Dale Jr. Tells Brian France How He Feels About Playoffs in NASCAR | The Dale Jr. Download

[@TheGreatWildOne]

Richard petty said it best when the chase first happened, “NASCAR got to where it was because it had its own image. Now we’re trying to be like all these other sports who are already established in this format and nascar is gonna be a little fish in a big pond.” I guess you can call me a traditionalist too but I personally would rather it be the old system but with modern ways to achieve points. Win a race, extra points. Hell leading a lap and getting bonus points should come back too. So being up front matters and winning will still matter.

[@MRosati5000]

We need some moonshine and figure this out..

[@danielchai6145]

Nascars playoff format was new for motorsports. The championship format is not what made nascar unique and its championship is more unique now than before.

[@slipstream7324]

If by unique you mean illegitimate or manufactured drama, then yeah i guess it is unique.

[@danielchai6145]

@@slipstream7324 is it any less legitimate than any sport with a playoff? The only thing to make it more legitimate is to make the championship round 3 races and not 1.

[@slipstream7324]

@@danielchai6145 One thing i do know is that drivers are demoralized over this system. "it's just about wins now" "these championships aren't like the ones petty and earnhardt won" They've been warned not to say such things anymore by nascar. Threatened with fines. So yeah, illegitimate.

[@psinclairjr]

When you can technically win every race of the year and finish 2nd in the final race and lose the Championship, that's a problem

[@BenMyattt]

But no one has done that. Maybe when that happens it’ll spark change.

[@SRVFreak123]

Matt Crafton won the truck title without winning a race

[@dalebrooks304]

The Detroit Red wings and I believe 1995 set a record for the most points in a season. They went out in the first round of the playoffs. The fastest car doesn't always win.

[@Bad_Wolf_Media]

Before the playoff format, a driver could win the championship without winning a single race. Honestly, I still like that better because it rewards consistent performance. The drivers that can run well at every track type should be rewarded for their ability.

[@anitagarrison6916]

The same can be said about a perfect season in any other sport.

[@thearmourboy3254]

The problem NASCAR doesn't understand is that other leagues do it because all the teams do not play in a season, they are split into divisions and conferences and the playoffs are a way to put the best teams against one another. NASCAR never needed that because every team was racing each other week to week. If you want wins to matter more than increase the number of points they would give, but you didn't need to break the entire system to do that.

[@wolverine9632]

Exactly. We get to see the best drivers duke it out every week in Nascar, but in a sport like the NFL, there's only so many matchups you can have in a 16-game season, especially when 6 of them are restricted to same-conference games. The playoffs allow the best teams to establish themselves and duke it out as the poor teams sit and watch from their living rooms.

[@billbry]

This guy is just a sperm drop off of his dad who created NASCAR and that's why he is wrecking the sport, most of the time the second generation ruins the family business and this is one such case

[@codygooch510]

Very good point to make. I was agreeing with the politician until I read this.

[@jessicalacasse6205]

they forgot nascar meant stock car not hot wheels ...

[@jessicalacasse6205]

there was money and spectator now there not kinda simple to see what wrong ...if there more people in usa now and you get less and less... when did nfl lower their seat count

[@RichieWilliams97]

Dale Jr hit the nail right on the head. Couldn’t have said it better. Less is more. The 10 man chase made it prestigious. It made the disappointment of missing out so much greater.

[@jamieday6602]

Dale Jr. Is so good for the sport. His analogies and perspective is really good! He looks at it from all angles! I hope NASCAR will open and listen to his opinion! I think they are coming around to it!

[@oneworldonegoal17]

I read this quick and thought it said he looks good from all angles (as good for tv ; ) and he does haha but yeah he does have a very good analytical brain 😜👍🏁 M in Miami ; )

[@bradwright2841]

Why do you have to mess with something that was working

[@SteveAmaon]

Frankly, I was never a fan of Jr when he was driving. I have become a HUGE fan since he has become a broadcaster/show host. His connection with the history of the sport, people and facilities plus his experiences as a driver in the modern era brought to the fans as only Jr can do are just fantastic! Cheers Jr!

[@noahg2527]

He should be the ambassador for nascar, just saying

[@johnclark8637]

I'm happy Dale said the championship shouldn't come down to just one race. I've been saying that same thing for years

[@markcopeland3892]

Like he also said that's a possibility no matter what you do

[@TonyWud]

Except he didn't say that.

[@rickbateman2401]

I don't mind it coming down to one race if that one race is at the end of a season long scrap for it. What I hate is when two guys battle it out all season and then some also-ran, who has no business even been mentioned wins because they need 4 or 5 teams to fill out the "playoff" line up.

[@jacobevenson8702]

@@TonyWud he did...

[@hutrod7721]

It's come down to one race when they had Winston Cup points more than once so what do you do to fix that?

[@IndependenceIron]

This is a great spotlight into BF's mentality. Abandoned the core fan base to chase growth with the "Casual" fans by giving them a few thrilling "Moments", and now they are realizing BF"s bone head move where the Core fans left, and the "Casuals" only show up at the end of the year for the "Moments" isn't enough to keep the sport alive.

[@usachristmas5433]

Bingo!!!

[@rebelscumspeedshop]

Yup

[@wolverine9632]

Exactly. I've heard so often, "The old points system made the end of the year boring." I say the opposite is true today. The playoffs system makes the whole rest of the year boring.

[@DonPrevish]

could not have said it better. Its all about the show. The racing is second to ratings

[@usachristmas5433]

BF is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

[@stevemullen8457]

Dale is such a great interviewer. He really digs in and gets to the heart of a subject.

[@stevewix]

Brian France thinks by directing the narrative he can direct NASCAR. It's the other way around. Create value within NASCAR with positivity and forward thinking, not getting pissy about criticism.

[@Ka_Gg]

This guy was never worried about the actual product. Just how he could sell more of it. This is like a baker that has a quality product, but to make/sell more, he starts changing methods and products. He temporarily sells more and then the customers are like "this used to taste way better" and he loses customers.

