So, two races in the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series are behind us. With this being the 75th Anniversary of the NHRA, the celebration will continue all year. With this anniversary comes the obligatory 75th Anniversary logo. It’s alright, not too over done.
Here’s the thing, I HATE anniversary logos in sports. This all started in late 1997, with the introduction of NASCAR’s 50th Anniversary logo:
The moment I saw this logo, I knew I hated it, and I was going to be so tired of it by the end of the 1998 season. Well, I was right. NASCAR put this logo on EVERYTHING in 1998. It was all over merchandise, it was prominent at every track and telecast, you couldn’t escape it. By the time 1998 ended, fans were done with the logo.
This, in turn, posed a massive problem for independent stores that sold NASCAR merch. By the end of 1998, they had so much overstock, that they lost money on it. It actually common to see entire sections of stores with 1998 50th Anniversary stuff on massive clearance.
NASCAR was big enough to handle the low sales, but many of these store are mom and pop stores, and their bottom line to a major hit by selling this stuff on clearance. While it is still sold on places like eBay almost 30 years later, at the time, you really couldn’t give it away.
Now this is not a phenomenon confined to racing. In 1994, I was 12, and the World Cup was hosted in the US, and Chicago was one of the venues. World Cup merchandise was EVERYWHERE! But just like any other event, the World Cup comes to an end. After the World Cup ended, stores across the country were sitting on piles of unsold merch, which was sold at a loss. Many individual teams also have championship or anniversary logos, and the same thing happens.
I have no problem with a sports team or league celebrating a championship, or anniversary. I have a major problem with those who sell merchandise on a local level getting screwed by this merch. I think all sports leagues across the world need to understand that local stores are in precarious positions with these kinds of merchandise. I really hope that there are no permanent casualties because of this, there have been in the past.
With that said, I look forward to the 75th Anniversary of the NHRA, and I love the racing.
So I was working on something this week, but I ran out of time. With that said, two separate social media incidents occured, that I want to talk about. First, we talk about NASCAR driver Daniel Dye. Daniel Dye is a name I’m vaugely familiar with, mainly from watching ARCA. He was a driver for Kauling Racing, but that’s come to a halt.
Danie Dye was suspended for mocking IndyCar driver David Malukas using what was term a “homophobic voice.” While as of the time of writing Malukas hasn’t responded, Dye has, in an apology that sounds like he had a professional write it for him.
“I want to first apologize to David Malukas. I recently went on a live stream with some friends and made some careless comments. I chose my words poorly, and I understand why it upset people. I’m sorry to anyone who was offended. That’s not how I want to represent myself.
I have some close friends in the LGBTQ+ community who I would never want to feel less of themselves because of what I said, and that’s exactly why I should hold myself to a higher standard. In talking with them, I realize that a true friend would know better than to act the way I did and for that I need to be a better friend. What I said doesn’t reflect how I feel about them or anyone else.
I didn’t think enough before I spoke, and I in no way meant any harm. I know that intention does not erase impact and I need to do better.
I’m taking this seriously and working on being more aware and respectful moving forward. I’m sorry to everyone I let down. I am committed to learning from this and better understanding that the impact that my decisions can have on others. That includes educating myself, listening to those affected, and taking meaningful steps to ensure my actions reflect respect and inclusivity going forward.
I know I’ve got a platform and a responsibility, and I need to use it better.
– Daniel Dye”
How this will affect Dye’s career going forward is uncertain. I will say that, in the year 2026, what you say and how you say it can and will come back to haunt you. Even if Dye thinks he was only doing a funny voice, it’s how others see you.
With that said, let’s talk about AEW star Ricochet. Ricochet is a wrestler who has wresteled all over the landscape, and currently wrestles in AEW. He has justifiably taken some serious flack for some postings on X. He’s always been kind of a douche, but this whole debacle has cemented it.
Ricochet can’t handle criticism on X, and he proved it. He targeted one specific account, which is run by a woman suffering with MS. In response to her criticisms, he posted “I’m glad you got MS.” The backlash was instant, and harsh. It seems like the whole wrestling community was against him. The heat got too hot and he issued an “apology” for his actions.
“I took out my hatred for the IWC on Sandi, and inadvertently others who are effected by MS. She didnt deserve it and for that, I sincerely apologize. Moving forward I’ll do better.”
Fans quickly and justifiably pointed out that he had been defending his actions hours before his apology, and that this was not the first time this happened.
