To Playoff or Not to Playoff

As NASCAR gears up for its idiotic "playoff" idea, one commentator finally pointed out an obvious, yet overlooked problem with the concept. For those of you not familiar with the idea, traditionally race series determine their champion by accumulating points throughout the entire season. In order to combat sagging interest in the late season, NASCAR has decided in 2004 that the Nextel (formerly Winston) Cup will be awarded following a "playoff" system. After 26 races, the top 10 or so drivers in points will reset to zero. Those top drivers will then collect points in the final 10 races, with the top point winner of that bunch being crowned champion.

Speed's Ben Blake lays out a lot of the problems with that idea, but one in particular caught my eye. The powers that be in NASCAR are pitching this idea as being similar to the playoff system used in US stick-and-ball sports. As Blake points out, this ignores the fact that in, say, the NFL, once the playoffs start all the other teams stop playing! In the NASCAR setup, what happens to the 33 other guys who run every week? In addition, part of the allure of the NFL playoffs is "win or go home" - the Darwinian survival of the fittest that was in such great form this past weekend. NASCAR's system can't have that feature and, therefore, won't generate that kind of intensity.

In the end, NASCAR seems to have found an answer to a question nobody asked while ignoring the fundamental problems in the point scheme. But, they've got their fans by the short hairs, so who's to say what will happen when this playoff that a vast majority of fans don't want starts up. Maybe, just maybe (I'm dreaming), NASCAR fans will look around and discover all the other motorsport out there.