[@cruisinwithcorey]

You just described subway sandwiches lol they used to be good. Then they expand to every street corner and it’s worse than school lunch and now they are closing everywhere

[@Ka_Gg]

@@cruisinwithcorey they aren't sandwiches. They are just big pieces of bread with lettuce. Lol. A local subway near me just closed a few week ago. Apparently having one on every corner is a bit too much

[@usachristmas5433]

GREAT analogy!

[@kylefunderburk4194]

@@cruisinwithcorey Even though Subway is still the largest chain in its field, its competitors (Firehouse, Jersey Mike's and Jimmie John's) have a much more loyal following.

[@CAMELOTLIVE]

The fact that France mentions the NFL and NBA as to how NASCAR makes decisions makes me sick tbh

[@PointNemo9]

It's just stupid, one-on-one team sports are fundamentally different to motorsport

[@codygooch510]

But as a “ceo” you see how big those sports are and can’t help but compare yourself to that and want to be that big.

[@frankhollein7093]

The one big difference from other sports is you have non playoff teams mixed in there with the playoff teams. There isn't a elimination of competitors from the event. Other sports just have the playoff teams competing.

[@TheReilNeil]

You also don't need playoffs since you race everybody every week. You cannot compare NASCAR to stick and ball sports.

[@RP3ZO]

It’s odd that NASCAR kind of went in the opposite direction of other TV entertainment. Most older TV shows were very self-contained from episode to episode. The characters and a couple of overarching elements of the story were tied in across the season, but 95-99% of what happened in any given episode didn’t affect the story in the rest of the episodes. You can skip a few episodes and jump back in later in the season and not be lost. Over time, TV shows have found that having a season-long plot keeps viewers more invested throughout, ensuring they don’t want to miss an episode lest they miss an important part of the overall story. I used to be invested in watching every race of the season, and at the end of every race I would always wait for them to show the updated points standings to see who lost or gained a few spots. I haven’t cared to look at the points standings after a race in 15 years now. And I barely care, if at all, who wins the championship because a driver who gets lucky 2 or 3 times in a season has as much chance to win as someone who works to be competitive every race. It just feels like a hollow accomplishment and always has since the change.

[@thejman3489]

Exactly. Watching the Indycar season this year was so fun because I was looking at the points all season. Who is leading the points and who is close to leading. In NASCAR it's just oh these drivers have a win and are waiting for the playoffs to start.

[@mlwilliam213]

That’s a very interesting perspective. Too bad NASCAR doesn’t want any logic involved.

[@PointNemo9]

Very good point

[@CommonsenseMK]

Amen.

[@Pro24zach]

Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knauss, and Brian France the 3 people who like the playoff format in nascar

[@hotdogs5265]

The chase and playoffs was the biggest mistake and turn off in nascar history.

[@peekaboo1575]

This right here.

[@drkenleahlifechangersnatur9508]

Has France forgot that Nascar tore down bleachers, covered seat sections up with advertising tarps, and scheduled the playoffs at a smaller seat track so the attendance wld look better for TV?

[@RyTrapp0]

Ratings are up

[@dchawk81]

Those advertising tarps bring in revenue. Empty seats do not.

[@kylefunderburk4194]

@@RyTrapp0 Ratings have hit a valley, they're not on track to return to the peaks any time soon. They're not even on track to get halfway back to their peak.

[@fposmith]

How about Las Vegas Motor Speedway where they buried 34,000 seats with dirt !

[@rcr-zt4of]

@@fposmithThey did. That’s interesting. Do you have an article on it?

[@stephenbreen7570]

The original format wasn't perfect. But at least it crowned a true champion 🏆

[@ToddSavesAmerica]

I love how he keeps bringing up other sports, this is what made nascar different..not doing what everyone else is doing. I also love how he pretty much admitted that nascar tweaks the rules and changes things all the time just to make The stars happy and not the fans..

[@marknoble5495]

This is what drove me away more than moving races, the cot, and it becoming increasingly more difficult to know the race time and tv channel. I think the points structure should’ve given more points for a win and only the top 20 gets points each race. The whole playoff to fabricate excitement just felt cheap and unnecessary. You can grow the sport without sacrificing what makes it unique.

[@alwaysopen7970]

F1 points system makes sense The current NASCAR system does not

[@brittonprice637]

I understand he was trying to make the sport more exciting but playoffs don't belong in motorsports. These championships don't really feel earned anymore but in the old system every race mattered.

[@FalseHope61]

No they don’t need the playoffs. Year after year in motocross the best rider generally wins the title. They have a traditional season long points system. Every few years, you get a rider that panics, and turns it on and closes that points gap down to where the last race matters.

[@aaronmachado13]

@@FalseHope61 granted now we got playoffs with the SuperMotocross stateside but at least that’s a technically a different championship

[@markcopeland3892]

Playoffs are great. They have made for some exciting end of season drama. Under the old system the points race was over sometimes with several races left. Never been as hard to win the cup as it is right now.

[@erikscherer22]

In the old system every race didn't matter, if the points leader DNF'd but had a big points lead it didn't matter. Just look at F1 right now, Max was able to clinch with what 5 races left? The new system I will say makes the regular season matter less, but each race in the Playoffs matters all the more.

[@RyTrapp0]

@@erikscherer22 They choose what they want to remember - "everything was better back in my day!"

[@dalebrooks304]

Isn't it just magic? The last race of the year. Two guys racing for a championship and the other 40 are out making laps and trying to stay out of their way? Stage racing sucks, this playoff system sucks. Oddly enough, if you notice the attendance to races started going down when these things came about. I watched a Michigan race from the turn 3 stands. Is anybody old enough to remember that? Lol.

[@trueearthandmore4054]

At every track the seats would be packed! It was amazing

[@cucvfarmer]

I've been to MIS and watched a race in turn 4. There was still seats in turn 3.

