Ricky Craven said the new format implemented by NASCAR for the Sprint Cup Series last season was a success and he doesn’t look for any significant changes for 2015.
Kevin Harvick won his first championship by finishing ahead of the other three contenders in the final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Harvick won the EcoBoost 400, Ryan Newman was second, Denny Hamlin finished seventh and Joey Logano was 16th. They qualified for the title after the first nine Chase races.
“I thought the season played out very well,” said Craven, a Newburgh native who recently signed a multiyear contract to continue as a NASCAR analyst for ESPN. “Everywhere I went, there was a lot of curiosity about the new format. There was a lot of interest in it.”
For the first time, the 16 drivers who qualified for the 10-race Chase during the first 26 races were whittled down to four finalists. Four drivers were eliminated after each of three, three-race segments leading up to the final race.
Any driver who won a race during the Chase qualified for the next segment. The others were decided by points.
After the first 26 races, the top 15 drivers with wins automatically qualified for the Chase. The 16th spot went to the non-winning driver who was highest in points.
If there weren’t 15 drivers with wins, the final spots went to the highest in points.
“People who otherwise might not be interested in NASCAR were asking questions about it. That’s encouraging. That’s always healthy. It introduces new fans to the sport,” added Craven who won two Sprint Cup races during his 278-race career.
During the first 26 races, the winner of the race received 43 points and the runner-up earned 42, all the way down to one point for the last-place finisher.
“The only change I would make is I would award more points to the top five finishers to open up a gap,” Craven said. “The difference between first, second, third, fourth and fifth should weigh heavier than the difference between 17th and 18th.”
Had Newman finished higher than the other three without winning the race, he would have claimed the points title without winning any of the 36 races.
“That would have fostered a lot of discussion,” Craven said.
Brad Keselowski and Jeff Gordon were eliminated just prior to the final race and they had six and four wins, respectively. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson also had four wins and were ousted earlier in the Chase.
Harvick was a deserving winner, according to Craven. Harvick’s win at Homestead-Miami was his fifth of the season and came after he had won the previous race in Phoenix.
“His back was against the wall in Phoenix and he laid it all on the line (and won),” Craven said. “He was on the brink of elimination and, as he described it, he hit a ‘walk-off’ homer.
“In my mind, the right guy won the championship,” Craven said. “He led over 2,000 laps and the only other champion to lead over 2,000 laps was Jimmie Johnson in 2009.”
Elliott a driver to watch
Craven expects Chase Elliott, son of 1988 Sprint Cup champ Bill Elliott, to be the next young star in the Cup series. Elliott won the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship and Craven noted that his victory at Darlington was impressive.
“He drove like a 20-year veteran and he’s only 18. He did some remarkable things. That’s one of the toughest tracks [on the circuit],” Craven said.
Elliott turned 19 on Friday.
Patrick showing progress
Craven said Danica Patrick, who finished 28th in points but had three top-10 finishes, two more than the previous year, is showing progress.
“She has a really good understanding of the sport and she works pretty hard at it,” Craven said. “The most damaging aspect when it comes to evaluating a driver is if they keep making the same mistakes. She has done a good job in that respect.”
He said being on the same Stewart-Haas Racing Team with former Cup champs Harvick, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch “isn’t an enviable position to be in. But she puts a lot of effort into it and she’ll be rewarded for it.”
Theriault needs truck experience
Craven said he would like to see Fort Kent’s Austin Theriault, the 20-year-old who ran three Nationwide Races for JR Motorsports, land in the Camping World Truck series next season.
“It’s the most logical next step for him. It would expose him to the tracks in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series and the trucks are more comfortable and easier to adapts to than the Late Models,” said Craven. “He has all the tools. He has all the intangibles you look for. He works very hard at it and he is very presentable and well-spoken. He asks a lot of questions, he seeks advice, filters it and uses it.”