NASCAR

NASCAR’s New Chase Format Validated With Kevin Harvick’s Win

Fresh Videos

By

Kevin Harvick championship celebration

Getty Images

For all of the criticism of NASCAR‘s new Chase for the Sprint Cup format, in the end, the new system gave us just what it promised. Kevin Harvick earned (earned being the key word) his first Sprint Cup championship on the strength of winning not just the last race at Homestead, but the one before at Phoenix as well. The new format promised a heavier emphasis on winning, and without either of his final two wins, Harvick would not have won the title.

Just like midseason polls in college sports, critics lashed out against the new system as winless Ryan Newman and one-win Denny Hamlin continued to advance all the way to the championship four. But midseason polls aren’t complete and neither was the Chase until Harvick crossed the finish line first on Sunday. With five wins, including three during the Chase, it’s impossible to deny that Harvick is a worthy champion, and much like the polls most of the time, in the end the Chase worked itself out.

Those who saw Hamlin and Newman advancing as a failure of the system were missing the point. The very same things that were being looked at as negatives are the same things most people love about other sports.

The Chase is and has always been a playoff of sorts for NASCAR. The new system implemented rounds within the playoffs in which drivers had to fend off elimination every three races, creating some of the highest drama both on and off the track that the sport has seen in a long time. Fighting to stay alive is one of the aspects of other major sport playoffs that keep us watching.

The main gripe about Newman and Hamlin is that they were not among the top four drivers all year so they were undeserving of being in the final four. But isn’t this exactly how most playoff systems work out? Just this year, the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants were both Wild Card teams that ended up playing for a World Series. In fact, the Giants were the last team to make the playoffs in the National League and had to win a play-in game at Pittsburgh just to advance.

However, the World Series is just the latest example. Remember when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots went undefeated in the regular season and through the playoffs only to be upset by the New York Giants in the Super Bowl? Were there cries of unfairness then? And in other sports, fans love the underdog. Newman and Hamlin were just that, so why is it different in NASCAR?

Like it or not, the new format of the Chase is here to stay. Sellouts at Phoenix and Homestead over the last two races likely guarantee it. And that should be just fine with fans.

Ryan Pritt is a NASCAR writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @RPritt, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on