If We Are Going to Have a Playoff, Make It a Real One
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The
2017 season has been one of great change, more than can be discussed in a
single posting. However, one I would
like to discuss is the “change” in how the Series Season Champion is
crowned.
For
the previous thirteen years (has it really been that long?) it has been
determined by something called a “Chase.”
Over those years it has taken on many forms and recently morphed into
something that included elimination rounds, where eligible drivers would be
removed from contention during the final 10 races, resulting in four cars and
four cars only contending in a highest-finisher-takes-all in the Homestead
finale.
Fans
immediately called it a “Playoff”. The
Sanctioning Body wagged a finger and said “Nay, nay, nay! This is not a Playoff but a Chase. It's different and we’d appreciate it if you
refrain from referring to it as a Playoff, for it's not.”
2017
rolled around and when this version of the Champion-Crowning methodology is
rolled out it looks strikingly similar to the “Chase.” Fans continued to call it a “Chase”. The Sanctioning Body wagged a finger and said
“Nay, nay, nay.
This is not a Chase but a Playoff.
It's different and we’d appreciate it if you refrain from referring to
it as a Chase, for it's not.”
It
may be semantics and I’m not sure how much it matters, but if I go out to my
garage and stand before my Sport-Trac and say “You
are now a Land Rover” it’s still a Sport-Trac, no matter
how many times I repeat it, wag my finger or say “Nay, nay, nay”.
As
Mike Helton said, “It is what it is.”
I’m not sure what this is but it isn't a Playoff… no matter how much
finger-wagging takes place.
For
years now the Sanctioning Body has tried to move the sport from what made it
unique and adapt it to things of stick and ball sports. So what if the Sanctioning Body actually got
what they say they want, a true Playoff like the other sports instead of the
Chase by another name? Have you ever
thought what would it look like? How
would it work? Could it even work?
Let's
take a moment and see.
Playoffs
as we know them are used by most major sports to determine a Champion. In racing there is one series that uses a
Playoff and that is the NHRA. Cars
qualify and are seeded in a bracket. Race head to head. Winner advances and loser goes home. Could an adaptation of this be used for this
Series?
Our
regular season with all the stages and points upon points would amount to
qualifying, where the top 16 would advance to the first round of the
Playoffs. These 16 would then be seeded
based on their points finish order and paired with the top seed facing the #16
seed, second seed facing #15, and on until all sixteen are paired up.
So
using this season's results and starting in Chicago we would have the following
Playoff bracket. Here are your “Sweet
Sixteen”- (the numbers are each drivers’ seed)
1-Truex
vs. 16-McMurray
2-Larson vs. 15-Kenseth
3-Kyle Busch vs. 14-Kurt Busch
4-Keslowski vs. 13-Dillon
5-Johnson vs. 12-Newman
6-Harvick vs. 11-Kahne
7-Hamlin vs. 10-Elliott
8-Stenhouse vs. 9-Blaney
Now,
instead of running a single race to determine who advances like NHRA, we run
three races just like we currently do to see how things shake out for the next
elimination round.
Guess
what? When they left Dover, the top
seeds in each of the brackets above “won” and advanced. So all those on the left side advance to the
next round and all on the right fall out.
Sorry guys. That's the way a true
Playoff works.
For
the next round, the “Elite Eight” we would re-seed again based on points to
produce the following bracket-
1-Truex
vs. 8-Stenhouse
2-Busch vs. 7-Hamlin
3-Larson vs. 4-Harvick
4-Keslowski vs. 5-Johnson
I
don't know about you but that looked kinda interesting going into
Talladega. Truex has a win, but
Stenhouse is stout on the restrictor plate tracks. Could he catch the 78? Unfortunately, both got swept up into one of
the many wrecks there and now Stenhouse is in a huge hole going to Kansas.
The
Gibbs cars are facing off this round and only one can advance… Man, which pit
box does Coach sit on this round? One
thing we knew going into Talladega, these two wouldn't be riding around in the
back this time. Unfortunately, Kyle got
caught up the Big One while Denny finished stretching his lead to 21. On to Kansas to see if Kyle can claw back and
move on.
Larson
vs. Harvick - Young Gun vs. Veteran.
Man, what a match up! It's just a
shame both were taken out in the final wreck.
That next race should be a dilly as Larson only has a seven point lead
over the 2015 Champ.
Finally,
can Kez take out 7-Time? Chances are now looking pretty good as Kez is leaving ‘Dega with the win
and a 27-point lead after the 48 took a hard hit in the Big One. It’s a big deficit but it may come down to
how many pit stalls Jimmie is allowed to use to complete his tire changes or
how much repairs they are allowed to do under red. Sure would be neat to find out though.
Now,
because we are eliminating cars at a faster clip under this true “Playoff”
exercise, our “Final Four” would be set after Kansas, with Martinsville being
our finale. We’ll keep an eye on things
and report back and see how things shook out using a “true” Playoff.
Intriguing
don't you think? No cutoff lines. No “fifth worst or better advances” like we
have now. Just head to head
competition-“winner” moves on. All the
stages, stage points, bonus points and whatever else points that are given are
still in play so you don't have to throw those out for those who like all
that. Constant pressure-top to
bottom. Doesn't matter where you are,
there is no cushion. Plus it’s short,
sweet and to the point-just like the target demographic likes it.
Look
at the way this Playoff has developed with half the field former or defending
champs and the other half clawing for their first one. In one matchup, one non-Champ (either Truex
or Stenhouse) is going to the Final Four and that's pretty neat! Finally, all eight have at least one race
win. That right there eliminates one big
fear the Sanctioning Body has (which is still in play under their current
“Playoff”) - the possibility of a winless Champion.
In
closing, this article is not advocating this method for selecting a
Champion. I like simplicity in the way
my Champions are determined and believe they should be determined through their
entire season of work. Just call me
old-fashioned that way. Besides, we have
a method in place that's as convoluted and contrived as this one. Change is coming though. We’ve already been warned. We won't be going back to a simple, season
long Champ so they say, so why not
this? It's about as good as what we have
and may even be a bit more interesting.
At least with all these simultaneous matchups it would give the NBC
booth more to talk about than “if the race ended now…” which would be a marked
improvement.
So
race fans, take a look at the bracket and file it away ‘til Sunday. Then, while you are watching the broadcast
and are weary from being bombarded for the 87th time how every point matters,
recall this little diversion.
See
if looking at things a little differently doesn't add a bit of extra interest… or
maybe even bring a smile.
“Til then, let's quit calling this thing we have now a
“Playoff” until we get something that actually looks and works like one.