Why NASCAR drivers keep fighting each other this season

If you don’t typically watch NASCAR, you’re probably wondering “What’s up with those drivers fighting all the time lately? Why are they doing that?”
Well, non-NASCAR fan, it’s a great question! And there’s an easy answer: It’s because
of NASCAR’s new playoff format.
After last season’s “Chase for the Sprint Cup” (that’s the name of NASCAR’s playoffs), officials decided to change things up. In the past, whoever had the most points (best finishes) in the last 10 races won the championship. That’s it.
But that wasn’t always interesting, because a driver could run away with the title and there wasn’t much drama. And NASCAR likes drama.
Officials wanted a more entertaining format – how else are you going to get viewers while going up against the NFL on Sundays? — so they totally changed how the title is decided. There are still 10 races, but the playoff is divided up into three-race rounds with an elimination at the end of each one, topped off by a four-driver championship race (Nov. 16).
A driver can still get into the next round based on points, but there’s a twist: If you win any race in a round, you’re safe from elimination and automatically advance.
Like any reality show with eliminations – Survivor, Big Brother, The Bachelor – the contestants tend to scramble more when faced with getting cut. There’s just so much more on the line in a perform-or-go-home situation, and NASCAR has that now.
That intensity has made the drivers race harder. In the previous format, they might say, “Eh, maybe I shouldn’t stick my car in that dicey situation because what’s the difference between fourth place and third place? I’m cool right here.”
But now a win is like a golden ticket. So instead of settling for a spot – especially when it comes to going for the win — drivers are getting more aggressive.
That’s what happened on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, which sparked the second fight in a month (the first was between Keselowski and Denny Hamlin). Scrappy 30-year-old Brad Keselowski saw a hole between race leaders Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon late in the race and went for it, but ended up colliding with Gordon.
The contact made Gordon’s tire go flat, which ruined his day and really hurt him in the Chase standings. Naturally, Gordon vowed to beat the stuffing out of Keselowski, and he tried to do so after the race.
That might not be the last fight of the year, either. Next week’s race at Phoenix International Raceway is the final event before the championship race, so four of the eight remaining drivers will get cut.
None of them are safe yet for the finale, so they’re going to be extremely pissed if someone takes them out – whether on purpose or not.
So the next time you see a NASCAR fight on TV and wonder what it’s all about, it’s a good bet it might have something to do with the playoffs.