A year or two ago, let us say that Brian France had a brainwave. He came up with a proposal to allow 16 drivers into the Chase, first determined by wins gathered up to and including Richmond.
It seems rather odd to think of NASCAR racing teams making last minute deals during the month of January. After all, it's only the first month of a brand new year.
Going into this upcoming Sprint Cup Series season, one of the big storylines was the number of rookies. With Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Justin Allgaier and Parker Kligerman all set to compete for rookie of the year, the ROTY battle will be one to watch. Well, the crop just got bigger.
The sports world is much different today than it was 20 years ago. The events themselves haven’t changed much, but the culture surrounding sports has. Professional sports are no longer just about what happens on the playing field.
Playoffs. As exciting as they might be from time to time, they are simply a gimmick to keep interested those who are not all that interested in the first place. Still, as long as they do not go beyond the pale, to be too stupid in presenting their post-season tournament, they can create a measure of excitement.
There has been a lot of speculation recently that indicates some highly significant and sweeping changes could be coming regarding the points format used for NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. The first indication of these changes came right after the arrival of the new year and stemmed from comments made by NASCAR Chairman Brian France during an interview with the "Motor Racing Network."
Have you ever found yourself sitting in the grandstand, at a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, wondering what it would be like to drive around one of those massive speedways? Even just the opportunity to drive your personal street car around one of these tracks would be a genuine thrill and a great story for the Monday morning water cooler when you returned to work.
Last year, Regan Smith started the year off strong, including a 58 point lead mid-way through the year. However, as races added up, the points gap faded and Smith ended the year third in points behind Austin Dillon and Sam Hornish Jr.
According to various sources, including the Charlotte Observer’s Jim Utter, NASCAR’s plan for the 2014 Chase is taking shape and it will have a new format. According to these sources, 16 teams would make the Chase with positions going to full-time participants who won a race during the season of 25 races.
As this is being written, we are only 38 days away from the Daytona 500, and the news has come fast and furious leading up to the beginning of the season. It doesn’t surprise me somehow that it began with the number three.
JR Motorsports has competed at Rockingham Speedway a combined four times in the NOAPS. In those starts at the 1.017-mile oval, the organization has recorded one win, one top-five and one top-10. The average finish is 12.8.
Expert breakdown of the upcoming Food City 500. Analyzing NASCAR Cup Series favorites, Next Gen car technical updates, and tire wear on Bristol’s concrete high-banks.
