LACK OF DRAMA LEADS TO DIP IN RATINGS, ENTHUSIASM
MARTINSVILLE, VA. The first two years of the Chase for the Sprint Cup 2.0 format— the elimination- style tournament with a one- race championship — were filled with memorablemoments, drama, tempers and entertainment.
This year’s version? So far, not so much.
The Chase has been a disappointment compared to the first two editions, mainly because notmuch has really happened. The traditionally exciting races at Talladega Superspeedway and Martinsville Speedway failed to deliver on their reputations, and there hasn’t been a great race among the other five, either.
There’s time, of course, starting this weekend at TexasMotor Speedway. The final elimination race at Phoenix International Speedway should then be high drama, and the championship at HomesteadMiami Speedway — by design — should be a thriller.
What’s missing to this point? Well, in a format that revolves around eliminations, the cuts have been relatively clean.
Three drivers — Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski and Jamie McMurray — have been eliminated because their engines failed. When that happens, there’s no highlight- reel replay; it’s a shoulder shrug and a “We’ll get ’ emnext year.” The same could be said for how Kyle Larson departed the Chase, with an electrical problem and blown tire.
Three more — Chase Elliott, Tony Stewart and Chris Buescher — were cut because they had two bad races and put themselves in must- win situations for the elimination events. And when none among them pulled out a miracle, there was no one to be angry at but themselves.
The one driver whose elimination had drama was Austin Dillon. He was cut when Denny Hamlin edged Kurt Busch for third place at Talladega. But even that was hard to follow in the moment because of the way the pack races on a superspeedway. In other words, it was not Ryan Newman putting Larson into the wall in a desperate act to get that one point he needed at Phoenix in 2014.
Fans seem to have noticed that a format specifically created for more entertainment value hasn’t provided it in 2016. TV ratings have been down doubledigit percentages almost every week compared with last year’s Chase races, continuing a slump in that area. There are a variety of factors in that, but one certainly has to be a lack of compelling story lines.
Jimmie Johnson will race for his recordtying seventh championship at Homestead, which will be amajor headline there. But NASCAR needs more, and many of the stars who would drive interest are not in the playoff.
Stewart has been eliminated in his final season. Jeff Gordon is retired, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is done for the season with a concussion. Keselowski would have been a lightning rod and mixed things up, but he’s out — as is Truex, whose story of overcoming adversity could have been a feel- good moment had he won the title. Young drivers such as Larson and Elliott didn’t make the final eight, either.
So NASCAR is left to hope the remaining drivers can create a spark at Texas and Phoenix, revitalizing the playoff and reminding everyone how enjoyable this format can be to watch.
But there’s a growing possibility that might not happen, because drivers have figured out the best way to make it through the playoff is to avoid bad finishes. They don’t want any rivalries or drama, because that only hampers their chances. Consistency — also known as points racing — remains the best way to go.
If that remains the case, NASCAR will have to take a serious look at whether the Chase is working as intended.