New Sprint Cup Chase Format Announced

NASCAR Announces Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship Format Change:NASCAR announced a new championship format today that will put greater emphasis on winning races all season long, expands the current Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field to 16 drivers, and implements a new round-by-round advancement format that ultimately will reward a battle-tested, worthy champion. We have arrived at a format that makes every race matter even more, diminishes points racing, puts a premium on winning races and concludes with a best-of-the-best, first-to-the-finish line showdown race all of which is exactly what fans want, said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. We have looked at a number of concepts for the last three years through fan research, models and simulations, and also maintained extensive dialogue with our drivers, teams and partners. The new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup will be thrilling, easy to understand and help drive our sport s competition to a whole new level.

• Changes announced by France to the championship format include:
  - A victory in the first 26 races all but guarantees a berth in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup a change that will put an unprecedented importance on winning a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race all season long
  - Expanding the Chase field from 12 to 16 drivers, with those drivers advancing to what now will be known as the NASCAR Chase Grid
  - The number of championship drivers in contention for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship will decrease after every three Chase races, from 16 to start in the Chase Grid; 12 after Chase race No. 3; eight after Chase race No. 6; and four after Chase race No. 9
  - The first three races of the Chase (27-29) will be known as the Challenger Round
  - Races 30-32 will be known as the Contender Round
  - Races 33-35 will be the Eliminator Round and race No. 36 will be the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship
  - A win by a championship-eligible driver in any Chase race automatically clinches the winning driver a spot in the next Chase round
  - Four drivers will enter the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship with a chance at the title, with the highest finisher among those four capturing the prestigious NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
  Eligibility for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup: The top 15 drivers with the most wins over the first 26 races will earn a spot in the NASCAR Chase Grid provided they have finished in the top 30 in points and attempted to qualify for every race (except in rare instances). The 16th Chase position will go to the points leader after race No. 26, if he/she does not have a victory. In the event that there are 16 or more different winners over 26 races, the only winless driver who can earn a Chase Grid spot would be the points leader after 26 races.
  If there are fewer than 16 different winners in the first 26 races, the remaining Chase Grid positions will go to those winless drivers highest in points. If there are 16 or more winners in the first 26 races, the ties will first be broken by number of wins, followed by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver points.
  As was implemented in 2011, prior to the start of the Chase, all Chase Grid drivers will have their points adjusted to 2,000, with three additional bonus points added to their total for each win in the first 26 races.
  Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Structure After the third Chase race, the Chase Grid will be left with 12 drivers. After the sixth Chase race, the field will drop to eight drivers, and following the ninth Chase race, only four drivers will remain in championship contention for the NASCAR Sprint Cup title.
  The first round (races 27-29) will be called the Challenger Round. If a driver in the Chase Grid wins a Challenger Round race, the driver automatically advances to the next round. The remaining available positions 1-12 that have not been filled based upon wins will be based on points. Each will then have their points reset to 3,000.
  The second round (races 30-32) will be called the Contender Round. Likewise, if a driver in the top 12 in points wins a race in the Contender Round, the driver automatically advances to the next round. The remaining available positions 1-8 that have not been filled based upon wins will be based on points. Each will then have their points reset to 4,000.
  The third round (races 33-35) will be called the Eliminator Round. If a driver in the top eight in points wins a race in the Eliminator Round, the driver automatically advances to the next round. The remaining available positions 1-4 that have not been filled based upon wins will be based on points. Each will then have their points reset to 5,000.
  Additionally, drivers who are eliminated in the Contender and Eliminator Rounds will have their points readjusted. Each eliminated driver will return to the Chase-start base of 2,000 (plus any regular season wins bonus points), with their accumulated points starting with race No. 27 added. This will allow all drivers not in contention for the NASCAR Sprint Cup title to continue to race for the best possible season-long standing, with final positions fifth-through-16th still up for grabs.
  Four Drivers, First-to-the-Finish Championship Finale The 36th and final race of the season will be the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. Simply stated, the highest finisher in that race among the remaining four eligible drivers will win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title. Bonus points for laps led will not apply in the season finale, so the official finishing position alone will decide the champion.
  All rules outlined above also apply to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner championship structure.(NASCAR)(1-30-2014)

