New Chase for the Sprint Cup format is working

It is always treading on thin ice to evaluate a new idea before all the evidence is available about whether or not the idea has worked. Well, thin ice be damned.

The new incarnation of NASCAR’s 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup is only six races old, but wow, what a six races it has been so far. With just 60 percent of the results in, I’m calling this one a winner.

The Chase was created in 2004 for NASCAR’s top-flight Sprint Cup Series (then called the Nextel Cup Series). It started in part from rumblings about the previous year’s champion, Matt Kenseth, who won just one race during the 36-race season. That victory came in the third race of the season, in early March at Las Vegas. Nine drivers won multiple races ”“ including a series-high eight wins for Ryan Newman ”“ but Kenseth wasn’t among them.

Kenseth had 11 top-five finishes and 25 top-10s, was in the top 10 in points every week after the second race of the season, and led the standings every week after the fourth race. That’s remarkable consistency, but fans don’t fill the stands to watch a solid day at the track.

When NASCAR’s top series switched sponsors from Winston to Nextel after the 2003 season, the organization wanted to make a splash, especially in the wake of Kenseth’s unexciting championship run.

Thus, the “Chase” was created. It was an instant hit. Eventual champion Kurt Busch only won three races, but one of them came in the 10-race chase at the end of the season. Busch won the title by just eight points over Jimmie Johnson, and it wasn’t until the finish of the season finale that he clinched the points championship.

But that first chase showed a fatal flaw that wasn’t fixed until this year. While Busch’s 2004 season looked more deserving of a title than Kenseth’s 2003 season ”“ more wins and he proved it during the chase playoff ”“ it still could be argued that Busch wasn’t the best driver that year. Johnson won eight races ”“ like Newman the year before ”“ including four during the 10-race chase, but still finished only second in the points.

In the four major American professional sports leagues ”“ the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball ”“ consistency only gets you to the playoffs. The champion is who plays best at the end.

In 2014, NASCAR has finally figured that out, and figured out how to reward the best driver at the end.

The Chase was transformed to a single, 10-race stretch to three three-race rounds ”“ with four drivers from an original field of 16 eliminated after each round ”“ and a final championship race with four drivers still in contention.

The organization has created a little drama with this format, which has seen even the mild-mannered Kenseth go mad.

All six of the chase races to this point have been won by drivers still in the chase for the championship. No win was bigger than Brad Keselowski’s on Sunday. The 2012 season champion needed a victory ”“ or at least all hell to break loose ”“ to keep his title hopes alive facing the final race of the second segment at Talladega Superspeedway. Both happened. Keselowski won after a duel with Newman at the front of the pack, and Kyle Busch, who entered the race second in points, was eliminated after crashing and falling out of the top-eight cut-off to advance.

The crazy finish to the second round of the chase came a week after Keselowski got into skirmishes with three different drivers on the track and on pit road. That led Kenseth ”“ remember him ”“ to attack Keselowski after the race after Keselowski ran into Kenseth’s parked car on pit road.

There are still four races left to fully evaluate the new Chase, but I can only imagine it will be great theater, which will see a deserving champion crowned.

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