Ricochet is one of the many wrestlers who need to learn how not to react on social media. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the spotlight. I don’t feel bad for him, he’s always been a dick on social media, but now he can’t hide behind anything anymore. I hope this will result in a suspensipn, but it might not.
Here’s the bottom line: What you post can come back to haunt you. Daniel Dye and Ricochet are the two latest examples, and tere will be more.
Just a brief update this week. There wasn’t a column last Friday, and that was by design. I’m working on a couple of projects this month, one of which is a lot more time consuming than I previously thought. Once complete, this will free up some time.
With that said, last week was an over/under week. For the entire week, I was either over stressed, or under the weather. Sometimes, I just had to stretch out on the couch for a while to get back to where I needed to be. It was in these moments of weakness, that one of the greatest small pleasures in life occurred.
Let me introduce you to Zoe.
We’ve had Zoe since 2019, and while she is timid, she is very loving to those who have earned her trust. Her way of showing her humans that she loves them is to lie next to them on the couch or bed. Literally, as I was typing that last sentence, she jumped up next to me.
There is nothing better when you are down in the dumps than having a pet who loves you showing affection. That’s why we love our pets. I’m grateful for Zoe. I know I won’t get to spend the rest of my life with her, but I’m happy she will spend the rest of my life with us.
I live in Evanston, Illinois. I’ve lived here my whole life. I love living here, and I can’t think of living anywhere else. Sure, Evanston has problems, but all cities, villages and towns have problems, but I still love Evanston.
In addition to loving Evanston, I also love auto racing. Until recently, I had no idea that Evanston had their own race track. Evanston Motor Speedway also known as Evanston Speedway, Tessville Motor Speedway, Chicago Motor Speedway, Chicago Midget Speedway and Lincolnwood Motor Speedway, operated from 1932 through 1936. This is from kalracing.com’s page on the subject:
The track was located in Tessville, which is now known as Lincolnwood, Ill. The track property was bordered to the north by Touhy Ave., to the south by Pratt Ave., to the northwest by railroad tracks and to the east by McCormick Blvd. and the North Shore Channel. Early newspaper stories, ads, etc. said location was at Lincoln & Devon and McCormick Blvd. Use of various computer aerials show track located north of Pratt Ave. with entrance to the speedway roughly at Pratt and St. Louis Ave. Track ran east and west and was bordered by today’s Central Park Ave on the west and Christiana Ave. on the east with main straightway north of current Northeast Parkway.
This is an Evanston Speedway program from 1934.
Here are some notes concerning the track, and it appears that these are the only surviving records:
-First mention of track was in the summer of 1932.
-Bill Kiser of Chicago’s south side was the feature winner in modified stock car competition there on August 7th, and 14th, 1932.
-Bill Kiser was later seriously injured there and later died from injuries suffered on August 21, 1932 which saw Indiana’s Virgil Livengood the winner of the 30-lap/15-mile feature race.
-According to a 1932 program, the track was known as Tessville Motor Speedway. This same program shows Len Barnard as President and Charles Barnard as Vice President, Miles E. Barry – Announcer, John Ugaste – Starter and Norman Ross – Publicity Director
-Stock cars and other race cars competed there in 1932, 1933 and 1934; Jimmy Snyder, Emil Andres and Cletus “Cowboy” O’Rourke got their starts there
-Emil Andres won 50-lap Central States Stock Car Championship on November 6, 1932.
-While the track was an originally a half-mile track, it was “cut down” to quarter-mile (or fifth-mile) for midget racing in 1935 and 1936.
-Ernie Carlson was the first feature winner of this new course on June 5, 1935.
-Midget racing was the fixture there in 1935 and 1936. At this time, the track was known as Chicago Midget Speedway.
-On July 19th, 1936, the track was opened back up to bigger cars. Around this time, the name of the track was known as Lincolnwood Motor Speedway, since Tessville became Lincolnwood in 1936.
-Though record keeping isn’t great, we do know that the last known race was on August 9, 1936, with Mike Salay the feature winner.
-The last known record of the speedway was when the Chicago Tribune reported that track property suffered “storm damage” with races scheduled for 8/16/36 being canceled. The track closed and was dismantled and plowed up in the spring of 1937.