[@kylefunderburk4194]

That's the most frustrating thing about this interview. Brian France is defending all of these changes as if NASCAR still has 100,000 fans at every race and 9 million viewers on TV every week. It hasn't worked. And when you're trying to create dramatic moments to lure in casual fans, you're really insulting their intelligence. Those casual fans will understand the nuances of racing if you present it to them the right way.

[@dalebrooks304]

Honestly? I wish somebody would put forth another series. And don't ask me to because I don't have the money lol

[@kylefunderburk4194]

@@dalebrooks304 Unfortunately, a rival series for NASCAR is nearly impossible. NASCAR owns most tracks on the schedule and SMI keeps a very close relationship with NASCAR. The only ovals a rival series could race at (excluding short tracks) are Indianapolis, Pocono, Milwaukee and Rockingham. Even Indycar is forced to being a customer of NASCAR if it wants to race at more ovals. The best we can build for is a series like SRX or STARS growing over time and the short tracks growing with it.

[@chieflongstroke]

Never was a fan of Jr but as an interviewer he's pretty alright. The way he's able to communicate his disagreements or talk through tough subjects with ppl calm direct questions actually wants to hear an answer and understand not just push out his point of view and hit talking points.

[@mastercarpenter1970]

The playoff system sucks and once Brian France took over NASCAR it went to s*** but thank God for people like Dale Jr that are trying to bring the old school NASCAR tracks back and restore the fans faith in the sport! Brian France needs to take his ass home and stay there

[@ryanmorrison3699]

Junior just said that he likes the playoffs.

[@chromediesel444]

@@ryanmorrison3699 But he struggles with the eligibility nonsense and one race deciding the championship.

[@ryanmorrison3699]

@@chromediesel444 I’m not saying the playoffs are perfect. There’s definitely room for tweaking. But, everybody’s gotta let go of the past and start embracing this format because NASCAR’s never going back to a cumulative system. Everybody spends all their time whining about the past being better and not an ounce of time thinking about how to make the playoffs more acceptable.

[@prestonsmith7004]

@@ryanmorrison3699 nah, Nascar is basically unwatchable now. Until they get rid of the corporate drivers and stupid playoff gimmicks, I'm not giving it the time of day

[@ryanmorrison3699]

@@prestonsmith7004 Except you are giving them the time of day by commenting on a Nascar-related post. You’re basically here just because you want to complain about something, which is frankly pathetic.

[@jarrodapplegate7077]

ive said for years that more should be made of the regular season champ. The way its talked about now is like its no big deal. When in reality winning the regular season champ is a huge accomplishment. it needs to be talked about more, there should be a televised trophy ceremony and the whole nine! Just a whole lot more emphasis put around the whole thing and just not for the last race of the year.

[@johnhaas2523]

Because it isn't a big deal for the most part other than okay you got a trophy and you get 15 bonus points Big deal

[@RyTrapp0]

@@johnhaas2523 lol, yup, just like every other sport with a reg season and a post season

[@trumpet43samurai]

"You wouldn't have that moment" -> Is Brian France trying to say there weren't great moments in racing prior to the playoffs? I would argue there were plenty of amazing moments, and they happened naturally and didn't need us to fabricate a system where the whole championship is on the line day to day.

[@robertcanderson329]

well said,,,, that's the bottom line, really, is that everything France claims were reasons for the change, the bottom line is that in saying that, he basically insulted the entire history of nascar by stating it wasn't interesting back the.... ie "back then when it was putting 20 times more people in the stands than it does since the change".......

[@CAPEjkg]

Its always a problem when you try and manufacture big moments instead of letting them happen!

[@peekaboo1575]

Yep. If it's "made to happen" the way you have with the playoffs and the chase, then it's fake. Simple as.

[@MarkoFavre]

I'm tired of hearing about what other sports leagues are doing with their playoff systems. F1 doesn't have one and is the number one motorsports worldwide. Unfortunately things will never be like they used to be because the people in charge think they're right.

[@Thomas_Jefferson_420]

Thank you for this interview.. Earnhardt Nation!!

[@rebelracing88]

Good ideas and results speak for themselves. Compare the ratings, attendance, sponsors, etc. from 2003 to today. Looks like the traditionalists win that argument. Brian France took the most popular form of auto racing and ran it into the ground. That’s what happens when you try to fix something that isn’t broken.

[@wlogue]

The chase was the beginning of the end for me, playoffs? no I'm out. Other leagues? No! Stages? Thats bullshit in my opinion as a lifelong race fan of 48 years. I followed your dad and you Dale, I don't comment often, Love your content but this one got me fired up. Local dirt racing is where it's at for me! Cheers bud, and thanks!

[@lamarw9901]

I stopped keeping up with NASCAR with the playoff and watched a few races a year. I stopped watching NASCAR completely with the segment racing. I watch Dale for the history. Intersting France brings up the college football playoff. I have brought up his changes to counter the playoff advocates. The playoff will grow the pie for a while. The core fans will fade in interest and the sport may have more fans but they will be more casual, empty seats will be more common. I have watched less college football this year than I have in 20 years, when I was in college. Games outside the SEC just have so little impact on the teams I have interest in making the playoff.

[@GOdupont24]

same

[@mlwilliam213]

We’ll see what happens with college football in a few years, but they’re regular season games are definitely not gonna be as important. The BCS may have sucked but every game was a big deal. It’ll be interesting when you can get in with 2 or 3 losses and teams start sitting players out of the last games of the season to avoid injury.

[@lamarw9901]

@@mlwilliam213 The BCS was awesome many teams were in play late in the season. I often post bring back the BCS.

[@kfizz21]

He STILL doesn’t get it. Everything that has happened, people responding negatively to things he’s done in the sport, and he STILL DOES NOT GET IT. Let the sport grow organically and have your product on the track be the draw. The playoffs haven’t drawn people except for the last couple races. It does nothing for the first 26 races of the season. Let the season stand for what it is. Stop chasing football and make this an AUTO SPORT.

