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Sprint Cup
CUP: France – Schedule Changes ‘Impactful’
NASCAR Chairman Brian France continues to promise that changes are coming to the Chase...
NASCAR Chairman Brian France says that an elimination-style format already basically exists in the Chase because drivers, in effect, fall out of contention early with poor results. (Photo: Getty Images)
NASCAR chairman Brian France Sunday described the changes the sanctioning body is considering for its 2011 Sprint Cup schedule as “impactful” and talked again about making serious modifications in the season-ending Chase for the Sprint Cup format.
France said no decisions have been made in either case, but he met with Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman Bruton Smith for more than an hour Sunday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway prior to the Brickyard 400. That conversation probably included talk about schedule changes SMI is seeking for next season, including a Cup date for Kentucky Motor Speedway and a possible second date at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
France said the 2011 schedule should be completed in “a week or two.” An announcement about any changes to the Chase might be delayed until after the season.
“We’ll have some pretty impactful changes to the schedule that I think will be good for NASCAR fans,” France said. “It looks like there are going to be some really interesting changes to the schedule. It’s not easy, because everybody has a slice of the pie that they want to make sure fits them perfectly. We have to adjust that around to where it fits everybody in the industry.”
A second date seems a virtual certainty for Kansas Speedway, which is adding a casino to its property. Tracks that might lose dates have not been identified.
“You can imagine when anything moves around on the Cup schedule it has consequences,” France said. “We’re digesting that and making sure it fits into our TV partners and our track operators who have made the requests and all the other partners who count on the schedule to be done correctly.”
NASCAR said officials continue to consider major changes to the Chase format. The biggest possible change apparently involves an elimination format that would trim the number of those eligible to win the championship to a handful of drivers by the season’s final race.
That idea has produced some criticism from drivers since it was floated several weeks ago, but France said Sunday that it already basically exists because drivers, in effect, fall out of contention early in the Chase with poor results.
“It sort of forces that like every other playoff or tournament does,” he said, “but the truth is there’s a lot of people eliminated from the Chase – not necessarily mathematically – by the fifth race in. That’s no different – if we formalize that a little bit and make sort of a transfer event ‘feel’ like we have at Richmond [the last race before the Chase].”
France said economic realities are playing into NASCAR’s planning sessions.
“This is what you do when you’re sort of going through things and there’s a sort of headwind,” he said. “Things aren’t as easy as they’ve been in the past. This is a time when the industry can reposition some things that we can improve on. Sometimes when you’re in a little bit of a valley for whatever reason, that’s the time to look at all the things you can improve on and make the changes and go forward.”
Asked about the Carl Edwards-Brad Keselowski incident at Gateway International Raceway last week, France said, “Carl went too far. We think some contact, especially late in the race, is part of NASCAR. [But] there are limits to that. Limits are pretty obvious.
“You can’t just send somebody around, especially intentionally. … The point is there have to be limits. On the other hand, we’ve opened it up. This is the big leagues. You’re going to have contact here.”
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
France said no decisions have been made in either case, but he met with Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman Bruton Smith for more than an hour Sunday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway prior to the Brickyard 400. That conversation probably included talk about schedule changes SMI is seeking for next season, including a Cup date for Kentucky Motor Speedway and a possible second date at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
France said the 2011 schedule should be completed in “a week or two.” An announcement about any changes to the Chase might be delayed until after the season.
“We’ll have some pretty impactful changes to the schedule that I think will be good for NASCAR fans,” France said. “It looks like there are going to be some really interesting changes to the schedule. It’s not easy, because everybody has a slice of the pie that they want to make sure fits them perfectly. We have to adjust that around to where it fits everybody in the industry.”
A second date seems a virtual certainty for Kansas Speedway, which is adding a casino to its property. Tracks that might lose dates have not been identified.
“You can imagine when anything moves around on the Cup schedule it has consequences,” France said. “We’re digesting that and making sure it fits into our TV partners and our track operators who have made the requests and all the other partners who count on the schedule to be done correctly.”
NASCAR said officials continue to consider major changes to the Chase format. The biggest possible change apparently involves an elimination format that would trim the number of those eligible to win the championship to a handful of drivers by the season’s final race.
That idea has produced some criticism from drivers since it was floated several weeks ago, but France said Sunday that it already basically exists because drivers, in effect, fall out of contention early in the Chase with poor results.
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“It sort of forces that like every other playoff or tournament does,” he said, “but the truth is there’s a lot of people eliminated from the Chase – not necessarily mathematically – by the fifth race in. That’s no different – if we formalize that a little bit and make sort of a transfer event ‘feel’ like we have at Richmond [the last race before the Chase].”
France said economic realities are playing into NASCAR’s planning sessions.
“This is what you do when you’re sort of going through things and there’s a sort of headwind,” he said. “Things aren’t as easy as they’ve been in the past. This is a time when the industry can reposition some things that we can improve on. Sometimes when you’re in a little bit of a valley for whatever reason, that’s the time to look at all the things you can improve on and make the changes and go forward.”
Asked about the Carl Edwards-Brad Keselowski incident at Gateway International Raceway last week, France said, “Carl went too far. We think some contact, especially late in the race, is part of NASCAR. [But] there are limits to that. Limits are pretty obvious.
“You can’t just send somebody around, especially intentionally. … The point is there have to be limits. On the other hand, we’ve opened it up. This is the big leagues. You’re going to have contact here.”
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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