-In researching this subject, I also learned something interesting. Evanston was part of the first auto race in America. This was how the event was described by Joshua Lipowski of dailydownforce.com:
“America’s First Auto Race: Chicago to Evanston, Thanksgiving 1895
Yes, the very first auto race in the history of the United States was held in Chicago, and sponsored by the now defunct local newspaper, the Chicago Times-Herald. The race was far from a smooth show, however.
According to EnjoyIllinois.com, 83 vehicles were originally slated to enter, but only six made it to the starting grid. The race was also delayed by almost four weeks partially due to automobiles being illegal. EnjoyIllinois.com also reports that this race played a role in automobiles being legalized in Chicago.
As for the race, it was eventually held on November 28, 1895, Thanksgiving Day. Of course, weather was cold, and there was snow on the ground. The 54 mile race featured only two finishers, but auto racing in America was now a thing, albeit a long way off from what it would become through the years.”
So, Evanston, Illinois was not only the site of the first auto race in American history, it was also the site of the first NCAA Championship Basketball game, on March 30, 1939, which saw the Oregon Webfoots, now the Ducks beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 46 to 33. It’s kind of amazing these two tidbits of information aren’t more widely known.
So the 2026 Daytona 500 is behind us, and it was actually a good race. The Duels were good, and the race as a whole was good. I will say that, like a lot of fans, I’m over a few things. First, when it comes to FOX, I do NOT need to hear Larry McReynolds say “You can’t make mistakes on pit road” every telecast. We get it. Making a mistake at a critical point in the race is bad.
But the other thing I’m over is stage racing. Seriously, nobody wanted this to begin with, and most fans are done with it. Maybe the drivers like it, or maybe the teams, but as a long-time fan, I’m done. I don’t see how this is a net positive for anyone here. Let the drivers race.
But I’m posting this just after the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Daytona 500. Growing up, the first race I ever watched was the 1990 Daytona 500. I saw that black and silver #3 Chevy Lumina running at the front, and I was hooked! That love carried stayed until the 2001 Daytona 500. I’ve never been able to have a favorite driver since Earnhardt’s death. One of my all-time favorite photos of myself is me next to one of Dale’s Luminas, taken at the museum at Talladega in 1999.
Dale’s death hit me hard. I cried in my dorm room after my roommate went to work out. I had just lost my idol, and a huge piece of inspiration. 25 years later, I’m still not fully over it, and neither is NASCAR. Sure, new drivers have slowly replaced the old guard, but with Dale Earnhardt, he was so much more. He was a true legend in every sense of the word. But his legacy means so much more to auto racing.
Dale Earnhardt’s death was a moment that robbed us of one of the greatest drivers of the modern era, but also was a water shed moment for racing safety. Auto racing safety has always been written in blood. It’s also a constantly moving target. As the cars get faster and more technically complex, the safety standards have to change too. Sometimes these changes are made in good faith, other times, blood has to be spilt.
After the 2001 Daytona 500, there was a massive shift in the way racing viewed safety. Before, for a lot of racing, the approach was a matter of fixing problems after they happen. After Earnhardt’s death, that switched to trying to fix problems before they lead to serious injury or death. While there had been pushes for new safety standards, Earnhardt’s death kicked all of that into high gear.
While I was thinking about this column, I came to a realization. F1 had already started that approach after Ayrton Senna’s death in 1994, but somehow, no real changes outside of F1 took place between 1994 and 2001. A major driver was going to have to die before this approach was implemented. The question I began to think about was, who would that driver have been?
Thinking about this, it’s a pretty horrifying thought. Would it have been Jeff Gordon? Dale Jarrett? Mark Martin? Michael Andretti? John Force? That number was going to land on someone, and on February 18, 2001, that someone was Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Another thought that I had was, what if none of the major drivers died? Sure, there were plenty of other drivers who were killed in wrecks across the world, but nobody’s death was more critical to the overall safety culture of the sport than Dale Earnhardt Sr. So if this major death never happened, what would auto racing look in 2026?
First, I can promise that there would have been a lot more deaths in auto racing across the board. Second, a lot of safety features, many of which are taken for granted, wouldn’t be as uniformly implemented as they are now. Eventually that major death would have happened, but there would be a much bigger body count.
In the end, Dale Earnhardt’s death was tragic. While NASCAR hasn’t recovered from it, there are countless race car drivers who owe their lives to the safety culture his death helped create. I can say for sure, his death wasn’t in vain. Rest in peace Dale.