[@Rick-zl3zp]

Exactly. So many races this year s*cked. No passing, single line tracks. Introducing road courses and dropping some mile and a half races helped, but no horsepower and a lot of downforce makes deadly dull racing. Which is why we have so many iracing kids in the sport, it's closer to a video game than real racing. Bring back steering with your right foot and we'll see who the racers are.

[@RyTrapp0]

lmao, the sport was DYING ORGANICALLY, that's why there were changes in the first place

[@kfizz21]

@@RyTrapp0 the sport was not dying in 2004. It peaked in 06-07. You’ve gotten it backwards, France started making changes, people started leaving, and he just kept chasing new people. And he STILL believes it was the right thing to do.

[@kylefunderburk4194]

@@RyTrapp0 The sport was dying the same time Bristol surpassed 110,000 capacity?

[@billbry]

@@kylefunderburk4194 the sport was dying because of Obama working for the world economic forum and causing the huge housing crisis and depression and sponsors pulling out. Car counts were down in all of motor racing over the Communists spending habits in DC

[@duanebailey6253]

France just confirms he doesn't care about the fan base. He's just interested in trying to reach new people smh. Typical board member who has 0 clue about the sport.

[@johnhaas2523]

Why would he care anymore about the fan base He has nothing to do with NASCAR anymore

[@SDCBMS]

Dale Jr: PLEASE TAKE OVER NASCAR. GET THE SPORT BACK TO ITS ROOTS. I CAN SPEAK FOR MANY FANS AND SAY WE NEED RESTRUCTURE. I LIKE THAT MARCUS LISTENS TO YOU. WORKING TOGETHER TO BRING BACK THE ROOTS OF NASCAR.

[@scottholmes5867]

Also, 'big moments' have to happen naturally and that makes them memorable..You cant produce a 3-wide, photo finish every single Sunday. Nascar has tried to create this instead of allowing it to happen on its own.

[@Tcottong]

Interesting he brings up Tony's 2011 run..i always felt like the way that season ended was the origin of why we have what we do now.

[@daviclar867]

All Nascar needed to do back then was raise the points for winning by 100 points. Add bonus points for running in the top 5 top ten most of the race.

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

Originally after 03, race winners were gonna get more bonus points. Imagine if that original idea went to plan. Would’ve been better

[@allenandres2535]

@@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT that would have been way better than the Chase so much better that would have been fun to watch.

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

@@allenandres2535 exactly. It’ll be a win for fans to see a full season champion having the most wins and the series in general would depend on every race in a season

[@edruggiero1648]

I would’ve like to see the special races (Daytona 500, Southern 500, brickyard, Bristol night) have a higher point payout or have the points payout higher for the mileage of the race 600 pays out the most 500s pay more than 400.

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

@NEP84 exactly

[@BrianYoungPhoto]

These conversations needed to happen 10 years ago. Instead, France was driving around the Hamptons, drunk and popping pills. Nascar isn't the NFL. His father talked to drivers, Brian's spoiled ass thought he was above that.

[@ryanpoole6743]

personally i like the old points system before the chase formula 1 basically still has that kinda system and nobody wants to change that and i think it was fine then and would be fine now i do like making winning a bigger deal but then just make winning worth more points that simple but thats just me and personally i want to get rid of the stages and the guarenteed cautions get them out of here i want the chance for green flag races again that was the nascar i grew up on

[@waynemangan9925]

I gotta give Brian alot of credit for not having a drink for 18 hrs and going on the show.

[@dannotwalruslarkin9324]

😂

[@johnstickles6789]

Think he was drinking in the parking lot.......LMAO. Hitting the pipe

[@virginiaserr2047]

Look at his face, he can't go any longer then two hours without a drink. The red gives it away

[@chris194]

There is an issue with the system used to determine a season champion when a driver could win every race all year and finish second in the final race and not be the champion.

[@johnhaas2523]

It's no different than the New England Patriots losing the super bowl to the New York Giants after New England went undefeated

[@chochoobaca55]

@@johnhaas2523 Comparing the NFL to racing is like comparing testicles to an Apple.

[@FastLane46]

@@johnhaas2523 You are an absolute idiot if you think that's a legitimate argument 🤣 Then again, you are just a NASCAR-bot. Not surprised critical thinking isn't in your programming

[@fa1509]

@@johnhaas2523 there’s 40 other cars on track gonna ruin that. Football is a team vs team basics

[@dlock5794]

I don't know much, but what he said about having a moment like Ross Chastain is true. I'm 48 and I would always watch the highlights of NASCAR on sports center growing up but I wouldn't call myself a fan. But Ross is moment was so big I had to watch it, and I heard Jr's call on it. Which brought me to his channel and I've been hooked ever since then. So much so that I've gone back and watched several old races Jr has mentioned, and I will be going to the one Vegas races this year, which will obviously be my first Nascar race ever. All because Ross, hooked me up to Jr, and he has actually explained on his podcast what the hell is going on during a race. And now when I watch the races I can see the strategy so to speak, before it just looked like people driving in circles. I know you long time fans may not like the changes( I feel the same way about how they changed the game of football and basketball, straight trash nowadays) but it has brought in at least one more Nascar lover.

[@djh3_88hinskey5]

I dont understand how your "season champion" does not get into the playoffs. Thats a head scratcher Brian

[@JakeMcVea]

i think the tv money has the fans being not that important to nascar anymore

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

NASCAR and TV are going after stupid people who think fake entertainment in NASCAR is exciting and ignoring real race fans and drivers

[@dalebrooks304]

I couldn't agree more. This stage racing crap makes artificial competition, and a break so that your local network stations can identify themselves lol. Oddly enough, when stage racing and this playoff crap came about attendance started dwindling

[@TheCloudCreation]

My problem with the comparison of NASCAR playoffs vs stick and ball sports is you don't have 40 other teams playing on the court during the championship game. It's 1v1 not 1v36 like it is in NASCAR. If you want a game 7 moment that mimics stick and ball sports, have a traditional 36 race season, then the top 4 advance to one extra race at a randomly drawn track and then only those 4 cars drive on the track in an All-Star style format with like 4 or 5 different stages that are only 15-30 minutes long depending on the track. Tally the points earned from each stage and the most points wins the championship.