Vickers Cleared To Race

• Brian Vickers Cleared to Drive: #55-Brian Vickers has been cleared to drive after missing the final five races of last season because of a blood clot - the second time since 2010 a blood clot forced him out the car. Vickers missed much of the 2010 season after blood clots were discovered in both lungs and his left leg in May. He was placed on blood thinning medication and didn t race again that year. He also had heart surgery in July 2010 to repair a small hole. Vickers latest blood clot came after he suffered a mid-foot sprain in a crash at Bristol in August - about a month after he won at New Hampshire. He wore a boot to help the sprain but that caused the blood clot by constricting his right calf. He was put on blood thinning medication, ending his season.
  Vickers said doctors have told him that there s a low percentage that he ll get another blood clot if it is unprovoked. Vickers noted that his most recent blood clot was the result of the boot he wore. Had it not been for that, he likely wouldn t have suffered a blood clot last year.
  Now that he s cleared, Vickers will test for Michael Waltrip Racing at New Smyrna Speedway next week. This year marks his first full NASCAR Sprint Cup season since 2011. That s also the last time he ran in the Daytona 500. To get back down there is going to be special, Vickers said Thursday during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Media Tour. I m curious to see if it s going to feel the same this year, that excitement, that energy and that love, as it did the first time I went to Daytona. I have a feeling it will. I think being gone for so long and going through so much since the last time I was there, it s going to have a similar feel to me. That s a great feeling. It s not just Daytona that excites the 30-year-old Vickers, who had run a partial schedule the past two seasons. It s not often that you hear a racecar driver excited about testing, he said. I m really looking forward to testing next week. I m really looking forward to getting out there and getting in a car and making laps. That s something I haven t done in three months. (Motor Racing Network)(1-30-2014)

Kurt Busch Running The Double Is A Good Thing

By Mark Young

The 2014 NASCAR season officially kicked off on Monday with the beginning of the Media Tour.  When the herd of talking and typing hair-dos and inflated egos arrived at Stewart-Haas Racing the key topics of discussion were about a leg and open wheel racing.  More to come later about Smoke's leg, and I don't care about Gene Haas' desire to own a F1 Team..........The other topic of discussion is what got my attention.  Kurt Busch wants to run the Indy 500/Coke 600 double, and I think if it happens it will really help NASCAR.

A Ticking Time Bomb?

By Gretchen Mashburn

Last fall as I was mourning Tony Stewart’s injury, I got a Twitter alert that Gene Haas had signed Kurt Busch to drive a 4^th car for Stewart-Haas Racing. I immediately poured another glass of wine. Now, I was proudly cheering for Kurt to make the Chase and win the damn title for Front Row, if my man Junior couldn’t win it. But hearing that he was joining SHR was shocking to me. I couldn’t really decide if I was stoked or horrified by the possibilities for the 2014 season. I knew Kurt had made some life altering decisions since that whole meltdown at Penske and he damn sure seemed to come out a better man after doing so. He was finishing races well for a single car team without the resources of the mega-teams. In other words, he was running with, and beating, the big dogs each weekend, even though he didn’t have the equipment they had. Kurt’s driving was right back on par with his 2004 season. He seemed to have gotten his edge back; he got his mojo back. I should have just been ecstatic for him. Instead, I was scared. My knee jerk reaction was that this was just gonna be awful for him as well as SHR. See, Kurt was my comeback story. I was rooting for him. I have to admit, I could not stand him when he was at Roush and then Penske. But, I guess it was me that changed. As the sport has “evolved”, I have become a bit disgusted with where it has gone in recent years. It is just too PC for me. If you don’t follow NASCAR, that makes ZERO sense to you.  If you do, you feel me. Drivers like Kurt and Kyle used to rile my emotions in a bad, bad, way. But now, I dig it. I like emotional athletes. I want to hear what they really think. It fires up the fans. Makes it interesting, which I something NASCAR lacks these days. Hell, Jimmie just accomplished one of the most amazing achievements in professional sports, and some may say he is still the 4^th most popular driver in his own organization.