So, I’ve been following the whole Prock Family moving to Tasca Racing saga. Like many others, I have questions about the Prock Family leaving John Force Racing. It’s always odd when a driver leaves a championship winning team. It’s even more pecular when said team was consistency the strongest team in their division. But that’s what happened with Austin and Jimmy Prock.
Well, on January 30th, Bob Tasca gave an interview with Competition Plus. During the interview, he gave some perspective on the move, and had some interesting things to say. Some of his quotes include
“When you have a common vision of what you want to do long term and you’re not making decisions based on maybe what’s the best tomorrow, it kind of all fell into place,” Tasca said. “The Prock family’s long-term vision of keeping their family together and our long-term vision of building a championship caliber platform—it was really a perfect scenario for both families.”
“The kids made the initial moves. My sons Austin and Cameron started talking to Thomas and Austin. That’s where the concept really started. The Procks want to keep their family together, and that’s the harsh reality. There were other opportunities, not just with us, but they chose this one.”
“Jimmy’s learned a lot from my setup. It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t consistent enough, but we ran as good as anybody against them for the last three years.”
Reading between the lines here leads me to beleive that there is some heat between John Force and Jimmy Prock. This would not be the first time. Long time NHRA fans will remember that, in 2014, Jimmy Prock was fired from John Force Racing after a falling out with John Force. He joined Don Schumacher Racing, and changing the angle of the exhaust pipes, helped Jack Beckman become the fastest man in Funny Car.
Even though Force and Prock eventually mended their relationsip, Force seems to be the source of strife. Why else would you leave a team where you were not only champion, but so consistent? Why else would you take chance on a team that isn’t on the level of John Force Racing?
I have a lot of respect for owner/drivers, but let’s be honest, who has the better engine program over the last several years? Bob Tasca is a great team owner, and driver, but you cannot argue that Force is the stronger team in NHRA Funny Car. It seems to me as if something happened behind the scenes, and the Procks felt the need to find greener pastures.
John Force is the greatest in his field, nobody is arguing that. But like a lot of those considered the best, he is a control freak. To outsiders, that might seem like a bad thing, but I would argue otherwise. James Cameron is one of the best directors in recent memory. He joins others like Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, and others who were control freaks, and made some of the greatest movies of all time. Would you rather work with easy-going director, and have an unremarkable career, or work for a control freak and work on an Oscar-winning movie?
There has to be, at least in my mind, more to this story than meets the eye, and I will be more than interested to see how this plays off, both on track, and behind the scenes.
So the 2026 NASCAR Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium is behind us. It was, well, a thing. It wasn’t overwhelming, but not underwhelming either. It was fine for what it was. Like I’ve said, I think the Clash and All-Star Race should be held in different classic stock car venues every year.
Obviously, the major issue here was the weather. The snow storm gripping the country forced multiple changes. First, all Saturday events were canceled outright. Then the Clash got moved from Sunday to Monday. Then the Clash got moved to Wednesday, and then it was held. I think we can all agree that weather delays suck.
Again, The Clash was alright for what it was. I know I complain about this every year, but the lack of pit stops really hindered the race, at least in my opinion. All of the racing I watched pretty much lived up to what I thought it was going to be.
I will say that moving the race to FS2 to air The Masked Singer was a slap in the face of fans. I get that weather was an issue, but come on! Have a little respect for the fans!
Congratulations to Ryan Preece for winning the Clash, and now we look on to Daytona.
So I hope you all are safe after all the weather issues we’ve had here in the states. Last weekend was the perfect weather to stay indoors, order food, and watch auto racing, so that’s exactly what I did. I watched as much of the Rolex 24 as I could. I’m passed the age where I can watch all 24 hours.
This year’s Rolex 24 was fun to watch, except for the safety car period. After the sun had set, a torrential downpour hit the track, and the race was run under the safety car. This safety car period was six-hours and 33-minutes, and was over 250 laps in total. This is offically the world’s longest safety car period. In case you are wondering the record was previously held by the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, which was four hours and 26 minutes in length.
Watching the event during this caution period, I could understand why it was needed. The visibility alone was awful. During the worst part, you could barely see pit road from the front of the track. When cars were on pit road, you could make the lights of the car, but not the full details. At points, you couldn’t see the backstretch from the front of the track.
My question was…why wasn’t the race red flagged. While I’ve complained about drivers wanting breaks during NASCAR races, there is a major difference between a 3 hour, 500 mile race, and a 24 hour race where the winners drove 1,762.5 miles. These type of races push everyone involved to the limit, and if a situation presents itself where everyone can rest and recharge, it should be taken.
