2014 NASCAR Cup regular season

[rustyfan]

I hope either Gordon or Larson puts Newman in the wall come Homestead. That was a BS move. Would've much preferred to see Gordon in the final, rather than winless Newman.

[Razzzor]

Pretty unfair, Newman just pushed Larson into the wall to get in there. Any other series he'd be penalised.

I still blame Dale Jr for taking that irrelevant win a couple weeks back when he could have let his team mate into the chase guaranteed.

Just another year where the most deserving champion (whoever has the most points/best avg finish) will not end up being champion. Hell in some ways maybe it'll be good if Newman gets it - it just makes more of a mockery of the Nascar points system then and more fans can move over the Indycar, where points are actually relevant.

[Paradise City]

I don't care for the goofy championship. I just want to see whoever is entitled to win races, win those races.

[gomick]

If only those who win races are deserving of the title then Harvick or Logano (4 wins each) should not cause any complaining if they do win the championship... Should be entertaining & rough - I don't think any of the 43 drivers racing at Homestead are going to give an inch to anyone! Go Ambrose

[rustyfan]

Originally Posted by gomick

If only those who win races are deserving of the title then Harvick or Logano (4 wins each) should not cause any complaining if they do win the championship... Should be entertaining & rough - I don't think any of the 43 drivers racing at Homestead are going to give an inch to anyone! Go Ambrose

Well Hamlin does at least have one win this season. Unlike Newman.

[HJJ]

Originally Posted by Razzzor

- it just makes more of a mockery of the Nascar points system then and more fans can move over the Indycar, where points are actually relevant.

Nobody cares about the Indycar series. Their season ended what, 2 months ago.

I think this will be the second title Gordon would have won had Na$car not started the Chase format.

It's a joke, but a mildly entertaining joke at that.

You know Jeff Burton has to be pi$$ed.

[Salamus]

Originally Posted by HJJ

I think this will be the second title Gordon would have won had Na$car not started the Chase format.

Third actually.



But really, no race fan should consider the Chase an actual championship. It's just a marketing tool now...a bad at that.

[rustyfan]

Originally Posted by Salamus

But really, no race fan should consider the Chase an actual championship. It's just a marketing tool now...a bad at that.

Good thing then it's joined by a certain upscale open-wheel championship when it comes to using gimmicks.

[fieldodreams79]

All racing kinda sucks at the moment, but this "championship" has been a crock from day 1 of the Chase format and is the suckiest of them all, IMHO. Just when i thought they couldn't make it worse, they did.

As someone who grew up on the sport, and used to absolutely love it, I can't pay much attention to this nonsense at all. TV ratings and the empty stands proves that many others share my sentiments.

If Sliced Douche becomes champion, I may be done with the sport forever, until Chase pulls me back in. I sincerely hope Newman wins it all without a win, just to slap this joke system in the face.

[divxx]

Originally Posted by rustyfan

Well Hamlin does at least have one win this season. Unlike Newman.

Hamlin's 1 win was at a lottery of a track where anybody can win, and he is much lower in real points than Newman. I feel that all the Newman hate would be turned to cheers if it was Keselowski rather than Gordon that he knocked out of the championship with that last lap desperation move.

The format kind of makes sense in that it's a clear imitation of the ball-and-stick sports' way of deciding a champion (except for the part where every other team is still hanging out on the field and getting in the way). The key to watching Nascar now is to refrain from caring who wins the championship and just focus on individual races. If they stick to the same format for a long time, people are going to feel robbed every year.

[HJJ]

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

All racing kinda sucks at the moment, but this "championship" has been a crock from day 1 of the Chase format and is the suckiest of them all, IMHO. Just when i thought they couldn't make it worse, they did.

As someone who grew up on the sport, and used to absolutely love it, I can't pay much attention to this nonsense at all. TV ratings and the empty stands proves that many others share my sentiments.

If Sliced Douche becomes champion, I may be done with the sport forever, until Chase pulls me back in. I sincerely hope Newman wins it all without a win, just to slap this joke system in the face.

This +. I'm guessing "Sliced Douche" is Lagano? Also, hoping Newman wins it all as well.

Maybe Ambrose get's his oval win once and for all.

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

All racing kinda sucks at the moment, but this "championship" has been a crock from day 1 of the Chase format and is the suckiest of them all, IMHO. Just when i thought they couldn't make it worse, they did.

As someone who grew up on the sport, and used to absolutely love it, I can't pay much attention to this nonsense at all. TV ratings and the empty stands proves that many others share my sentiments.

If Sliced Douche becomes champion, I may be done with the sport forever, until Chase pulls me back in. I sincerely hope Newman wins it all without a win, just to slap this joke system in the face.

Me too.

[canamman]

Speaking of Newman, you can thank him for the new Chase point system.

In 2003 he had 8 wins good for only 6th in points. He was 311 points
behind the champion Kenseth who only had 1 win. The new Chase system started in 2004 with the new series sponsor Nextel.

This is who I am pulling for in order:
Harvick
Newman
Hamlin
Logano

[NaBUru38]

We know that the Chase knockout system will stay, and points will be reset each round. I think that using three-race points aggregates is a terrible idea.

How about using a medal system: winners advance to the next round, then 2nd place finishers, then 3rd place finishers, etc. That way, a bad results doesn't punish as hard as with the current system.

