Well, round one of the Chase has been completed and Tony ”Smoke” Stewart has claimed the first round. His win at Chicago has vaulted him from ninth to second in points in just one race. What a wild and wooly affair it was, with many cars coming up a little short on fuel at the end really shaking up the points list.

Kevin “Happy” Harvick breaks the reset tie and now leads by just seven points. The drama at the end of this race is exactly what the Chase has been created for.

Now while I love the excitement that is created by a super tight point battle, I for one am not a big fan of the playoff system created by NASCAR. We are nothing like the stick and ball sports that utilize some form of elimination bracket system to determine their season’s champion.

In the world of Sprint Cup racing, generally the top teams are competing against all the other top teams on a week in week out basis. Why the need to cut 75% of the field and artificially close up the standings? A true championship would be better served by the driver who accrues the most points over the 36 week schedule, not just the last 10 races of the year.

While there may be some years that the points are decided with a race or two to go, I think the new points system and incredible level of competition would keep the points battle tight right down to the end. No need for artificial drama or excitement. Just let the season play itself out for all 36 races is what I’m saying.

I really like Mr. Stewart, but I think it would be a travesty for someone who said they didn’t belong in the Chase to end up winning the whole shebang by just getting hot at the end. Just my 2 cents worth.

Until next week, keep the shiny side up!!

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