CHARLOTTE, N.C. - NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France unveiled a new “Chase”-style elimination format that will be used to decide the series champion in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2016.
The announcements highlighted France’s annual “State of the Sport” event held as the opening press conference of the 34th annual Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour being held this week at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C.
Among the other changes announced on Tuesday was a competition “caution clock” for the truck series, as well as the introduction of the new aerodynamic rules package that will make its season debut in the second race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The Chase formats for the Xfinity and trucks are based on the format that has been in use for the last two seasons in the Sprint Cup Series, and will consist of several rounds that will eliminate drivers until they are whittled down to the final four who will compete for the title in the season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
France believes having an elimination-style format in the lower series that is similar to the Sprint Cup Series will benefit younger drivers as they come up through the ranks.
“When we look at how successful the format is for the Sprint Cup Series and the fact that the drivers trying to win a championship in those lower divisions are trying to come up to the Sprint Cup Series, we know that the way to win in the future, you’ve got to beat people. You’ve got to be winning. You’ve got to be in the crosshairs of elimination at any moment,” said France. “That’s how we want our young drivers from a very early stage to understand the racing competitive style in NASCAR. So no better way to do that than to have our championship formats consistent, and that’s one of the main reasons I think that I know that we did that.”
Rather than give than give an edge to some of the better funded Xfinity and truck series teams, France hopes introducing a Chase format to both series will give the underdog teams an equal chance to compete for the championship.
“Ask Jimmie Johnson. Six-time champion, got eliminated in the first round,” said France. “I think this gives teams who have to be great on one day a better opportunity than a more well-funded team who can sort of wear them out over time. My hope is it’ll give the teams that are more underdog teams like it’s worked out here at the Sprint Cup Series.”
The Xfinity Series Chase format will consist of seven races beginning at Kentucky Speedway on Sept. 24, featuring 12 drivers at will qualify for the field either by winning races during the “regular” season or by qualifying on points. There will be two elimination rounds, paring the field down to eight drivers after three races and then down to four after the next three races. The final four drivers will then compete for the title with the highest finishing driver crowned as the 2016 series champion.
The truck series will follow a similar format of a seven-race, two-round eliminations, but the field will only consist of eight drivers. Six drivers will advance to the second round, with four advancing out of the second round to run for the championship in Homestead.
The 16 drivers who qualified for the 2015 Chase for the Sprint Cup will not be eligible to compete in either of the Xfinity or truck series finales.
NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell also unveiled the details of a 20-minute “Caution Clock” for the 2016 Camping World Truck Series season that will be used to throw a competition caution flag after 20 minutes of green-flag racing. After the caution flag waves, the clock will be reset and will begin another 20 minute countdown. The 20 minute clock will continue throughout the race until before being turned off with 20 laps to go.
O’Donnell also announced a new format for the “Dash 4 Cash” program in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, paying out a $100,000 bonus and a chance to earn an automatic berth in the Xfinity Series Chase.
The Dash 4 Cash events will consist of two heats and a main event at four tracks: Bristol, Dover, Richmond and Indianapolis with the highest finishing driver in each heat becoming eligible for the Dash 4 Cash bonus. The highest finisher in the Dash 4 Cash will win a $100,000 bonus while any driver that manages to win all four events will automatically qualify for the Xfinity Series Chase.
In the Sprint Cup Series, the new 2016 aerodynamic rules package will make its season debut at the second race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 28.
The new rules package was first rolled out and put through its paces last season, including a highly successful run at Darlington Raceway, which had been cited as one of the most competitive races of the season.
“We’re looking forward to debuting the rules package,” said O’Donnell. “The drivers and the industry is behind this. Our expectation is that we want to put on the best racing possible, and to do that, I think you’ll hear more and more about the collaboration within the industry and working with the race teams to ensure that we’ve got the best racing possible, so that’s a result of what you’re seeing this year.”
Although no announcement was made regarding a highly anticipated new deal for a charter system between the team owners and NASCAR, France said he was “very optimistic” a deal would be ready in the near future.
“When we do, and why we’re doing that, and we wouldn’t do anything that we didn’t think in the long run would make racing better, would field more opportunities, create an environment for more owners, more capital in this very expensive sport, to have a better experience in fielding the race teams week in and week out,” said France. “And I’m very optimistic that shortly, while today won’t be the day, but shortly we’ll be able to share those details of what that looks like, and that’ll be historic for us, too, in auto racing should we complete this, and I believe that we will.
“It will be an historic first, and as I say, we’ll make the racing better in the long run and secure the ownership experience for the future.”
