Also no more regular season champion, which I like. Should only be one champion.
The Chase format is better than no change I guess but it's still not going to keep anyone from wondering who the champion would be without any reset, under full season points. Between the change in format and the last race being back in Homestead it's going to be different from the recent years for sure.
Also it does amaze me how those who are connected to NASCAR doesn't say anything about when something is unpopular until it's overwhelmingly obvious that a change needs to be made or has been made. Reminds me of the Car of Tomorrow and how unpopular that was and we were being fed a bunch of fluff and then opinions changed when it was obvious it wasn't going to work.
I do think that this will make race wins mean more. Sure, the playoff format had "win and you're in" but it also sacrificed focusing on the actual race wins because there was this constant focus on the playoffs and the next round of the playoffs when the focus should be on each and every race during the whole season and winning it no matter if you have won already or not. The fact that they made sure that 2nd place can't get more points than 1st place is good also. They made an emphasis on 1st place meaning more.
By the way, if FOX, NBC or whoever didn't want full season points then PLEASE give us victory lane celebrations again. I miss that. It makes the race wins feel like they mean more than just when the drivers stop at the start/finish and they are interviewed. It doesn't feel like the whole celebration after the win lasts as long with how they have been doing it more recently. There isn't as much of an effort for the viewers and drivers.
Glad that it's official that Stewart will be racing in Trucks at least once.
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