NASCAR needs someone to bring the excitement back to the track. Well, I suppose there is a relatively new organization that is poised to do just that. Stewart-Haas has THE girl. The girl that once got into a shoving match, with a fellow INDY Car driver, who was a MALE. The girl that is the second most popular driver in NASCAR right now. The one that sat on the pole for the 2013 Daytona 500, and finished 8th. And she is the most mild-mannered driver in the shop. The men, well, they aren’t so well behaved. Tony Stewart has been placed on probation more than I can recall. Kurt, well, I just covered all of that. And Harvick, well, Harvick was actually PARKED by NASCAR for aggressive driving at one point. This team has fire. They have attitude. They have Budweiser, and Bass Pro. Four Cup titles between them. Daytona 500 wins, Brickyard wins. Bristol wins. These drivers have been such a major part of the last 15 years of auto racing, and they are now on the same team. The guys are older now and more centered. They are settled in their personal lives, and ready to drive damn race cars. Tony has been out of commission for so long, a simple seat fitting made him as giddy as Jeremy Mayfield in a meth lab.  They all sound so excited about 2014 and the possibilities ahead of them. Tony expects himself, Kevin, and Kurt to make the Chase. So do I. I think this ticking time bomb is just going to tick all year, keeping the intensity up. At least until one of them puts another in the wall. Then we get to see it blow. That is the fun part. Damnit, I love NASCAR.

            Oh, and P.S.  Gene Haas just applied for Formula 1 ownership. 

The Return Of #3 And What It Means To A Diehard

By Mark Young

3.  For many people you see that number there is one person who comes to mind.  Dale Earnhardt.  Though just a number and one that has represented many many people for different sports since the dawn of numbers, that number in the iconic font is nearly as famous as Earnhardt was.  To many that number, in that font, died on February 18th, 2001 and never wanted to see it on the side of a NASCAR Cup Series car ever again.  NASCAR has never retired a number, ever.  And what some people don't remember is that many had driven it before Dale did.

Chase Elliott To Drive Full Time For JR Motorsports with NAPA

It was announced today that 18 year old Hendrick Motor Sports developmental driver Chase Elliott will drive the entire 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule with long time NASCAR sponsor NAPA.  Chase is the son of NASCAR legend Bill Elliott and if you didn't watch any Craftsman Truck Series races last season let me tell you this, Chase is chip off the 'ol block.  This kid can drive a car!!

To have NAPA back in the sport after they pulled out from Michael Waltrip Racing following the Richmond race fiasco is great news.  To have them back when they had originally said they were pulling back to evaluate things speaks volumes as to the potential of this young man.  If Chase can meet his potential this could be the beginning of an amazing relationship........consider these options.

Jeff Gordon is not going to race forever.  If Chase is THAT good then Rick Hendrick may have just created the replacement plan for Jeff.  High profile young driver, high profile major sponsor, and an owner that appears to be ready to give the kid all the resources and time to grow and develop.

We could look back at this 5 years from now and call this announcement one of the biggest of the century.

Same Stuff, Just New Location

Welcome to the the new home for U Want Some Racing.  If you are new to us then let me take a minute to introduce us.  U Want Some Racing has been around since 2008.  Started by Mark Young, a former blogger for Thatsracin.com, The Charlotte Observer, and his local paper The Niles Daily Star.  The site started as an audio blog site where Mark and his friend Dave Lembke recorded a weekly internet radio show called U Want Some?.  The guys would break down the week in NASCAR and provide their own insight to the sport.  The site transitioned from audio to written blog and included several guest bloggers.  The current blog staff consists of Mark Young, Dave Lembke, Gretchen Mashburn, and Frank Alford.

The 2014 NASCAR season is nearly upon us.  Preseason testing at Daytona is this week.  New drivers, new teams, new sponsors, and new crew chiefs are abound.  Over the next few weeks The team will be bringing you the latest news, rumors, and insight to all things NASCAR.  Feel free to leave your comments, the UWS staff love interacting with our readers!!

Stay tuned, there is more to come!!

Mark