Honestly, going into this new season for NASCAR had me doing a lot more analyzing than I have in years past. Keep in mind I’ve been doing this column since 2009, and so many things have changed. The Chase went through three different formats, three drivers retired, and how I did the column changed as well.
I’ve never seen so many changes going into a season as I have since the 2016 season came to a conclusion.
Sprint was gone as title sponsor, and in came Monster Energy, the same sponsor that oversees the Supercross tour, and sponsors two trucks on the Monster Jam circuit. It brought a new energy, focusing on the new generation of fans. Plus, the guy in me also enjoyed seeing the presence of the Monster Energy girls at the track, but I digress from that since families read this column.
But along with that, it also meant a new points system, and new race format. Three stages per race, with points being distributed after each stage. NASCAR also changed the name of the post-season action, getting rid of the “Chase” name and electing to keep it simple, just calling it the “NASCAR Playoffs.”
Playoff points are given to the winner of stage one, then stage two, and the maximum amount of playoff points go to the eventual race winner.
I did not know how the format would work as far as what it could do to the racing. Will there be a time of conserving to get to the later part of the stage, then go? And how different would drivers race each stage depending on the track they were at?
Some of these questions got answered on Sunday, because the anticipation, and the pressure, were maxed out when it came to the Daytona 500. Let’s face it, this race is an event that in itself is unique. No other race takes this long to prepare for, to set the field for, or has this much attention.
So how does the new format work when it comes to the Daytona 500, and restrictor plate racing? Frankly, it’s a mixed bag, but plate racing is still plate racing.
There were still big accidents that saw contenders get taken out, just as expected. However, when it came to the end of the first and second stages, it did mean the intensity got higher, as many were trying to get their position better. With the top-10 earning points after the first and second stages, plus the leader after the first and second stage earning playoff points, it meant every move had meaning.
Did the stage racing cause the accidents? No, it was simply the nature of this style of racing. And anyone that thinks that may change their mind at the next race, where the restriction on the engines will go away, and it means a different strategy to get to the finish.
Does the new points system work? To me, yes, because now it rewards the drivers who are running hard all race long. It’s an added incentive now to get to the front early, and in the middle, of a long race, because it means extra points towards a championship. And winning that first or second stage, it can mean a difference between just getting into the playoffs, or being the top seed in the playoffs.
One thing is certain, the new season has already begun with a lot of excitement, and a lot of drama. One race down, 35 to go. Welcome to the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup season.
STAGE 1 WINNER: Kyle Busch
STAGE 2 WINNER: Kevin Harvick
RESULTS: 1-Kurt Busch 2-Blaney 3-Allmendinger 4-Almirola 5-Menard 6-Logano 7-Kahne 8-Waltrip 9-DiBenedetto 10-Bayne
NOTABLE FINISHES: 14-Elliott 17-Hamlin 22-Harvick 27-Keselowski 34-Johnson 37-Earnhardt Jr. 38-Kyle Busch
CAUTIONS: 8 for 40 laps. Lap 32-35 (#83 Accident-FS); 62-67 (Stage 1 Conclusion ); 106-112 (#88, 18, 77, 20, 13, 7 Accident-T3 [Red Flag 17:00] ); 122-125 (Stage 2 Conclusion); 129-133 (#48, 14, 37, 10, 4, 96, 11, 6, 42, 34, 32, 75, 72, 41, 78, 23, 22 Accident-T3); 137-141 (#17, 6, 21,
7, 33 Accident-FS); 143-148 (#1, 2, 31, 11, 34, 33, 19, 13, 24, 95, 75 Accident-BS); 151-153 (#23, 75, 24 Accident-BS).
LEAD CHANGES: 37 among 18 drivers. C. Elliott 1-5; J. McMurray 6-18; K. Harvick 19-22; C. Elliott 23-24; K. Harvick 25-29; B. Keselowski 30-31; K. Larson 32; K. Harvick 33-41; Kyle Busch 42; M. Truex Jr. 43; Kyle Busch 44-48; R. Blaney 49-50; Kyle Busch 51-62; A. Allmendinger 63-64; K. Larson 65-68; K. Harvick 69-72; K. Larson 73; K. Harvick 74-89; J. Johnson 90-96; D. Earnhardt Jr. 97-104; E. Sadler(i) 105-109; K. Harvick 110-121; J. Logano 122; K. Larson 123-125; C. Elliott 126; K. Kahne 127; C. Elliott 128-135; K. Kahne 136-141; A. Dillon 142-148; J. Logano 149-151; C. Whitt 152-154; A. Almirola 155-156; K. Larson 157-162; J. Logano 163-174; C. Elliott 175-197; M. Truex Jr. 198; K. Larson 199; Kurt Busch 200.
TIME OF RACE: 3 Hrs, 29 Mins, 31 Secs.
AVERAGE SPEED: 143.187 MPH
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.228 Seconds
POINT STANDINGS (Total Points/Behind leader [Playoff Points]): 1. Kurt Busch, 56 [5]; 2. Blaney, -12; 3. Logano, -13; 4. Harvick, -14 [1]; 5. Allmendinger, -17; 6. Almirola, -19; 7. Larson, -20; 8. Elliott, -23; 9. Hamlin, -23; 10. Menard, -24; 11. Bayne, -24; 12. Keselowski, -25; 13. Kahne, -26; 14. Waltrip, -27; 15. Dibenedetto, -28; 16. Dillon, -31.
