Whatever we can accuse Brian France of, we certainly cannot accuse him of having any imagination. He has announced yet another change to the NASCAR scoring system, modifying the much hated “Chase For The Championship,” which has been an (unsuccessful) attempt to attract viewers away from the NFL.
The “Chase” has been expanded to sixteen drivers, eight of whom will be eliminated after four races, and four more of whom will be eliminated before the final race. The last race of the season will feature four drivers contesting on an equal basis for the season championship. Do those numbers look familiar? Yes, by golly, they do.
Giving up on competing with the NFL, Brian has decided to compete with NCAA basketball, giving us NASCAR’s version of “March Madness” in late fall with NASCAR’s “Fall Follies,” complete with a “Sweet Sixteen,” an “Elite Eight” and a “Final Four.” If he’s lucky the NCAA won’t sue him for being a flagrant copycat.
In order to get his initial “Sweet Sixteen” he has to go with the NHL’s route of having the entire season eliminate less than half of the field from the playoffs, since only 28 drivers made the required 36 starts last year, so 57% of them would have made the “playoffs.”
Leave it to Brain Fartz to rely upon the pink elephants he sees circling his head to give him advice. From what I've been reading in a variety of places, a lot of fans are calling it quits because of these latest changes. They're comparing it to the WWE without any prompting. You can expect to see more empty grandstands and a big drop in the ratings this season.
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