This has gotten into a big debate about Jimmie Johnson instead of dumping the Chase, but I guess if you aren't a fan of JJ, you're sure to want to dump the Chase.
John, as an old fan of the sport, you know the history of conspiracy within the sport. Earnhardt, Petty, Chevrolet, Roush, etc. The one thing that is common in all of these cases is success. It's clear that Johnson is not a favorite of older fans, but I've seen the rise of Jeff Gordon in the same way as Jimmie. I've heard all the stories from fans to owners in what has been described as showing favoritism. I used to work with a guy who was an owner of a Busch Series team, (remember Texas Pete and Cheerwine as sponsors?) who told me of all kinds of stories about how NASCAR would tell a team what the "would like" for the result to be, but never told them they had to "lose". I didn't, and still don't doubt Bobby in what he said, but it just fits too many stories right down to the number of the winner for me to give total credence. But even at that, this sport is all about finding an audience and making money. Big Bill found the equation and though it's been changed over the years, it's still working pretty good. And if you say well heck, it's fixed, look at the popularity of pro wrestling, even when everyone knows it's fixed. Whether or not NASCAR is giving Johnson's crew a pass is irrelevant now. What has happened has happened and that team now has it's fan base and it will grow. The question now is will NASCAR continue to grow? And of course we have had many debates about that.
Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread. I'll take the hit. I just got kinda of got sucked into the debate. Mea culpa, mea culpa, maxima mea culpa.
As far as conspiracies go, have you EVER seen a racing series, or a track with a weekly program where conspiracy didn't show up on a regular basis? The only one I can personally think of, which I am familiar with, was the old AAA Indy Series when Henry Banks was running it. Shortly after USAC took over the drama queens began to show up regularly.
I have never believed that Bill Sr. or Bill jr., or even this putz who runs things now EVER "Fixed" the outcome of a race. But, I think the proof is undeniable that , as Huxley said in
Animal Farm, "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others," and this is a fact of life with NASCAR and the new NA__AR.
All that siad and in staying with the topic, I am firmly in the group that thinks this playoff format is just another way to manipulate the series. It was wrong when it was devised and it gets more and more wrong each passing season, IMNSVHO.
You make an excellent point when you make the analogy to professional wrestling. To me, that's what NA__AR has become. In years past, as you can remember, the entertainment was about the racing and also the stock cars themselves, because the fans could relate to the cars. Today the entertainment is all about the soap opera crap which is placed in front of us on an almost 24/7 basis. It's no longer about the races themselves and the racing on the track. It's about "The big picture," and winning is no longer a priority; the important thing is to "Have a good points day." The quality of a race is no longer determined by action on the track, it's about phony stats like "Lead changes" and "Number of cars finishing on the lead lap." It's been gimmick ed up with the Lucky Dawg, Chosen 35 and such just as much as wrestling has been populated with physical freaks who pop steroids like a five year old chomps cookies.
You used to work with a guy who was a BGN team owner? Those obviously were the days when a guy with a bit of money to spend, a good mechanical ability and a love for the sport could compete. Now, you have to be a shrewd businessman, have an in with multiple financial institutions and a love of the sport is no longer a requirement. It's now just another speculative business.
It's a whole new world that I don't, and have no real desire to relate to. So, I just follow things from afar and live with my memories of when I actually liked NASCAR.
