Pretty much everyone in NASCARland except the fans and the rare racing commentator (and the occasional comment by a driver like JJ) stuffed this chase down our throats. Despite the fact that there are some absolutely valid criticisms that can be made about the chase format, we were told, in essence: STFU and "like it or lump it."
There is no longer any reason for fans or teams to care that much about the first 26 races. Talk a look at the excerpts from an Ed Hinton article I posted in #4 above. So I'm not planning on watching or attending any NASCAR races this year other than the two road course races (I like road racing), and maybe Bristol. Otherwise, Daytona, Indianapolis, Talladega, and all the cookie-cutter 1.5-mile tracks are just a bunch of meaningless races. And once I get out of the habit of planning my Sundays around the races, I may very well ignore the last 10 races next year also.
On his show the other night, Dave Despain (sp) asked Dick Berggren (sp), "What about the alienated fans." Berggren said one of the most insulting things I ever heard a sports commentator say. Can't quote it vertatim, but this is pretty much what he said:
There are around 6 million people who watch the races, plus maybe 100,000 people in the stands each week. But the population of the U.S. is much bigger, and the chase is draw them in. He essentially said NASCAR doesn't care about any alienation it's current fan base might be feeling, because they believe the potential market is unlimited. In a nutshell: They can replace their current fans with new ones, so screw the current ones. Then, later in the interview, Berggren must have realized (or been told off air) that his comments were pretty harsh. So he said NASCAR has always made decisions with the welfare of the fans in mind first. Hah!
I thought it was very interesting the other night when NASCAR had their awards program in New York (why don't they have it in a southern city or Vegas at least?) and when Jeff Gordon was speaking he alluded to the chase and the fact that under the old format he would have been Driver of the Year but in a joking manner while endorsing the Çhase. I know NASCAR is trying to appeal to the most fans it can to generate more overall popularity and increase the money for all in the sport but I wish they'd kept the old format and remember their roots a bit more.