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10 Tracks That Should Make Up The Chase For The Sprint Cup

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10 Tracks That Should Make Up The Chase For The Sprint Cup

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The current roster of 10 tracks that make up the Chase for the Sprint Cup could use a little tweaking. In crowning a champion, the Chase should present 10 unique and entertaining challenges to the drivers. Here's a list that would do just that.

10. Auto Club

Auto Club Chase
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10. Auto Club

Auto Club Chase
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Auto Club has provided some of the most exciting racing over the past couple of years, and NASCAR needs to make a second trip each year. What better time than kicking off the Chase? NASCAR could perhaps take a race away from Pocono to make room. With its seemingly endless number of grooves, the long track provides options for drivers in the corners, giving fans two, three and sometimes even four-wide racing to watch.

9. Richmond

Richmond track slide
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9. Richmond

Richmond track slide
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Richmond is usually the last race of the "regular season," but by moving it back just two weeks could provide the first trip to a short track in the Chase. The track has provided plenty of drama in the past with drivers desperately trying to clinch Chase berths, but the 3/4-mile tri-oval provides a unique challenge, even compared to the other short tracks on the circuit.

8. Watkins Glen

Watkins GLen track slide
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8. Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen track slide
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A true test of a NASCAR driver isn't complete without a road course, so in determining the Sprint Cup's best driver, why not make them turn right for at least one race as well? Each round of the Chase needs to contain a bit of a wild-card track, or one that presents the promise of chaos, and Watkins Glen has certainly provided that in the past. By moving this race to the Chase, NASCAR could cap off the Challenger Round in thrilling fashion.

7. Indianapolis

Indianapolis track slide
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7. Indianapolis

Indianapolis track slide
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Indianapolis is widely considered the greatest all-around test for NASCAR teams. By that logic alone, it belongs squarely in the chase. The long track with nearly square, flat corners has presented quite a challenge for drivers since becoming a NASCAR stop in the 1990s. Add in the history and mystique, and there's no doubt Indy belongs in the Chase.

6. Bristol

Bristol track slide
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6. Bristol

Bristol track slide
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Continuing with the moving a race back theme, why not move Bristol from its August spot and into the Chase? Outside of restrictor plate tracks, Bristol may be the biggest wild card of all, routinely chewing drivers up, spitting them out, and leaving them to fight amongst themselves after the race. One of the smallest tracks on the circuit with some of the biggest banking in the corners, its bowl-like design yields high speed and close racing.

5. Darlington

Darlington track slide
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5. Darlington

Darlington track slide
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"The Lady in Black" that's "too tough to tame" would be quite the exclamation point on the Contender Round, as the field would dwindle from 12 to eight. No oval track is as uniquely shaped as Darlington and any driver who survived the Indy-Bristol-Darlington trio would be more than deserving of advancing. This could be a second race for the track in which drivers have to run at the wall to gain speed.

4. Phoenix

Phoenix track slide
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4. Phoenix

Phoenix track slide
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This late in the Chase, weather becomes an issue, and though the triangular-shaped short track in Arizona is already in the Chase, it can be argued that it certainly belongs. The short track that allows a plethora of lanes through the tri-oval area is certainly challenging. It's already the final stop at a short track on the circuit, and would continue to serve well in that position.

3. Homestead-Miami

Homestead-Miami track slide
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3. Homestead-Miami

Homestead-Miami track slide
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Like its bigger counterpart Auto Club, Homestead is famous for its multiple-groove racing, something that provides exciting racing. While it currently serves well as the season finale, a bit of a mix-up wouldn't hurt, and moving it back just two races would do just that. Wherever it is in the Chase, it is a track that has proven it belongs in the playoffs.

2. Talladega

Talladega track slide
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2. Talladega

Talladega track slide
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Currently, Talladega serves as the Contender Round finale, but moving it to the end of the Eliminator Round would only heighten the drama. Drivers lament the track because of the high risk of getting swept up in an accident, but fans love it because of the bumper-to-bumper drafting and nail-biting finishes. The four drivers who survived this ninth Chase race would be more than worthy of a bid into the Championship race.

1. Las Vegas

Las Vegas track slide
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1. Las Vegas

Las Vegas track slide
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Come on, there has to be one traditional 1.5-mile track in the Chase, and why not end the season right where the awards ceremony is held anyway? The track is fast, it's in a warm, tourist-friendly locale, and what better place to celebrate a championship for one lucky driver? Even finishing last in points couldn't dampen a night in Vegas, so really, everyone is a winner.

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