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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
SPENCER: It Just Works
Love it or hate it, the Chase is doing what it was intended to do...
Jimmy Spencer  |  Posted September 03, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on SPEED. (Photo: SPEED)
The Chase is working.

Love it or hate it, NASCAR’s answer to Matt Kenseth’s controversial 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, in which he won only one race to Ryan Newman’s eight but notched 25 top-10 finishes, is doing what it was intended.

After the next two races, the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup will take a championship picture in which Tony Stewart currently is running away from the field, and turn it upside down, giving 11 others a chance to nip at his heels or possibly surpass him when the points are reset after Richmond. It injects drama and excitement back into a championship stretch that otherwise would be stale and approaching forgettable.

This championship format offers fans a reason to stay tuned to NASCAR, especially during the late summer months and the much-anticipated kickoff to the NFL and college football seasons, and has made more of an impact on the sport than anything else NASCAR has implemented.

The points are so tight right now between seventh and 14th that with one bad finish, Ryan Newman, currently seventh, potentially could drop out. That group of drivers has swapped places several times and probably will continue to do so until the checkered flag waves at Richmond.

Under the previous championship setup, no one cared who sat seventh late in the season, much less who was 14th. But for the next two weeks, 12th, 13th and 14th will be the most discussed positions simply for the fact that those drivers are still alive in their bid to make the Chase. It doesn’t matter that 12th-place Matt Kenseth is more than 600 points behind Stewart. If he and the others simply can make the cut, their monumental deficit will be virtually erased and their title hopes a reality.

The Chase not only adds excitement and nail-biting drama to these final races – it lends relevance to some guys who otherwise wouldn’t have an ice cube’s chance in hell of nabbing the championship. The Race to the Chase generates multitudes of media exposure for the on-the-fence teams who likely would be overlooked and underappreciated under the old format. But suddenly, those on the outside looking in and the ones barely hanging on are the hottest topic around, earning some much needed airtime and ink for their sponsors.

Plus, it gives one of the drivers with the most wins, Kyle Busch, who is tied with Mark Martin at four wins, another chance to contend for the title. Otherwise, the two winningest drivers would be light years away from championship contention. And that is just flat wrong.

There are some very nervous drivers and teams heading down the road to Atlanta this weekend, all armed with the knowledge that one bad race could spell the end of the road for them this season. So many storylines are swirling right now – can Kenseth and Martin stay in? Will Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers push their way in and knock someone else out?

Before the Chase was introduced in 2004, there was nothing to talk about at this point in the season other than the first and second place drivers, who sometimes weren’t even within reaching distance of each other, but the championship format has made the final stretch of the season a must-see. As a former competitor and NASCAR fan, I’m on the edge of my seat watching who does what and what each move on the track costs someone in the points.

We usually didn’t have this suspense and intrigue under the old points system and looking back, it’s hard to imagine how we lived without it.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it as an analyst on NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane on SPEED. He retired from driving with two NASCAR Sprint Cup, 12 NASCAR Nationwide and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, putting him in an elite group of drivers who have logged wins in all three of NASCAR’s premier divisions. In 478 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, Spencer amassed 28 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. He won back-to-back NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships in 1986 and 1987 on the heels of 15 victories, becoming the first driver ever to earn consecutive titles in the series. He earned the nickname “Mr. Excitement” for his flamboyant and aggressive driving style early in his racing career.
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