August 31, 2006

By Rebecca Gladden

Rebecca Gladden

I've heard a lot of unexpected opinions in the past few days about Saturday night's Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

One sports writer described the race as ho-hum and watered down, while another asked rhetorically if racing at Bristol had been "diluted" by the concerns of drivers vying for a spot in the Chase.

A friend and long-time NASCAR fan admitted that for the first time ever, he almost dozed off during the race.

Another acquaintance observed that he had to give away his Bristol tickets this year when he couldn't find anyone to buy them - the same hard-to-come-by passes that until recently were considered "the hottest ticket in all of sports."

Clearly, there was something different about Bristol this year, not just for the fans, but for the drivers as well.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished third in Saturday's race, generally calls 'em as he sees 'em - and he noticed it, too.

"I'm always relieved to come out of here with a good run," Junior said in his post-race interview. "It's so hard to get a good run here. A lot of things can happen - that hasn't changed. But with the Chase and everybody being so close, there was a lot more respect out there on the track tonight - a lot more than you have seen in the past. A lot more respect being shown. When I caught guys, they moved over, and I did the same for others. You don't normally see that here. You make people work for every spot. It seemed tonight like everyone was being very respectful."

Being respectful - a polite way to say playing it safe.

No doubt about it fans. The Chase has changed the essence of NASCAR racing in ways that are still being discovered.

When the biggest controversy at Bristol involves a few laps of late race rubbing between Jeff Gordon and Scott Riggs - with both drivers crossing the finish line safely in the top five - you know this ain't your daddy's NASCAR any more.

The problem with the current points format is that if a driver takes a Chase hopeful out of contention - even if by accident or as a result of good hard racing - he is doomed to vilification.

No one wants to be seen as the guy who ruined somebody's chances to make the Chase.

So drivers end up, as Dale Jr. noted, politely moving out of each other's way.

Elliott Sadler - who recently endured several weeks of intense contract negotiations as he transitioned from Robert Yates Racing to Evernham Motorsports - identified even more fallout from the Chase, both on and off the track.

"I think the Chase has changed the way we race at NASCAR," Sadler observed last week. "Now, it's not a 36-race season, but rather a 26-race season with a playoff. If you don't run well during those 26 races, teams are and will be more receptive to making driver changes, crew chief changes, and swapping personnel back and forth within their own teams.

"If (teams) are already out of the Chase, they can start over fresh and get ready for next year. You can't afford to start a new season with a new team at the Daytona 500 and try to work with each other at learning what constitutes 'too tight' for a driver or 'too loose.' You can't give up 200 or 300 points on learning each other."

Sadler also predicted that the Chase would impact contract terms in the near future: "I can see the day when, in a driver's contract, the owner says, 'We're going to give you a 26-race deal. If you make the Chase, we'll give you a bonus and a 10-race extension. If you don't, well, it's all about whatever you need to do to make the Chase.' "

Many people commend the Chase for bringing added energy and focus to our sport in the latter third of the season - a time when the media's attention often turns to college football and the NFL.

While that may be true, make no mistake about it: There is a high price to pay for such progress.

Like a boring night at Bristol.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.