By Keith Waltz NASCAR stock car racing entered a new era on Sept. 19, 2004, when New Hampshire Motor Speedway hosted the inaugural race in what is now known as the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Introduced in January 2004, the Chase concept was a revolutionary new method for determining the champion of NASCAR’s premier series. Previously, the title winner was determined by points over the course of the entire season. In this new playoff-style format, the top-10 drivers in points after the first 26 races earned a berth in the Chase. Their points were adjusted and those 10 drivers then…

By Jared Turner One race down, nine to go in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. With the Sprint Cup Series heading to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend on the heels of Sunday’s Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway, only one of the 16 Chase drivers – Martin Truex Jr. – can breathe completely easy. That’s because Truex, who won at Chicagoland, has already clinched an automatic berth in the next Chase round. The other 15 Chase drivers all still have work to do over the next two races in order to be among the 12 who advance and remain in…

By Jared Turner Chase Elliott Is Learning How To Handle Disappointment On previous occasions this season when Chase Elliott was in contention for a win, only to come up painfully short in the end, the rookie driver has been exceedingly hard on himself to the point of sulking during post-race interviews. But Sunday’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup opener at Chicagoland Speedway was a different story. Elliott, the second-generation driver who replaced Jeff Gordon this season in Hendrick Motorsports’ iconic No. 24 Chevrolet, was cruising to an almost certain victory when Michael McDowell’s tire failure brought out a caution flag with…

By Joseph Wolkin Richmond International Raceway President Dennis Bickmeier loves greeting fans who enter his ¾-mile facility. Indeed, he loves when the crowd roars when the green flag waves. For the man who runs the track, implementing new ideas is just a small step in achieving a greater goal. According to a lot of fans, the racing was better at Richmond this year. What do you feel like was the biggest difference maker? “I think it definitely has something to do with the package and the tires. I know everyone was really pleased with the tire Goodyear brought in April. We saw…