NASCAR Execs Bullish On New Chase Format

More than 200 people attended the "Motorsports 2.0" conference today in Charlotte. In a panel on the state of NASCAR, the new format for the Chase for the Sprint Cup received strong support from NASCAR insiders, with Roush Fenway Racing President Steve Newmark calling reaction among drivers, business partners and fans "overwhelmingly positive" despite the fact that TV ratings are falling and fans apparently could care less. We wonder what data he is looking at?

"It makes it a lot more nerve-racking, but it's a phenomenal change," he said. He added that the full impact of the change will not be entirely evident early on, saying, "You really won't see the full impact until it continues to build." Build? Does he expect TV ratings to start going up?

NASCAR CMO Steve Phelps called it one of the most significant changes NASCAR has made on the competition side, but agreed to it being a work in progress. He noted the videos the series has produced to inform the fan base on the new format. "I think there is still some confusion," he said, but "once people understand how it works, it's going to grow new and casual fans to become more avid fans." Being NASCAR CMO of course he would say that, but the fans are voting with their TV remotes and switching the races off.