Safety is a critical issue in auto racing, and it’s also a moving target. Decisions need to be made to protect all involve. Seriously, I don’t think anyone would have been upset for a two or three hour long red flag at 3AM. Again, letting teams and drivers get a chance to rest isn’t a bad thing.
Even with just over 25% of the race run under caution due to weather, it was still a fun event to watch. I’m not the biggest IMSA fan, but I do enjoy it. Now, we have the Cook Out Clash, starting tomorrow, and I’ll have more to say next week.
I was going to do a column on something else, but I saw this story, and I have to talk about it. Every so often, a story comes along, and you read it and think “why didn’t I think of this before?” Well, Utah has provided such a story with a new law concerning alcohol.
The story starts on April 26, 2022, when a serial drunk scumbag named Mason Andrew Ohms left a West Jordan bar, and got behind the wheel. Ohms ran a red light, and hit and killed 13-year old Eli Mitchell, who was legally crossing the street in a crosswalk. Ohms then drove away, leaving the boy to die. He was arrested not long thereafter, and was convicted and sentenced to 1 to 15 years in prison.
This was Mason Ohms’ sixth conviction for DUI. This was not lost on Eli Mitchell’s family, who decided to do something about it. Glendon Mitchell, Eli’s grandfather worked to intoduce House Bill 437. HB 437 also know as the 100% ID Law, mandates that bars, restaurants, and any location where alcohol is sold ID checks every customer purchasing alcohol regardless of age or appearance.
HB 437 also mandates a new set of rules for those convicted of driving drunk. According to KSL.com, under this new law:
-Judges may restrict alcohol purchases for certain offenders.
-Individuals convicted of an extreme DUI—defined as a blood alcohol content of 0.16 or higher, or driving above Utah’s 0.05 limit with illegal substances present—may be designated as “interdicted” and prohibited from buying alcohol for a period of time.
-Interdicted individuals will receive a special ID. Their driver license or state ID will display a “No Alcohol Sale” label across the photo. This notation is visible during required visual ID checks by anyone selling or serving alcohol.
Given the sheer number of DUI arrests, and how many repeat offenders there are out there, it’s amazing it took this long for this approach to happen. Holding establishments that serve booze to intoxicated people responsible is a good move. I live in Illinois, and have worked in a retail store that sells alcohol. State inspectors can, and do bust cashiers for not checking IDs. I don’t think that there is a state that doesn’t have these laws, but more rigid enforcement is a good thing.
The idea of special ID cards that instruct establishments not to sell booze to convicted drunk drivers is a stroke of brilliance. Given how many repeat drunk drivers there are out there, this approach is a great move. Many of these people will never change if left to their own devices. Some people really need to be protected from their own worst instincts, especially when their actions put other people in dangers.
Also, let’s discuss who are against this rule. The first group are retailers who sell booze. Well, as I said, above, there are laws all over the country concerning this, now they are being enforced. I’ve also heard that some people think that this new law infrindges on their “personal liberties.” Well, that’s an ignorant take if ever I’ve heard one.
While prohibition on a national level is not a thing due to the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution, cities, counties, and even states can be dry. Jack Daniel’s whiskey is headquartered in Lynchburg, Tennessee, which is in Moore County, a dry county. You can’t buy a bottle of Jack Daniel’s, the biggest whiskey company in America in the county it is made in.
Furthermore, nobody in the United States has a right to drink alcohol. If it isn’t an established right, it is a privilege. If a judge decides that you can’t drink due to an arrest, then you can’t drink. Being held accountable for your actions might suck, but the law is the law. Abusing a privilege can and will cause you to lose said privilege.
I love this thought process, and I love the idea of dealing drunk drivers like this. I hope this thought process spreads to other states. We need to crack down on drunk drivers, and this is a great way to start.
So I was originally going to talk about something else, but given recent circumstances, I’ve given up on that. Due to my schedule, I write Friday Feature columns on Mondays. After I finished last week’s column, two stories happened. While it would have been easy to write about one of them, I decided it would be better to put some more time and effort into it.
