking as far as the Chase seeding goes. It would make more sense for the points leader to maintain their first place position once the Chase starts, since they earned that spot during the season. But even at that, a ten point deficit is not much to make up. Just look at last season.
I think NASCAR needs to re-evaluate how the point system is structured. Say you have a driver that finishes in the top 5, and he leads a lap. He is awarded close to the amount of points as the winner. Additionally, if that top 5 driver leads the most laps, he is even closer in points without actually winning the race. Seems to me there is not much incentive to come in first when a top 5 yields similar points. Playing the points game just to get into the chase makes for a boring race. Now, admittedly, I am a diehard Kyle Busch fan. Yes, I am bitter that he didn't make the chase when someone like Vickers gets in with only one win, and other drivers that didn't even win a race gets in. But I digress. A driver, that has won a race should be rewarded. Perhaps 20 points for a win would wet the lips of the drivers not playing the points game. At any rate, I think NASCAR should consider changing something.
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