Notebook: France still may tinker with Chase format

Notebook: France still may tinker with Chase format


By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

HOMESTEAD, Fla.—Why mess with a good thing?
In NASCAR’s view, to make it better.
Even though this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup has produced a nearly ideal down-to-the-wire scenario, NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said Friday the sanctioning body will consider changes to the format during the offseason, if changes can make the title race more exciting.
The holy grail for France is high-impact, “Game 7” moments that focus attention on the sport and generate buzz in the closing weeks of the season. That’s certainly the case this year, with Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick preparing to decide the championship in Sunday’s Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
With Hamlin leading Johnson by 15 points and Harvick by 46, the championship probably won’t be decided until the closing laps. That’s what France would like to see every year, if possible.
Asked if the success of this year’s Chase might convince NASCAR to preserve the status quo, France demurred.
“No, we will look at it,” he said. “What I like is, what I said earlier, a winner-take-all, if you will; and watching someone not just have to run well, but have to beat some other people. That is feeling to us like that's exactly what we want. And by the way, it's exactly what the drivers want. It's working out that way this year.
“Let me say this. Right now, almost every sports league, almost everyone, including the NCAA Tournament last year, is looking around at what they need to do to change their formats a little or a lot, depending on who they are, to make sure that their playoffs or their championship runs are what they want them to be. And we are no different.”

Hamlin in Johnson’s head?
For two days, Johnson has questioned Hamlin’s state of mind at every opportunity.
Asked Friday how he slept on Thursday night, Johnson replied, “I slept great. I don’t know if Denny did, but I know I did. Last night was awesome.”
Hamlin, however, suggested that Johnson’s constant mentions of Hamlin’s name might indicate that the four-time defending Cup champion was fixated on the points leader.
“If he keeps bringing up my name, he’s pretty much worried about me,” Hamlin said. “That’s all I’ll say. You’re not going to say you’re not worried and you’re relaxed and everything, but keep bringing up my name.”
Hamlin will have to make up considerable ground to see Johnson’s head, much less get inside it on Sunday. Hamlin starts 37th in the Ford 400, 31 positions behind Johnson.

Going, going, Gaughan
Rusty Wallace Racing announced Friday the hiring of Michael Annett to drive RWR’s No. 62 Toyota in the Nationwide Series next year.
Annett, 24, will replace Brendan Gaughan, who will return to NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series full time in a Toyota fielded by Germain Racing, the organization that fields the No. 30 Toyota for truck series champion Todd Bodine.
Gaughan, 35, last raced full time in the truck series in 2008 and has eight wins in 162 starts. His best season was 2003, when he won six races and finished fourth in the standings.
Annett is completing his second full Nationwide season in Germain’s No. 15 Toyota. He finished 10th in the series last year and is 13th going into Saturday’s season finale at Homestead.