In round 1, the four worst performers were:

o- Greg Biffle (16th at New Hampshire)
o- AJ Allmendinger (13th at New Hampshire)
o- Kasey Kahne (13th at Chicago)
o- Carl Edwards (11th at Dover)

In round 2, the four worst performers were:

o- Aric Almirola (22nd at Charlotte)
o- Dale Earnhardt Jr (20th at Charlotte)
o- Jimmie Johnson (17th at Charlotte)
o- Kurt Busch (7th at Talladega, 11th at Charlotte)

In round 3, the four worst performers were:

Joey Logano (5th at Martinsville)
Denny Hamlin (5th at Phoenix)
Kyle Busch (4th at Texas)
Ryan Newman (3rd at Martinsville, 11th at Phoenix)

The four finalists would be:

Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth.

- o -

Still, you see that Jimmie Johnson and Dale Jr were knocked out in round 2, just because of three bad results.

I tried again with four-race rounds, but Dale Jr was eliminated in rpund 1.

[Cynic]

I can't decide what I hate more: the current chase format or the constant whining from Gordon and Dale Jr fans about how totally unfair it all is. I love the comment about how this format has probably 'robbed' Jeff of a possible third title - I could also provide endless Youtube footage to show how he should probably be on his third probation in as many seasons. The tart can't even 'have at it' properly - always gets the pit crew to do it for him.
Personally I'm really hoping Newman wins the title without actually winning the race now, just to see how abusive the Nascar site forums really get.

[Paradise City]

I think it's a shame that Dale Jr isn't in some kind of contention. The guy has genuinely come on along way from his infamous slump and deserves a crack at it. But a crack at what? It's just not a championship I can take seriously.

All the rolling around after some of these races. Recalling the fearsome scraps of the past and then we have Gordon whining today. I've some regard for Gordon generally but it just all looks like kids in a kindergarten. They look ridiculous.

[R.Lee]

Hello everyone. Been away for awhile. Had computer issues, but am finally back online. I don't know, seems, from reading the various comments here, several like this chase format. Sorry, I don't. It has decreased my interest and enjoyment of the sport. I've yet to like the chase, in any of it's formats. Wish they would just go back to one of the earlier formats for decieding a champion. I guess everybody's different. Anyway, I'll pop in, from time to time. Later.

[JHamilton]

This is the lamest thing I have ever seen.

[rustyfan]

I hope Gordon wins the race and Harvick wins the championship.

Edit: Oh and I wish NASCAR would ban the practice of pulling out the sidepanels just ahead of the rear wheels. It's so ugly it's silly.

[divxx]

Originally Posted by rustyfan

Edit: Oh and I wish NASCAR would ban the practice of pulling out the sidepanels just ahead of the rear wheels. It's so ugly it's silly.

Wow I didn't know they were doing that on purpose. I was wondering why so many cars have that 'damage' lately.

[chernaudi]

Race was boring, Chase was boring. What didn't bore me made me angry. At a rival forum, I get chewed out whenever I post an opinion contrary to what is popular.

I'm done with NASCAR, and about done with racing period.

[Mystery]

I enjoyed the early races of the NASCAR season but it's got more dull as it has gone on. Needs an enormous amount of new blood to fire it up a bit for me. And less of Dale Jr's eminently hittable face as well please.

[JHamilton]

As I understand it, if we had been under last year's Chase format, Gordon would have won and he would have been tied with Keselowski for most of the race. It happens on its own.

[Razzzor]

While this points system is a complete farce, I gotta admit, that final race was exciting. But it was made exciting because the 4 drivers in it somehow were all in fast cars and contending throughout the race at the front. To see 3 of them running 1-2-3 nearing the end of the race was crazy.

But, I can't help but feel it's taken something away from this being a sport, and more towards a lottery/entertainment, like WWE.

Harvick winning was okay, he's been close plenty of times and probably does deserve it. He's been probably the fastest throughout the chase, he and Gordon in fact.

But Newman or Hamlin winning would have been ridiculous, with only 1 win between them this year, and even then it was Talledega which itself is a lottery. The only good thing about either of them winning would have been to make up for their previous close-calls - Newman shoulda/coulda been 2003 champ, Hamlin 2010.

I was actually rooting for Logano though. With the previous chase format he would have been champ and has actually won enough races this year. He didn't have the speed in the end anyway though.

What happened to Gordon, the true 2014 champ? What on earth did he pit with 10 to go for, when he stayed out just a few laps prior at the previous caution?

Oh, one other thing... this entire title was decided by Nascar and it's overexhuberance at throwing cautions.

[TRspitfirefan]

Originally Posted by Razzzor

But, I can't help but feel it's taken something away from this being a sport, and more towards a lottery/entertainment, like WWE.

This is why I quit watching NASCAR . Back in the nineties, I used to be obsessive about following the sport, but it just started to seem less than genuine. The problem only has gotten worse and unfortunately has spread to other forms of motorsport. I discovered American sports car racing back in 2001 and after 12 awesome years, it has now followed in its new big brothers footsteps.


If the results of this championship race had been written by a script writer, for a movie, it would doubtless have ended with one of the "big four" drivers in victory lane, followed closely by the other three.

I just don't believe in it anymore.