There have been seveal threads about the ideal racing schedule, so I wont bother repeating myself here.
However, I feel that the Chase is the best thing to happen to the sport in a long time. Granted, it's not perfect, but I feel it's better than the old system. It makes one driver running away with the Championship far less likely than in pre-Chase years.
But I can understand why some people don't like it. Some people like seeing a Championship develop over 30+ races. But in my thinking this format is better because it keeps the Championship closer, and harder to win. Plus it means it's difficult to clench the Cup before the final race. Imagine if in the NFL it was possible to win the Super Bowl before the playoffs even started? That's kind of how the old system worked.
When you think about it, the Chase is like a condensed season. The ones at the top of the standings will be the ones who have the best consistant finishes. Sure, Jimme looks like he's on his way to winning his 4th Chase in a row, but that just shows how consistant he is. No one else can argue that anyone has been better than Jimmie in the Chase.
Look at how F1's championship was this year. Their point system is like how the Cup series used to be. Button won 6 of the first 7 races, and hasn't won since. I'm not saying that he didn't earn the Championship, but his strong performance at the start of the year all but ensured we would win the title. Thus setting up something of a fairly boring Championship run where he more-or-less coasted to the title.
