NASCAR is turning off fans both old and new

That’s the title of a column by USA Today’s Matt Crossman on the latest proposed changes to the Chase. Among the points he makes:

Racing is the simplest sport there is: Start here, first one there wins. Yet NASCAR has progressed from a simple championship system based on consistency to one based on consistency plus a semi-mad dash at the end to a (proposed) needlessly complicated mess.

First cut the field to 16, then cut it to something else, then cut it again then — click, football is on. At this point, NASCAR should just buy an officially licensed dartboard, put drivers’ names on it, give a lucky fan selected via market research a dart to throw, and whosever name gets hit wins the championship, as long as it’s Dale Earnhardt, Jr

and

Instead of asking themselves, “is changing the points system a good idea?” NASCAR officials ask themselves, “will people pay more attention to us if we do this?” Instead of focusing on being the best NASCAR it can be for NASCAR fans, NASCAR seems to want to be the best NASCAR it can be for non-NASCAR fans. The end result has been non-fans staying that way and longtime fans joining them. The proposed new points system will continue that trend, no matter how many “Game 7” moments it creates.