After the controversy surrounding the selection of the Championship 4 drivers in Martinsville, demand for a change in the format of the NASCAR Cup Series has grown. Many believe that the format has prevented several deserving drivers from fighting for the title in Phoenix on November 11. Dale Earnhardt Jr., though, is not convinced whether change is needed.
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The icon explained why going back to the previous 10-race Chase format doesn’t make sense.
“I’d love that dude. if I could mash a button and go back to the original points structure, I would be mashing it. But that is never going to happen. It’s never happening. TV is not going to buy that,” he said in an episode of Dale Jr. Download.
Earnhardt Jr. acknowledged that the current system is not perfect and some changes may get implemented in the future.
“I just don’t think there’s enough sample size for us to feel as confident about the result as we did with the old system. The old system was that you couldn’t question it. This guy ran all the races and got the most points there you go. You can’t argue that,” he added.
However, Earnhardt Jr. does not have an issue with the playoffs or the elimination format either. He feels the competition is much more balanced and fairer now compared to the old format.
Does the current playoff format favor particular teams?
Denny Hamlin has time and again said that each round of the playoffs is a three-race season of its own. A driver has got to be perfect in each of them to ensure he reaches the finale. And even then, there is no guarantee that the best among them would win the championship.
This is because the drivers have different strengths. Ryan Blaney, for example, is not as good a racer on intermediates as he is on superspeedways. Kyle Larson struggles on superspeedways.
In such a scenario, deciding the champion based on the result of a single short-track race in Phoenix is not ideal. Dale Jr. elaborated on this.
“The final race of the round does get me excited and you would lose that going to a 10-race playoff.,” he said. “But I feel better about the crowning of the champion at the end of that 10 races than I do at the end of one event in Phoenix. No matter where you put it.”
Pros and cons are there in both the formats. It is upto NASCAR now to decide what works for not just the drivers or the fans but the larger good of the sport.