[@radamus210]

Who wants to see Kenny Wallace do a reaction to the Brian France interview? That would be amazing - He would translate all the word salad down to that Saturday night dirt track short and sweet.

[@TanDawg58]

At least with the old chase, consistency was still one of the main reasons why a guy won. Ryan Newman is a perfect example of the flawed system that "win and you're in is". Kevin Harvick had a dominant 2014, yet he almost lost the title to a guy he barely pointed his way through in Newman.

[@jamesemmel7362]

Brian still comes across as a oerson who still doesn't acknowledge his flaws that brought himself down, also to many "I" did this comes across as a very narcissistic personality.

[@Bad_Wolf_Media]

In most cases, I would agree with you about the use of I by a person talking about goods and bads and changes, etc. In this case, though, it feels appropriate, like France is taking a "Buck Stops Here" attitude. Good or bad, he's taking on the burden of saying he's the one to point to for things you like and things you don't. That's really not a bad mentality for a leader.

[@johnstickles6789]

He brought down NASCAR right along with it

[@therealnynetynyne360]

He lost me at equity, whenever equity is involved it always dumbs down the competition

[@chiefslinginbeef3641]

Correct....equity and equality are different things.

[@johnthesecond19]

They spent all this time trying to reach this imaginary fan base all the while running off the core fans that filled every grandstand every weekend.

[@ANWRail22]

Wining 35 of 36 races and losing a championship is a hypothetical possibility and it sucks. It's quite remarkable to think that if the Winston cup format had stayed the same with the same results up to this point. JJ doesn't win 7 cups. Dale Jr himself would have a championship, Gordon would have 7, KB would not have won in 2015 and many other what ifs.

[@johnhaas2523]

Nice f****** joke assuming Dale Jr would have a championship if the Winston Cup points system stayed. Everybody f****** races differently if there's no playoffs or chase so don't f****** assume anything

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

I remember the original idea that after 2003, race winners get a lot more points. Sadly no, Brainless France made the chase, and the disgraceful of a failure format is still in a (supposed to be) racing series. The Chase is the worst thing that has happened in NASCAR History. Remember when the chase was supposed to be a thing in the 90s? Whoever scrapped that idea did a great job not adding the chase in NASCAR. Someone should’ve told Brainless France that stick and ball sports don’t belong in any form of auto racing. Oh wait, he’s a drug-addict and a drunk, or was. But still, he’s a disgrace. There’s a reason why full-season points formats is a great thing in Motorsports. Points matter each race, exciting moments happen naturally instead of being forced and faking excitement, the best driver wins it, it’s not a bloodbath. It’s just nothing but pure competition. It’s beautiful. It’s disgraceful that The Chase is still in NASCAR, yet they’ve been declining for 15 years. NASCAR and TV loves seeing drivers kill each other for NASCAR fans’ amusement. Thanks Brian France. That’s for being a ball sports/WWE on wheels. Disgraceful waste of a sperm🙄 Only real race fans and only real racing series know that stick and ball sports have no right to be in any form of Motorsports. Unfortunately, NHRA has their own chase called “The Countdown”. Their format is like the 2004-2013 NASCAR Chase, but NHRA’s Chase is pointless. But at least it’s not the disgraceful elimination format. People who actually like The Chase in NASCAR are the stupidest fans in the racing world. They’re one the reasons why the chase is still a thing. NASCAR and TV are going after the wrong crowd. NASCAR fans are stupid. EDIT: I also blame NASCAR fans from 2003 for crying about Matt Kenseth, a legit champion beinh crowned cuz he was more consistent

[@danielchai6145]

Championship formats between stick and ball sports and auto sports are more similar than a lot of people like to admit. It's not quite the same obviously, but the way championships are decided are similar enough. It would be like whoever has the best record in the regular season in baseball wins the championship. Or the same thing in every sport. A postseason is a good thing for nascar. Just a few changes and it would be just as good as the Winston format, but it would fit even better in today's world.

[@chukowiley3823]

I think the Chase specifically is much better than the playoffs (2004-2013 > 2014-Current). The OG Chase works just a little bit less well than full season. That being that it takes much less time to be consistent enough. Other than that it is a good format.

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

what a bad comment…. Keep sucking on Brian France👍🏼 Only real race fans and real racing seires know that stick and ball sport gimmicks don’t belong in racing. A postseason in racing is BAD, dude. It’s way too stupid and chaotic and even unsafe with the gimmicks. If you want to see drivers not respect each other and kill each other for your fake entertainment, go ahead. In racing, it’s common sense to not have BS postseasons. There’s reasons why an entire season matters

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

@@chukowiley3823 chase-wise, 2004-2013 was fine. But regardless, I prefer full season formats in auto racing in general

[@chukowiley3823]

@@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT that’s a fair opinion. I always follow the Winston format The Iceberg posts weekly just to see who the best champion would be.

[@Jeffbambam]

Just watched a complete race from 1982 when it was just a bunch of men racing real cars ,modified, trying not to get caught cheating and some teams struggling . It was 100 times more exciting then what is going on today in Nascar!

[@jimbo_crawdaddy]

All I hear is him saying we were trying to be like everybody else when the very thing that made the sport what it was (pre-Brian F.) was that it was different from everything else.

