Alot of people say that the Chase has ruined NASCAR....?

I agree with you as far as Jimmie Johnson, he is a great driver. If the rules were different he wouldn't wait as long to step it up, he plays according the rules, which is what the masters of any sport do. His not speeding on pit road is an example of that, he actually can exceed the speed limit and not be speeding because of the way the rules are set up, and he does that, if the rules were different and he would be penalized for that, he wouldn't do it. He knows how to follow the rules and at the same time make them work for him, he's good.

I think people don't like Jimmie just because they see the decline in the popularity of the sport over the last eight years, which is how long Jimmie's been involved in it. But the decline has to do with what happened at the 2001 Daytona 500, not with Jimmie.

Nascar made a lot of changes, I think the chase was a good one, but not every change made was good. I do question some of the point system leading up the chase, like how Kyle Busch could win more races than anyone else and not make the chase, but Jeff Gordon could not win at all and make it... but all in all I am happy with the sport and think that people just have to calm down, it is being impacted by this lousy economy and may have to ride things out for a while on lower budget.

My favorite driver IS in Jimmie's position, because my favorite driver is Jimmie.

Jimmie Johnson and the 48 team are the best at this time. They test the most and work the hardest of all the teams. If the chase format were different or completely eliminated the 48 team would still be the best. They are the best at the last 10 tracks because those are the ones that count. Make different races count and they will be the best there. Put a road course in the chase and watch the 48 team test 10 times on road courses next year and win the chase road course race.

The 48 team will continue to dominate until the other teams step up to their level. It isn't luck that keeps them out of trouble. Chad is a genius and a workaholic. Every single part of that car is perfect when they hit the track. Jimmy is smart and does not take chances or let his emotions control his driving.

The 48 team is a well oiled machine, they may not be well liked but they deserve respect for what they have accomplished. They aren't my favorite but they are not cheating and Nascar is not helping them. they are just that good.

You keep asking "How do you Know".

I'm going to ask "What if".

What if Kyle Bush (or any other driver not in the chase) won the last 10 races (it's possible)? Their best possible finish in the final standings would be 13TH! So using Kyle Bush as an example, he could have won 14 races and the highest he could finish the season is 13TH, is that fair? Just because your team gets hot near the end of the season they are penalized! How can that possibly make any sense?

It doesn't and that's why the CHASE sucks.

What if this existed in MLB? After 120 games of their 160 game schedule your favorite team has 62 wins and 58 losses (about a 0.500 team which is below average).

The remainder of the schedule they have 38 wins and 4 losses so they finish the season at 100 wins and 62 losses (only the Yankees had more wins this year).

Using the CHASE format they wouldn't win anything because they didn't qualify for the playoffs after 75% of their season.

I'm more of a team fan than a driver's.

Go Hendricks motorsports.

I agree old points / new points doesn't really matter too much. The 48 team is just that good! And for the record I hate all Hendrick cars! (14 + 39 also)

I refer to Johnson as "The Undisputed King of the Chase" because he is! Under the chase format you have to be exceptional every race, without exception! Look at Montoya for instance 5 top 5's and is still 200+ points back. Johnson's lead is so big he can nearly wreck at Talladega and keep the lead, assuming Martin is 5th or so. Barring disaster the chase is over! I don't care what you do to the points system for 2009 Johnson would've won!

The thing wrong with having a playoff in Nascar is that it is completely pointless. If every NFL team faced each other every week, what would be the point of playoffs there, either? That is why I am against the Chase- because it's redundant. It also breeds less competitive racing. Few people are trying as hard to win, instead settling for good points days. One can't really say if Jimmie would have less championships under the old points or Jeff would have more because if conditions were different, they would have to race differently. If wins were more important, the 48 team would surely try to win more and experiment less. I think you're correct that they were experimenting a lot leading up to the Chase. If Kasey were winning all the championships, it would not be as boring for me or the rest of his fans, I'm sure. At the same time, I can appreciate that it would bore the tears (if not more) out of people who aren't his fans.

Beth said it perfectly. The #48 team dominates the chase because they are the best team with the best driver. No team works harder than the 48 and that's why they are dominating. They should be respected for their hard work and dedication. It doesn't matter what kind of points system is being used or what tracks are included in the chase, the #48 is going to be the best team. The other teams need to work harder to catch the 48. Nascar should not change the rules just to keep a team from winning. As for the chase, I really enjoy it. Instead of 3 or 4 guys with a chance to win the championship, 12 drivers have a chance.

I would not say the chase has ruined it, but it has not helped. Nascar is not a stick and ball sport, we do not need a play off system. We never had the chase back in the day. The chase is all media hype and money. Its made the races less interesting on TV, having to listen to the media idiots talk about the drivers in the chase. The last 3 races at my place the sound has been off on the TV and we have been listening to my Sirius Satellite radio Nascar channel #128, now those boys know how to call the race, and nothing but the race, and you hear about all the drivers on the track, not just the chase guys.. My favorite drivers are Dale Jr, Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo. You are probably to young to remember back when we did not have a chase format, so you missed out on all the great yrs without it.

Go Dale Jr..Bring on 2010

Yes, I agree that "The Chase" has brought NASCAR up to the same level as other sports per say. However, Smoke was in the lead prior to the Chase starting then things started to go awry! That makes me kind of mad at the Chase format right now. If it were the old way, Smoke would still be leading in points! (He is a consistent driver.) But the race isn't over yet. Anything can happen at Talladega.

(I know I'm being a baby. But, it was fun leading for a long while!!!! And Smoke did say this year exceeded his and the organizations expectations. They have done well for a first year team / organization.)

Stewart Haas Racing!

yes this chase thing sucks.....The way the points are given only to the guys in the chase is wrong....As far as regular season and playoffs format at the end it should be the best driver wins...Just for instance,lets say we are in the final 10 races.....Jimmy Johnson is out of the chase..Say in the 13th spot..Yet he manages to win 9 out of the last 10...Even though he had more wins than anyone he is still out of the chase...I for one am old school....I was into nascar in the late 70,s...I was lucky enough to see some great drivers before nascar was really popular....As far as favorite driver?There is only one King of Nascar...Richard Petty 43......27 wins in one season with 10 wins in a row....No one will ever do that ever!!!!!!

Short and sweet.

My favorite driver is Tony Stewart and the chase and the "new" car has ruined racing because its not racing. Its turned into a bunch of cars on the track that go round and round until the end of the trace.

There really isn't a whole lot of "racing".