Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not worried about NASCAR’s Chase format being too big, with 16 drivers being eligible to compete for a Cup Series championship. On Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt explained why a driver who enters The Chase in 16th place doesn’t have a good shot of winning a title.
“The top three guys in The Chase are going to have a points advantage. They are also the best three cars of the season,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “…But they’re not going to give up two races to the guy that’s been 16th in points and had a 16th-point season. Three of them are not going to give up two races to the guy in 16th in points.”
Earnhardt then said, “They could have cut it to 12, they could have cut it to 10. They probably should have, but it doesn’t really matter because 16th has such a disadvantage. Why are we going to argue about that?”
With NASCAR returning to The Chase format, winning races means more points. While the win and you’re in rule is gone, a driver who wins a race earns 55 points instead of 40. Points for all other positions, including stage points, remain the same.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. says The Chase is ‘simpler’
At the end of the regular season, the first-place driver will have a big advantage over the field. The top driver will have 2100 points, and the second-place driver will start with 2075. The 16th place driver will have 2000 points to start The Chase.
Earnhardt took part in a press conference on Monday and spoke about his excitement about The Chase. “I was really excited to hear the news that we were getting a little closer to a full 36-race format. This is as close in my opinion that you can get without going all the way,” Earnhardt said.
“What I believe it does is it makes it simpler for our fans to follow. I’m a fan of the sport, and now I’m compelled to plug in every single week because I know there’s a long-form objective for my driver to accomplish to be able to give himself the opportunity to win the championship.”