On Tuesday Morning, NASCAR made significant changes to the current state of the sport. Changes that were groundbreaking and that could really innovate the sport moving forward.
Due to the outraging success in the first two years of the current point system in the Cup Series, NASCAR is implementing a Chase for both the XFINITY Series as well as the Camping World Truck Series.
Over the span of the last two seasons, winning has been everything in the Cup Series. The last two champions, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch both needed to win the last race of the season at Homestead-Miami to win the championship. With that, there have been competitive seasons in the other two top divisions in NASCAR, but change was needed, and NASCAR delivered.
“Fans, partners and the industry have embraced the new Chase format like nothing we’ve seen in the sport’s history,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France in a press release. “Winning never has been this important, and the excitement generated the past two seasons in the Sprint Cup Series has led to this implementation of the Chase format in all three national series. Competition in both the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will undoubtedly elevate to new heights and shine a spotlight on the rising stars of our sport.”
The new system for the lower two national series will be conducted of seven races and three rounds beginning the second week of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. In the XFINITY Series it will begin on Sept. 24 at the Kentucky Speedway, and for the Trucks it will begin on the same day in New Hampshire. The way to qualify for the Chase is to win a race prior to the Chase starting and remaining in the top-30 in points, as well as attempting to qualify for every race.
The Dash 4 Cash races in the XFINITY Series will now have a bigger impact as if one of the four eligible drivers win two of the $100,000 bonuses they will automatically qualify for the Chase.
The first round of the XFINITY Series Chase will be made-up of 12 drivers starting at Kentucky, making a stop in Dover and ending in Charlotte. A win from one of the Chase drivers will move them through to the next round which starts at Kansas, goes to Texas and ends in Phoenix. The championship will be decided at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the highest finishing of the championship-eligible drivers will win the title.
A big factor in the XFINITY championship deciding race will be that no 2015 Sprint Cup Chase drivers will be able to race in the season finale. For years there has been the one question of whether or not Cup drivers should race in the lower national divisions of NASCAR. From a competition standpoint they are still able to race in any desired race of their choosing, but no longer able to race in the final race due to the stakes being so high.
It also gives the best teams in the XFINITY Series the deserving viewership and spotlight that they earned through the first 32 races of the season. It will put even more pressure on the developmental driver which is exactly what NASCAR wants.
For the Truck Series, a win in the first 16 races will all but solidify a spot in their respective Chase. However, the field will be made up of eight drivers competing for the championship.
The first round will be made up of New Hampshire, Las Vegas and ending with Talladega. The next round will start off at Martinsville, and then move to Texas and ending in Phoenix. After Phoenix, the championship four will be set for Homestead.
In 2015, the top-eight in the standings at the end of the season were separated by 169 points. The new system allows for more opportunities for the “underdog” team to capitalize and make a cutoff race at Talladega, where anything can happen even that much more important.
France stated that having Erik Jones only having to finish 15th or better at Homestead in 2015 is not good for the sport and that the winner of the championship should have to earn it in the final race.
NASCAR also implemented a “20-minute clock” for the Truck Series in 2016. If there is not a caution during a 20-minute span, NASCAR will then throw out a competition caution. The only time that the clock will be stopped is at Pocono and Canadian Tire Motorsports Park where it will be turned off with 10 laps to go.
This is the first time in NASCAR history that a clock can have an impact on the outcome of the race.
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- Chris Buescher Steals a Victory in Soggy Pocono Event - August 1, 2016