Bruton Smith - NASCAR May Have To Ultimately Scrap Chase

[Sweaty Teddy]

From SPEEDTV.com

http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-bruton-smith-nascar-may-have-to-ultimately-scrap-chase/

"The outspoken chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc. says NASCAR may have to abandon the Chase if fans continue to show disapproval..."

[fivehundred2go]

Knock Knock - McFly!

[KevMcNJ]

Why should they? Its easier to just tell the fans that dont like it that they dont know what theyre talking about, the racing has never been better and the Chase is the greatest thing since fried chicken.

[Chris Paff]

I think Bruton knows more about this then we all do.

If he is talking like this then the chase is going to be history soon. IMO

[MoparsRule]

Bruton was on PRN last fall & here was my post regarding that interview on another board:

Bruton & his boy make some solid comments on the points race, and also comment on the fact that racefans attend/watch races to see that race - not with a concern on how the points race is effected lap by lap. And also the fact that winning should be worth more than 10 points over 2nd place.

I like the thought Bruton puts out there that they should cut the points fund in half & divide that money 36 times & pay it out in addition to the purse the winner receives, therefore increasing the pay out for winning substantially over 2nd place.

http://www.goprn.com/shows/fast_talk/archive/

And Bruton is spot on that the C4C needs to be scrapped, and that the money needs to be adjusted so that winning races pays a nice premium over 2nd place.

As for him having anything to do with affecting the points format, or the C4C, that's Brain France's baby, and Bruton won't have any input on that.

[Sweaty Teddy]

As for him having anything to do with affecting the points format, or the C4C, that's Brain France's baby, and Bruton won't have any input on that.

More than you'd think. Bruton still has a good amount of pull in NASCAR, whether they want to admit it or not.

[atrackforumfan]

the money needs to be adjusted so that winning races pays a nice premium over 2nd place.

Fine with me, but how would it make Cup teams more ambitious to win races instead of settling for a lesser high finish? The non cash value of a Cup win is in the millions, IMO. Another $200K would be a nice spiff, but it wouldn't change my ambition to win.

[MoparsRule]

Fine with me, but how would it make Cup teams more ambitious to win races instead of settling for a lesser high finish? The non cash value of a Cup win is in the millions, IMO. Another $200K would be a nice spiff, but it wouldn't change my ambition to win.

$500K to $1M would.

[atrackforumfan]

$500K to $1M would.

So you're proposing to double or triple the winner's purse, and cut the rest of the payouts by an average of, say, $20K per week.

In terms of total purse money, reorganizing the purse to pay the winner another $1m would be about a wash for a team that runs all year and wins one race. Teams that don't win will be down $750K or $1m per year in purse money.

[MoparsRule]

Here is more from Bruton on the subject...

Bruton Smith: The Chase may have run its course

By Jay Busbee

Bruton Smith, Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman, has never shied away from giving his opinions on anything and everything NASCAR. And once again, he's illustrated why he's a persistent thorn in NASCAR's side ... but one the sport can't possibly live without.

Consider Smith's comments on Tuesday about the much-maligned Chase: "It started off as as good idea but maybe it’s time to look for something [else]," he said. "I know it’s not as exciting to the fans now as it was initially … I think it started off being very important, but I don’t think it’s as important as maybe we thought it would be."

Ouch. Smith's comments came on the eve of NASCAR's anticipated announcement of changes to its points system, which would mark the 75th straight year of changes to the Chase, or so it seems. At some point, Smith is suggesting, if it ain't working, perhaps it can't be fixed.

What Smith would like to see is more of a premium placed on winning, both in terms of points and in terms of purse. If the difference between first and second is, say, five points on a 43-point scale and $500,000, you'll see drivers pushing hard for that win.

Soon enough, we'll know. And there'll be plenty for all of us, Smith included, to discuss.

LINK

[Hardscrabble]

Bruton Smith...what does that guy know about anything...

[Coyote]

Jay Busbee article: Consider Smith's comments on Tuesday about the much-maligned Chase: "It started off as as good idea"

Bwahahaha!

Bruton: "I know it’s not as exciting to the fans now as it was initially"

Bwahahaha!

Oh wait, I suppose the line is true, in a sense.

[Sweaty Teddy]

I think it was exciting for one year, the first year, and mainly because the unknowns made it interesting. Once teams figured out "Chase racing" it actually made things less exciting. It is to the point that some teams don't even seem to try once they get themselves into position to make The Chase; the rest of the so-called regular season becomes one big, long test session. Boring.

[exfasteddy]

I go to a race to see a winner, not someone get 1/36th closer to a points championship.

[MoparsRule]

I go to a race to see a winner, not someone get 1/36th closer to a points championship.

Absolutely. I go to a race to watch the race, I could care less about the season championship. IMO, the importance of the Cup championship has really undermined the quality of the individual races.