[@tyman1014]

I understand why we have the playoffs. The season is just too long to have a full season points format. And the TV partners (fox/nbc) don't want a full season format either. Any achievement in the first 35 races of the season is destroyed in the pursuit of the casual stick and ball sports fan. At least in the 10 race system, if you had one bad race, you could make up for it in the next 9. Also, the 10 race system just felt so much better than the elimination style. It was a gradual build up of excitement, rather than the explosive, ramshackle affair we have today. And as the races counted down, there was more natural feeling of pressure put on the teams saying "ok we only have 3 races left, we can't make any screw ups". Success should be rewarded for what you did in the previous races, not come down to a final showdown every single time. The more "game 7" moments we have, they feel less and less special. That's what made a season like 2011 so compelling to watch. You had two of the best drivers in the final 10 races duking out on the best 1.5 mile track on the schedule. That felt special, this year just felt like a fake, sorry attempt to try and get into the spotlight. This year won't even be remembered in the mainstream for Joey winning the title, it will be remembered for Chastain's martinsville move. I'm still angry that Harvick didn't win the title in 2020. And this is coming from a Chase Elliott fan. I was so happy for Larson to win the title last year, not because he won it, but just so that we could have a well deserved champion. This format will kill the sport, mark my words.

[@fa1509]

Cut the races to 26-30 a season so there’s no need for the playoffs . Rotate the tracks yearly. Remove stage cautions to have races finish quicker.

[@Ottos_ScLm_Race_videos_2009_on]

As a mostly exNASCAR fan because of the chase or playoff. Is as follows, a NASCAR race is a team all cars on track, NCAA is teams from all over, The NBA is teams from all over, NFL teams from all over, MLB is teams from all over. NHRA is still a car vs car. The other thing is just because a driver wins a race make it all on points. 10 bonus points plus the points you get you get per race.

[@RKMotorsports07]

Nascars biggest issue is comparing itself to a stick and ball sport.

[@teebob21]

7:33 *Brian France*: "The reason you feel that way...." *Me:* "Oh god here it comes!" *Brian France*: "...is because those are fair points." What a save!!!!!

[@mgnta1]

I actually really liked how honest and open Brian was in this interview. Like when Mike asked him about expanding the playoffs as a way to ensure stars got in and he said sure it was.

[@zerodos_02]

The biggest issue I have always had with the format change is that it drastically increases burnout. Emotional burnout, team burnout, driver burnout. All for the sake of dollars. You also water down those truly great moments because you manufactured a bunch of "wannabe" great moments. You want to know why everyone still points back to Atlanta 1992? It was a fairly unique, organic moment that has endured generations. The sport shined because it wasn't like every other sport and now with these changes, it proved that instead the sport started chasing everyone else to keep up instead of charting it's own path. Keep comparing to stick and ball sports is exactly what'd driven people off and it's disappointing to see Brian can't grasp why fans have an issue with it. And BTW, I'm a huge fan of a rotating finale. Find 3 or 4 tracks to rotate it in if we're hellbent on keeping the format.

[@wolverine9632]

As I like to say, NASCAR is a stickshift-and-balls sport, and should not be trying to emulate stick-and-ball sports.

[@musickmanful]

The chats with Briance France have to be the best coversations you have had. So Good.

[@hawk6dm7]

I hate the playoff system. Right now NHRA is one of the fastest growing racing sports there is. They still use the cumulative points system. This year Erica Enders was already the Pro Stock Champion going into the last race of the season. I didn't take away from the sport at all. What a cumulative points system does is to make sure everyone is on top of their game all season.

[@redeyeracing2]

The ticket price has to come down. To get butts in the seat. You create excitement fans in the stands

[@chadmcleish]

Also someone brought up TV money and that is a great point. The average American household pays probably $150-200/mo on TV cable/streaming. People aren't going to drop another $1,500 to go to a Nascar race (hotels, food, drinks, tickets, souvenirs). The record TV contracts may have been a golden dagger.

[@MJForever1999]

Brain had decent ideas, but appealing too much to casuals is what started the decline. The Chase was actually somewhat loved by fans until they kept adding spots, just like Jr said.

[@kylefunderburk4194]

The problem is that they didn't appeal to casuals, they insulted them. They assumed casual fans wouldn't understand or care to understand the nuances of the sport, so they tried to lure them in with shiny things, drama.

[@MJForever1999]

@@kylefunderburk4194 Yeah... Overhyping situations between drivers on pitroad. Fox and NBC do it every week and it's annoying

[@Bucketheadland1]

Excellent video 👊💪🏁

[@StoneXue]

france is wrong about the "course" changing and playing a role. In stick and ball sports the field may always be the same dimensionally but in the NFL for instance the turf will be different even if its all grass (which its not). The stadium will not always be the same and those things can change even from one week to the next in the atmosphere.

[@DevonMopiedmont1143]

Why compare to football. Every baseball diamond in the MLB is uniquely different. Baseball gave a minimum dimension and let every team run wild.

[@StoneXue]

@@DevonMopiedmont1143 Because I do not watch baseball so could not speak too it specifically. I do remember now that you bring them up that some parks are harder to hit homeruns in.

[@therealnynetynyne360]

Snow

[@skittlecar1]

And you don't have 32 teams playing at the same time.

[@mlwilliam213]

You can’t have a forty point lead with 30 seconds to go in football and lose because your qbs shoe came untied.

[@nathanb9614]

The Chase, later the Playoffs, took everything unique about NASCAR, and made it just like any other stick and ball sport. Now NASCAR is inseparable from all the gimmicks. Stages, playoff points, excessive road courses, ridiculous GWC finishes, cutoff races, manufactured excitement. I, along with many other fans, miss the days when we could just watch the best 43 drivers in the world race in a 36 round grind. The organic competition and excitement from those days of NASCAR will never be matched by today's made-for-TV drama.

[@MRosati5000]

The old way rewarded consistancy and good at all kind of tracks.. I don't like stages, but they sell more comercial's.

[@rob924egan2]

I heard they were going to implement the two minute warning clock next year!! Lmfao

[@CC.94]

Exactly. It was unique. And it wasn't for everybody. Nascar wasn't everyone's cup of tea. They should of been ok with that.

[@johnhaas2523]

@@rob924egan2 a little hard to do since NASCAR isn't a timed sport

[@CC.94]

@@johnhaas2523 it was a joke

[@jamesupton143]

NASCAR lost me as a fan when the playoff point system started. The reason I follow Jr is for the history and the glory days of stock car racing.

