The competitors in this weekend's Chase for the Sprint Cup finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway have many "compelling storylines," according to Mike Hembree of USA TODAY. Jeff Gordon "has a shot at a fifth title in his final race, the sort of farewell that few athletes have a chance to enjoy." Martin Truex Jr. "races for a team -- Furniture Row Racing -- based in Denver, a virtual universe from NASCAR’s Charlotte heartland." Kyle Busch "missed almost a third of the season while recovering from a broken leg and foot suffered at Daytona International Speedway in February." Finally, Kevin Harvick "can become the 11th driver to win back-to-back Cup championships" (USA TODAY, 11/20).
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY: A roundtable featuring ESPN racing insiders discussed whether the Chase "has been good for NASCAR?" ESPN's Ricky Craven: "I believe it has been good for NASCAR. But it has not been good for its competitors. ... It has generated solid attention ... at the expense of NASCAR authenticity." ESPN's Ryan McGee: "If Jeff Gordon wins a walk-off championship, it will always be remembered as a success. But those who have lived it will likely always remember it as being a bit of a mess. The signature moments, outside of Gordon's win to advance, have all been, ultimately, bad moments." ESPN.com's John Oreovicz: "No. Artificially creating a series of all-or-nothing eliminations rather than crowning a champion over the natural course of a full season has highlighted the worst aspects of this Chase format, no matter how much publicity it has generated. The drivers don't like it, and it has resulted in bad blood spilling over onto the track at a level we have not seen until now. The fans don't like it." ESPN.com's Bob Pockrass: "Not as good as the first of the elimination Chase in 2014. This one has had too much conspiracy theory, from the entire Logano-Kenseth mess to Kevin Harvick backing his car into the wall during the Dover celebration to his Talladega moves. ...This format created excitement and drama, but unfortunately this year was a little too much of a circus" (ESPN.com, 11/19).
