CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Race fans, start your clickers. And make sure the TV listings are handy.
Beginning in 2007, NASCAR viewers will need both to navigate their way through a 36-race television schedule.
NASCAR agreed to an eight-year television deal Wednesday that will split its schedule among four networks beginning in 2007.
NASCAR's 36-race schedule will be divided among ABC/ESPN, Fox and TNT, and the annual all-star race will be aired on the Speed Channel. The deals with all the networks will run through the 2014 season.
It did seem like Sportcenter was giving NASCAR a little bit of extra coverage toward the end of the year. Not just the usual Chase for the cup extra footage. Things like drivers spotlights and such. Even having a "expert" on hand like Geoff Bodine. Good deal all around though
I guess this means RPM2Night is back? Show kinda died (and much of the ESPN non-event racing coverage with it) when the last NASCAR deal appeared to prohibit NASCAR higlights on all shows besides SportsCenter and they were reduced to just show AP photos.
I don't know if the Chase format works as a playoff, but obviously it's working as a market tool if they can sell it off as something on the level of Daytona.
Originally posted by thecubsfanI don't know if the Chase format works as a playoff
I think it's pretty darned ineffective, especially when you look at the numbers.
Here are the top three guys in the Chase, in the order they finished each of the last ten races (their actual finishing positions are in parentheses):
Loudon - Stewart (2), Biffle (4), Edwards (19) Dover - Edwards (9), Biffle (13), Stewart (18) Talladega - Stewart (2), Edwards (5), Biffle (27) Kansas - Biffle (2), Edwards (3), Stewart (4) Charlotte - Biffle (2), Edwards (10), Stewart (25) Martinsville - Stewart (2), Biffle (20), Edwards (26) Atlanta - Edwards (1), Biffle (7), Stewart (9) Texas - Edwards (1), Stewart (6), Biffle (20) Phoenix - Biffle (2), Stewart (4), Edwards (6) Homestead - Biffle (1), Edwards (4), Stewart (15)
Stewart finished behind Edwards AND Biffle FIVE times, and only beat them three times, plus Edwards won two races and Biffle won one, but Stewart wins over Biffle because, essentially his three worst finishes were better than Biffle's worst three? At least Edwards ended up with an equal number of points as Stewart during the Chase, but he started with 35 less so that's where it ended up. NASCAR's points system SUCKS.
On the other hand, I'm EXTREMELY happy that Tony Stewart won the Cup and I think he's very deserving. He had the same number of wins as Biffle (five), plus six second-places (Biffle had three), and while he and Biffle each had 18 top-six finishes, Tony had four more top-twelve finishes than Biffle and three poles to Biffle's zero.
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Well, JJD, the counter-argument to that, of course, is that Stewart would have walked away with it under the old system. The new system at least made it interesting.
I was dead-set against the playoff system when it was first announced, but really like it now. Too many times in the last few years, the last third of the season or so was completely irrelevant because the leader simply had to ride around and finish somewhere in the top 20 to hang on to the title.
Consider this: Under the old system, Biffle and Edwards would have had almost ZERO chance to win going into the last 10 weeks of the season. If it was still scored pre-playoff, Biffle would have been in second, 215 points back, and Edwards would have been fifth, 602 points back.
Now, that doesn't address your larger point, of course, which is that NASCAR's point system sucks. I don't think it needs to be completely overhauled, but wouldn't mind seeing some tweaks. Heck, even giving the winner 10 bonus points would make things a lot more interesting.
Originally posted by CrimedogNow, that doesn't address your larger point, of course, which is that NASCAR's point system sucks. I don't think it needs to be completely overhauled, but wouldn't mind seeing some tweaks. Heck, even giving the winner 10 bonus points would make things a lot more interesting.
I'd rather they find a cut-off for awarding points, say 20th-place. The points system was originally devised to encourage the guys to be in as many races as possible, but that's not a problem the way the sport has evolved. I think it's totally ludicrous that when a "big one" wipes out a third of the field on lap three they give some wrecked guys more points than others, especially with the title being decided by such small margins.
"You know what you need? Some new quotes in your sig. Yeah, I said it." -- DJFrostyFreeze