Outside the Chase the Season Goes On!
Monday, September 14th, 2009By: Drew Hierwarter
Well now all the hype is over, the pressure is off, and the field is set for the “Chase for the Championship”. Okay, so maybe the real hype and pressure is just beginning. Now the focus is on the 12 drivers who are the only ones with a chance at the 2009 season title, almost to the complete exclusion of everyone else. The TV cameras will be focusing on the top 12, the talking heads up in the booth will be talking about the top 12, and the writers and bloggers will be writing about the top 12.
Here’s a news flash; there are still going to be 31 other cars on the track each week. Thirty one other teams who still care about where they finish in the points. Thirty one other teams who still want to finish the year with a win, or just one more top ten. Thirty one other drivers who still have something to prove, or something to say, or who just want to race!
Ever since NASCAR instituted the chase format sports writers have been trying to compare it to the “playoffs” in other sports. The comparison makes no sense. There are only two teams competing in baseball’s “World Series”. Only two teams play in the “Super Bowl”. In no other sport does the entire league play in the championship rounds.
On any given weekend, almost any one of those 31 other teams could steal the thunder from one or all of the chase contenders. The sad part is that no matter how well they may run over the last races of the year, none of them can finish any higher than 13th in the standings. Kyle Busch could conceivably win three or four races before the end of the season and not advance beyond his current 13th in the points. Just as easily, (though highly unlikely) Mark Martin and his team could suffer a complete meltdown over the next ten races and they still can’t finish any worse than 12th.
There are still plenty of things to watch for other than the teams that will be in the chase spotlight each week. David Reutimann and Marcos Ambrose have been steadily improving all season. For Ambrose, a win on an oval would make his season as would a win for Reutimann that didn’t involve rain. Kevin Harvick has had a dismal year but the team has shown some improvement over the last few weeks. A win would redeem their season. And let’s not forget drivers like David Stremme and Reed Sorenson who will be looking for a new ride at the end of the year. A solid performance by either of them over the next ten races would only help that job search.
So, as you watch the final ten races of the Sprint Cup season, try to block out some of the hype and look beyond the top 12 drivers who are in “The Chase”. There are still plenty of stories in those thirty one other teams. There will be plenty of action and drama, and lots of good hard racing.