[@aldopine]

Me too. 👍

[@simracing4simpletons978]

Then why are you here?

[@GoodOlRoll]

@@simracing4simpletons978 because he follows Jr for the history and glory days of stock car racing obviously.

[@JMichaelWalker]

They could have accomplished the same thing if they just awarded a lot more points for a win and kept the season as it was.

[@SuperNoticer]

Brian keeps demonstrating how out of touch NASCAR leadership is, by continuously comparing racing to other sports and trying to be like them. And still talking about the mythical "casual fan". You'd think they would learn after almost 2 decades of decline, but no...they keep doubling down.

[@bullainsworth3130]

It’s simple. Race winner gets 100 points. 2nd gets 42, 3rd gets 41, and so on until you run out of points to award. Pole gets 5 bonus. Most laps led gets 5 bonus. No playoffs. Then you’ll have drivers hustling for those wins, you’ll have good racing, and the best performing driver/team will win the title.

[@markwilliams5606]

The point system is the Best. The most points wins. To many Politics. Bring back the First Race at Michigan. Thanks Dale for Speaking Up for the Fans. 🇺🇸🏁🐴

[@MRosati5000]

MIS is a horsepower track.. we love

[@anguscattle580]

I rarely ever missed watching or taping a race ... until the "playoffs" were introduced. Now I've lost interest in watching every lap and pit stop, and don't even recognize most of the drivers today. "Casual fandom" has brought NASCAR to the dark ages.

[@carolinaguy81]

The old format focused on the sport of racing. It's clear France and Nascar didn't care about the sport but cared about entertainment which hurt the sport significantly.

[@npm814]

Create household names? Hmm, Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon, etc are all household names. All pre chase.

[@troyskeese1503]

Did anyone else hear how many “I “ s is in his team ?

[@oneworldonegoal17]

Yikes Mike went there with the reason it expanded question from 10 to 12 to 16 ... But it is true it cut out big stars + especially one fella that we all love (👀 shout out to Junebug) but it while it had to increase to get the fans to accept it then - it might be better going back to 10 get in...agree w/June - it does show how hard it is to get sports to be successful on tv for the fans + to win one! 🏆 M in Miami : )

[@kylefunderburk4194]

I hate the expanded playoff, but I can't blame NASCAR. Like Brian France said, everybody is doing it. NFL, MLB and MLS have all expanded the playoffs in recent years and the NBA is probably going to soon as well.

[@trobbins88]

In my opinion, if NASCAR feels that they need "moments" or playoffs, they need to go the opposite direction of college football. Don't keep expanding the playoffs, shrink it down. Instead of 16 drivers, knock it down to 4 or 6 drivers and knock it down to 4 races at the end of the year and give the championship to the driver that has the best results over those 4 races. This could reward the drivers with the higher win totals by almost guaranteeing they run for a championship without being eliminated by a lower-tier team that lucked out and won a race in the beginning of the season. Instead of rewarding drivers that just squeak out a win, this could reward drivers who win week after week. Of course, I am from the thinking that NASCAR should abandon the "moments" strategy and go back to the old points systems determining the championship.

[@maxyearwood1085]

As fans, we don't give a rip if there is an attempt to imitate other sports. When you race during a season, every finish, every point counts. It is always very important to win or try to win every race entered. The whole new format, is no better than a Las Vegas roll of the dice. In the final races, you can be eliminated with 10 or 15 wins, if you have a bad day of mechanical issue. NASCAR has lost the true spectators from the past. They are totally wrong.

[@erikscherer22]

In the old format a driver could win 10 races but still not win the championship if they had mechanical issues. in 1996 Jeff Gordon win 10 races but finished 2nd in the points because he had a bunch of DNF's and bad finishes.

[@GoodOlRoll]

@@erikscherer22 and Terry Labonte had an 8.4 avg finish too

[@John-zh1ud]

You can't "make a moment" if you've diminished the significance of what the moment represents.

[@teranceparker4728]

So with about 20 different winners this year we might see 20 drivers and 3 new tracks to expand the playoffs for its 20th Anniversary in 2024.

[@jeffreyrussell8165]

I love the looks Dale Jr was giving him. You could tell that he doesn’t think too much of him haha

[@oldasgold]

When a teammate can change the outcome of a race, it takes the fairness of the sport and ruins it.

[@BA-xj9ew]

I think i understand Brian and his perspective now. Interesting guy.

[@PointNemo9]

Instead of making comparisons to one-on-one team sports how about comparing Nascar to other motorsport series?

[@kjprodouctions9050]

I am kne of the fans who loves the Chase format era from 2004-2013. I started watching Nascar in 2010 but got more into it in 2011 since the previous year I saw like 4 races. All of which were in the regular season. I also like the elimination style format from 2014 to today because it's exciting. But I like the original Chase better

[@jamieday6602]

If they want to make short track racing exciting! Do time trails, then heat races and a b- main! That would be great to me!

[@jeremywilliams82]

Agree 100 percent. Also i hated when nascar started locking in the field 10, 20, 30, 40 cars. I miss the days when Dale Sr would spin and mess up qualifying. He would then get in on a championship provisional. I understand what nascar is doing locking in cars because of sponsorship money. That's why I love dirt. You got to get up on the wheel and make the show.

[@anitagarrison6916]

As I said in an earlier comment, I rarely listen to the full podcast but I did this one. Though Brian skirted around different questions his philosophy (?? not sure that's the right term) on running NASCAR makes sense to me. Oh and don't @ me. We have our own opinions and this is mine.

[@ronw65]

Brian France talks a lot about building Nascar into major sport. No one ever addresses the fact that he was fed a major sport, with a silver spoon. His "leadership" is the reason that major sport is in decline!

[@LLAHTI1]

Fantastic interview you guys! So many questions in my mind were answered. I am a traditionalist also but this interview shed a lot more light into the reasons why they are where they’re at now. 👍👍👍👍👏

[@aviserig]

No it didn't! It was all the same BS talking points we've heard for the past 18 years.