I discussed the anti-trust lawsuit, and some of its fallout last week, and I stand by what I said. But one more bit of fallout happened, in that NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps resigned as a result of text messages sent concerning Richard Childress. According to ESPN.com:
“But the top executive at NASCAR was deeply bruised during the trial — and the discovery process leading into it — when communications he exchanged with top leadership was exposed. In one exchange, Phelps called Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress “a stupid redneck” who “needs to be taken out back and flogged.”
That led Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, an ardent supporter of both NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing, to write a letter demanding Phelps’ removal as commissioner.
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NASCAR settled the lawsuit with 23XI Racing, owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports, owned by Bob Jenkins, the day after Morris’ letter.”
Even if Richard Childress is “a stupid redneck,” you really can’t argue what he’s done as a team owner. In the top three NASCAR Series, he has won seven Cup Series championships(1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994), seven O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championships(2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2019, 2025) and two Truck Series championships(1995, 2011). He also co-owns the Carolina Cowboys, a Professional Bull Riders Team Series team, as well as founding Childress Vineyards.
My point here is that Steve Phelps might see Richard Childress as “a stupid redneck,” but he is a very successful “stupid redneck.” He’s not stupid! He’s a very smart, self-made businessman. Sure, RCR isn’t where it once was, but after Dale Earnhardt’s death, how could it. RCR will never fully recover from losing that level of talent. But you can’t ignore how good of a businessman Richard Childress is.
Some more texts that came out in discovery are gems too. These include:
“Childress is an idiot. If they don’t like the state of the sport, sell your charter and get out.”
“Did I mention Childress was an idiot?”
“If he’s that angry (and apparently he is) sign your charter extension and sell. He’s not smart, is a dinosaur, and a malcontent. He’s worth a couple hundred million dollars – every dollar associated with NASCAR in some fashion. Total ass-clown.”
This is why many corporate lawsuits are settled. Big companies are worried about what is going to come out in discovery. TKO, owners of WWE settled a lawsuit filed by MLW over WWE being a monopoly. To anyone who wasn’t TKO, it was clear that MLW needed money, and was trying to get some from WWE. TKO, fearing discovery settled. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that if this had gone to trial, WWE would have prevailed.
Now, there’s another question, was Phelps’ resignation his own choosing, or was he pressured into it? Well, the letter from Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris didn’t exactly help. Morris, and Bass Pro Shops are a loyal sponsor of NASCAR, and it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to think that the potential loss of a major sponsor would force NASCAR’s hand. It’s also not impossible that there were other issues with Phelps, and this was the tipping point.
As of the time of writing, Phelps is still the current commissioner, his resignation scheduled at the end of January 2026. No successor has been announced, and it remains unclear who will fill the role. I will say, I think there needs to be more changes than just a new commissioner if NASCAR is to survive.
In the other major NASCAR news stories, NASCAR brought the Chase back as their playoff system. The new system will feature the following changes:
“‘Win and you’re in’ is gone. A race win will no longer guarantee automatic entry into The Chase, increasing the importance of every event on the schedule. Winning is still valuable, but drivers must continue to perform at a high level throughout the regular season.
Race winning drivers earn more points. A win will now earn the race-winning driver 55 points. Previously, a win paid 40 points. The goal is to reward drivers who go for wins, not just strong points days, and ensure aggressive racing and strong team performance remain central to each weekend. Points for all other positions, including stage points, remain the same.
The Chase will feature the top drivers in regular-season points. Returning to a points-based qualification system reinforces the value of consistent, season-long performance and ensures the drivers who execute across the full schedule earn the chance to compete for a championship. The Chase in the NASCAR Cup Series will feature 16 drivers; the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series field will be set at 12 drivers, with the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series field at 10.
The points leader after the regular season will receive a meaningful advantage. As recognition for sustained excellence, the top driver at the end of the regular season will earn a 25-point cushion over the second seed.”
Like many NASCAR fans, I wanted full season points. I hate this whole playoff system. This is another case of NASCAR tuning out what the fan base wants in favor of their own needs. Many old school NASCAR fans are gone, and will never come back. I’ve seen the TV numbers, and they are bad. Hell, the NHRA beat NASCAR in TV ratings. At what point does NASCAR realize they need to keep the fans happy?
While there was some positive reaction on social media, I do not like these changes. I’m not looking forward to this new system. What I would have done is to have the top four drivers in points locked in to the final race of the season, winner take all. It’s almost the same as a full race season, but there are four drivers giving their all for the Cup. I hate racing playoffs.
Ok, I need to end things here. I’ll have some more news for next week.
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