NASCAR extends Chase format to Xfinity, Truck series

When NASCAR’s three touring series descend upon Texas Motor Speedway in November, the Chase truly will be running on all cylinders.

The elimination-style format that crowned Kyle Busch as 2015 Sprint Cup champion will be extended with tweaks to the Xfinity and Camping World Truck series this season, one of several innovations addressed by NASCAR Chairman/CEO Brian France on Tuesday at the start of the 34th annual Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour.

“A lot of people thought that an elimination-style format in motorsports wasn’t possible and it wouldn’t work properly,” France said during his State of the Sport address in the NASCAR Hall of Fame Theater. “The reality is it’s not only possible, it’s the way to crown the champion in the most exciting form of motorsports — and there’s no question about that. Our fans have rallied around the format. Our drivers, our teams have done that.”

Kyle Busch, of Joe Gibbs Racing, emerged from the 10-race Chase as a first-time Cup champ at Homestead-Miami Speedway from a “Final Four” including four-time series champion Jeff Gordon in his last full-time start. France noted that NBC’s telecast generated the highest season-finale viewership for NASCAR in nearly a decade along with record traffic on NASCAR.com and social media — all key elements to attracting a younger demographic.

The Xfinity Series Chase will feature 12 drivers beginning at Kentucky Speedway on Sept. 24, with eliminations taking place over three rounds in the season’s final seven races. The O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at TMS on Nov. 5 is included in the Round of 8, between Kansas Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.

The Truck Series Chase begins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 24, featuring a three-round elimination among eight drivers over the final seven events. The Longhorn 350 at TMS on Nov. 4 is in the Round of 6 between Martinsville Speedway and PIR. Both new Chases will conclude with a Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

France hints at charter system

NASCAR’s long flirtation with a charter system for team owners is nearing completion, although France was vague on details.

“There has been a lot of talk about a new charter system for team owners and how that can work to make a team ownership model better,” France said. “I’m very optimistic that we’re going to get that new ownership structure completed … and that will be historic for us, too. We’ll make the racing better in the long run and secure the ownership experience for the future.”

Trucks on the clock

The Truck series will implement a caution clock this season. Basically, a clock will begin counting down from 20 minutes at the start of each green flag, and should a caution flag not fly before it hits zero, a competition caution flag will be used to reset the field and allow teams to hit the pits.

“We think this is going to add to the strategy in the race,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “That is an area where some of our younger drivers, younger teams, newer teams, can really use the competition caution to adjust the truck. We think that is going to be huge for the teams.”

TMS will conduct three Chase events Nov. 4-6 during its AAA Texas 500 weekend.

“The Chase adds intense pressure and helps you see who has the heart of the champion,” TMS president Eddie Gossage said. “Other times we find out who has a spaghetti backbone.”

Briefly

JGR crew swap: Dave Rogers has moved from crew chief for Denny Hamlin to crew chief for Carl Edwards, and Mike Wheeler was promoted from the Xfinity Series to replace Rogers. Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth’s teams were left intact.

Martin Truex Jr.: Furniture Row Racing has signed a sponsorship agreement with Bass Pro Shops for Truex. The sponsorship is for nine races this season and includes the season-opening Daytona 500.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 9:13 PM with the headline "NASCAR extends Chase format to Xfinity, Truck series."