Tooslow wrote: ↑November 18th, 2014, 6:22 pm
I thought I'd make this poll to see what all of you thought about the 2014 Chase for the Cup.
I had mixed feelings when it was announced and still don't think if you win 1 race your in the chase is fair to the drivers who may miss the chase because they didn't win a race and were up in the points. Sooner or later a driver in the top10 in points will be knocked out because they didn't have a win.
That being said I thought the actual chase was full of excitement and drama. Win or done wins...tempers and fights after the races...emotions flying high.
The last race couldn't have turned out any better for Nascar. All 4 drivers were in the top10 most of the night and on some occasions all 4 drivers were in the top5. Pit strategy and late race cautions won it for Harvick, but 1 less caution may have seen Hamlin or Newman the 2014 Champ.
Love or Hate it...you have to admit is was exciting.
Your opinions are greatly welcomed to this topic.
Thx,
Terry
2014 Chase for the Cup...like it or hate it?
2014 Chase for the Cup...like it or hate it?
Re: 2014 Chase for the Cup...like it or hate it?
jasonjustis wrote: ↑November 18th, 2014, 7:23 pm If NASCAR is trying to replicate stick and ball playoff formats with their formal eliminations, then I believe they should also reward the number of wins that are earned throughout the year as well.
In NBA, MLB, and NHL, earning more wins than other playoff contenders gives you the advantage of having a higher seed, which means home field advantage. But it doesn't apply to just the first round of the playoffs, it applies to every round. Granted, the further you get into the playoffs, the less home field advantage seems to matter in some cases, but it should still matter some.
Instead of having the victories that a driver earns in the regular season apply in the form of bonus points for just the first round, I believe they should also apply for the 2nd and 3rd rounds as well.
3 points for each win to start the Challenger Round of 16 (like how it is right now already)
2 points for each win to start the Contender Round of 12 (include Regular Season and Chase wins in this total)
1 point for each win to start the Eliminator Round of 8 (include Regular Season and Chase wins in this total)
0 points for each win to start the Championship Round of 4 at Homestead (like how it is right now already)
This way, wins still matter for each round of the Chase, but the advantage slowly goes away with each round, which is indicative of the increasing difficulty of playoffs in any sport.
Re: 2014 Chase for the Cup...like it or hate it?
JoshM wrote: ↑November 19th, 2014, 8:39 am It's another Nascar gimmick designed to get more eyes on themselves, but I have to admit, I liked it pretty much. I think it worked pretty well as some guys ran for wins while some others ran for points to get into the Chase. Even Newman himself said he should not be on equal footing with guys like Harvick, Gordon, and Keselowski each round, so I agree wins should be worth a points advantage I would assume.
Re: 2014 Chase for the Cup...like it or hate it?
DavidDay wrote: ↑November 19th, 2014, 11:13 am I liked it. It was fun to watch and the fights made it that more glorious because the drivers are that more into it than before.
There will always be the trolls that bash the system, regardless of what direction it goes in. The old "consistency" format before the initial chase was said to be getting too boring. Well, be careful what you wish for. I thought everyone knew that slogan.. I think everyone that was initially into racing and the points system didn't even think a new system could come into play, ever, so they never spoke up.
Overall, though, it worked. The one thing I will say, is that they need to keep this format for a long, long time. If they don't, every year each champion will become less and less important.
Re: 2014 Chase for the Cup...like it or hate it?
Optimus Prime wrote: ↑November 19th, 2014, 3:07 pm So many good points. All are very insightful. No doubt you were all engaged, as was I.
My initial response to the new format was that they needed to make it so that the final group, four or whatever number, ran in more than just one race at just one track every year. Perhaps a three race shootout on varying track dynamics. But you cannot argue with how it played out for them and how gripping Homestead was to anticipate and to watch.
When you look at where we've come from in progressing through various changes to the point system, this new format still managed to combine the points reward for consistency, which has been what used to win championships, with an updated emphasis on winning. I think that works, however you would have a hard time arguing that Jeff Gordon was less deserving than Ryan Newman of a spot in the final four. Had Gordon won that final race from the pole, as it appeared he was on his way to doing, there might have been a larger conundrum. Gordon stated he would have had a hard time dealing with it, had he won or finished ahead of the final four at Homstead.
But that is indeed racing, and it came down to one position or one single bonus point for a lap led, (or putting the damn left side tires on first!) that made the difference. Just look back at the recent Stewart/Edwards championship finish.
NASCAR made the decision and that is done, and it should be. If they didn't hit the mark, they damn near nailed it and have drawn in that attention for sure. ESPN is likely regretting their decision not to bid seriously for a new contract.
Mr Day, the "young man", speaks very much with the wisdom of a historian and I agree totally with him in that this format must remain unchanged in principle for quite a while. To keep "tweaking" at this now, would be a mistake and would further tarnish the record books with asterisks, double asterisks, etc..., and very much cloud what a championship means.