As NASCAR runs its final regular reason race Saturday night, setting the stage for the beginning of the Chase for the Sprint Cup next week, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to need a refresher on the championship format.
When asked during a press conference if he expected to feel increased pressure to win in the Chase because of the new structure, Earnhardt admitted he was unfamiliar with the exact rules.
“I don’t know,” Earnhardt said Friday at Richmond International Raceway. “I would be guessing if I knew when cars get eliminated, how many get eliminated. … Certainly if you can win one of those races, you get a pass. You get immunity, and stay on the island for another week.”
Earnhardt’s confusion is more than understandable considering the numerous changes NASCAR’s enacted since the Chase was instituted.
From 1949 to 2003 the formula used to determine NASCAR’s premier series champion was fairly straightforward: Whoever won the championship simply had to accumulate more points over the course of a season.
But in 2004 NASCAR did away with its traditional championship format and created the Chase, the sport’s version of the playoffs. This system divided the year into two parts: the 26-race regular season, and a 10-race showdown, which drivers qualified for via points. And along the way there have been various tweaks, including the implantation of wild cards and an expanded field.
But the most drastic adjustment to the Chase came this past offseason when NASCAR not only completely altered how a driver qualifies, but also overhauled the format itself. After every three weeks four drivers will be eliminated, while a victory guarantees advancement to the next round. All culminating with four drivers featured in a winner-take-all season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Again, it’s easy to comprehend why Earnhardt has yet to fully grasp the revamped Chase.
“Those eliminations are going to be nerve wracking, and you are going to try not to be one of those guys that gets cut,” he said. “It is kind of the same feeling as being the last one picked. You don’t want that feeling.
“We’re just going to hold the gas down and go out there and try to run as good as you can run. Be smart, and try to put together solid finishes, solid races.”
Earnhardt likened the importance of making the Chase to being part of the “cool group with the cool kids” in school.
“When you start the year, you assume that this team is going to do it,” Earnhardt said. “When you don’t, you kind of have to look inside yourself and face some facts, and look in the mirror and answer some questions. But, you don’t want to have to do all that. You want to be in that group. That is definitely a sinking feeling when you aren’t in that group.”
Earnhardt also acknowledged he hasn’t felt much pressure to perform since winning the season-opening Daytona 500. That victory, along with a pair of wins at Pocono Raceway, assured Earnhardt entry into the Chase for a fourth consecutive year.
But the laissez-faire attitude which has surrounded the No. 88 team will soon give way to the intensity that comes with racing for a championship.
“It is about to get serious,” Earnhardt said. “It is about to get real again where you are going to have to buckle down and make every lap, every corner count whether it is practice, or whatever.
“We haven’t been riding around with a backpack full of pressure and the tension like you typically do in the old format. That pressure and tension is about to climb back on the back of this team and all the other teams when that Chase starts.”