[@LLAHTI1]

@@aviserig then I guess you were listening with you’re eyes wide closed !

[@aviserig]

@@LLAHTI1 no u

[@williamhodgden8970]

Brian France is one of the main reasons NASCAR is failing.

[@therealnynetynyne360]

You say one of but I'd be willing to bet all things wrong atm could be attributed to changes he was involved with making

[@williamhodgden8970]

@@therealnynetynyne360 for sure. He has got the mentality it's his way or nothing. And him being a idiot it always ends up destroying NASCAR. He gets mad when the drivers bash his decisions. He refuses to listen to the fans.

[@johnhaas2523]

Brian France is not even involved anymore

[@GoodOlRoll]

@@johnhaas2523 yet his changes are still in place.

[@Mike_GA]

He is THE reason.

[@jwrailve3615]

Remove win and your in. If you won the regular season championship you get either a bye round or automatic final 4, literally nobody who makes 16th to make “playoffs” literally don’t have the right to suddenly win the entire championship period. Top 10-12 guys tops make a playoff chase format, each person starts each round with more points than the next position, making it a little more secure based on consistency. There’s too many flaws with this system and nascar and neither do fans seem to even notice that we have 20-25% of each race under yellow, someone spun out in 35th on the backstretch and there’s zero debris? 10 Lap caution. A bag of Doritos was in the grass? 8-10 lap caution, blow tire? 8-10 lap caution. We gotta stop counting caution laps we lose so much of a races duration it’s ridiculous

[@johnhaas2523]

You need to go talk to Steve O'Donnell Steve Phelps and Ben Kennedy not Junior or Brian France Because Brian has nothing to do with NASCAR anymore

[@thomaslynch8489]

NASCAR used to be head and shoulders above other sports, then decided they needed to be like them. The playoffs are ridiculous as they stand. Which other sport has 16 teams in the playoffs but eliminates the 4th place team before it begins?

[@-BigMike-]

The simplicity of 1 point for each position, bonus points for laps lead and wins, GUARANTEES one of the top 2 cars all season will win the title. No stages, no point resets, no eliminations needed. It's not rocket science.

[@GingerMulletYT]

I wanna see a season long champion. End of story. They win it with a few races left in the season? Sweet. Every other driver is still fighting for points to finish 2nd on back AND still win races.

[@johnhaas2523]

Then you're a f****** fake fan if you do not like sports entertainment. No TV network is going to pay what they pay now if there's no excitement especially in the last 10 races. NASCAR is looking for 1B annually for next tv deal up for 8 something million

[@GingerMulletYT]

Sorry but I watched this a 2nd time, and it just pisses me off. Playoff format is absolutely terrible. Everything Brian brings up is such a slap to the face to the sport.

[@johnhaas2523]

@@GingerMulletYT Then like I said you don't believe in sports entertainment and you don't care what the future of NASCAR is financially

[@faisonpete]

The younger France family has inherited a sport with historically hundreds of millions of viewers. Who wants a sport where the champion can wreck his way to into it? I want dependability to be important and hokey promotion ended. The Champion should own the sport. Points are a thing of the past. With what we have today the greats will not all get credit for being number 1 which is an average of a lot of starts not just the last race. Racing never needed multiple car teams nor playoffs. What is bringing it down is it should be only as big as fan attendance and average performance. When fighting became more important than real racing the sport became a hokey sports entertainment. Then again what can you expect from a group that has the biggest "Great American Race" race be the first one of the season. When was the last time a great International Racer like Foyt, or Andretti, won the Daytona 500? Racing should not allow media to legislate outcomes of races and championships.

[@jeffsandy5088]

The most points at the end of the season should be the Champion. Go back to the point system!!!

[@psinclairjr]

Amen Jeff Sandy, Amen

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

That’s how it should be in every form of auto racing🏁

[@sebfettel]

Yes

[@mclendonracing8244]

And the team with the best record is the NFL Champion, no more Super Bowl.

[@duanebailey6253]

@@mclendonracing8244 the point is don't change something that isn't broken. The champship race will never be as big as Daytona unlike the superbowl that's an issue. It shows you can't just manufacture an event it needs to earn prestige over time.

[@HoosierRC]

I watch this and the only thing I’m thinking is, “this guy killed nascar” It’s unbelievable.

[@williamthompson9706]

Here are changes from a 50 year race fan.1) Have the championship race at a different race track every year.2) The last 4 drivers in the running for the championship start 1-4 in the last race. 3) Have the allstar race at the end of the season.4) Put a cap on the amount of money an organization can spend on a race team.5) Have 4-25 lap heat races,and a 200 lap event. 6)All tickets for an event not over $40.00.

[@davidford9619]

#2 Start the final four at the back and then let them go. #4 How do you police spending? Teams fudge to win on the track, so I would not expect anything from teams and/or sponsors related to integrity.

[@richard2720]

Yes except father Gibbs they all have special treatment. Just ask Gibbs or the front office

[@williamthompson9706]

@@davidford9619 one team one owner

[@7viewerlogic670]

1/2 truth about contenders "digging deeper" for last race and getting to the front. I believe other drivers stay out of the way because they know a few guys are going for the championship!

[@EclecticHillbilly]

I was a crew member back in the 70s........and if it came down to 2 drivers in the final race, drivers were told in the drivers' meeting, "We have 2 guys here today running for the championship. If you spin out one of them, you better hunt the other one down and spin him out, too".........Translation: Don't screw up the championship.

[@7viewerlogic670]

@@EclecticHillbilly 10-4

[@TheDeadman14]

When he said, "we can be any other motorsports league", seemed to forgotten now they've become any other stick & ball game. And if winning or driving for a title into victory lane already was exposed and shown that don't work in any system Playoffs or Winston Cup when Crafton won the title without winning a race anyway. As for also the "big moments" or even that game seven moments...those to me mean more if they're naturally built up and don't necessarily happen all the time. It makes more meaningful and helps the story for any organization to grow. This is all just my thoughts anyway.