Chase no more a perfect 10 but most things not perfect (cont'd)

The Race to the Chase really doesn't have that because once teams get locked in, there is nothing to race for. Oh well, except the win, which used to be what it was all about, winning. I like the Chase idea. It is not perfect and any ideas found here are certainly flawed somewhere in the formula. This is just Year 4, and changes have been made. You, the fan, have to voice your opinion on what is good and what is not as good. NASCAR is making the rules but no matter how angry you might get sometimes, it does listen to the fans, and its goal is to make every lap exciting. Of course, that will never happen. New Hampshire is on the schedule twice, but it does try.

Drivers race their hearts out every week. The premise does not change from week to week, but the purpose might. There has been a lot of conversation about the race at Bristol on Saturday night. People, lots of people, have said the excitement is gone; the emotion is no longer there. The premise is still the same: win and get the most points possible; but the purpose has changed: just survive, stay out of trouble, protect our position this week and when we get to California get back in the gas while everyone is sleeping.

I have never raced a Nextel Cup car, never will. As a rule, I try not to criticize anyone that is brave enough, bold enough or talented enough to compete in this series. I don't care if he finishes first or 41st every week. On a given Sunday, or Saturday night, or the occasional Tuesday, only 43 guys get to do this, that's smaller than one NFL team roster. But I can tell you this, the excitement and the impact expected in the final three races leading up to the Chase is not there. With maybe one exception, it has not been. Sure there have been some dramatic moments watching to see who can make the cut, but there is little focus on the guys that have run better than anyone else all year, the guys already locked in. And there is little incentive to look.

If you have clinched an NFL playoff berth, and are locked into your position, your starting quarterback and that star running back might play a quarter, or less. You don't what to take your team out of contention before the playoffs even begin. That is what is happening in the races leading up to the Chase. That is what happened at Bristol. Some of the biggest stars in the sport and the best in the sport have everything to lose and nothing to gain. Some of the guys racing against the biggest and best don't want to be the one that takes them out in a short-track tussle for 17th. Trust me, Richmond will be the same way. California will be, well, California.

At the end of this column they run a disclaimer that says all this stuff is just my opinion, and this is exactly what it is. But watch this week and next. If you recorded the Bristol race go back and watch just a part of it. And while you do, think about a few things. Would Bristol and Richmond be better if they started just 36 cars so there would be more room to race? How much drama would that add to qualifying? Should NASCAR award bonus points for finishing in the top 10 on the short tracks at Bristol and Richmond? Should you cut off short-track points after the 25th position? Should the race at California be just 400 miles with double points going to the winner and the highest finisher in the top 15 in points? What would happen then if two drivers were running side-by-side closing in on the checkered flag?

Normally I try to write about the people in the sport, I hope to give you a look at someone you may not know, or someone you may want to know better. In this column I tried to write about someone you may already know, your fellow race fan. They want to see the best at their best, not the best getting ready for the rest. NASCAR has tried to "massage" the sport to increase the excitement, but they have to give the teams more of a reason to race, not less. The bigger the prize, the greater the challenge, the sweeter the reward. And that would mean more excitement on the track. But, that's just my opinion, it says so right below.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.