In 2014, NASCAR embraced a contagious craze when it tweaked its playoffs, a system that had already endured more facelifts than Cher.
NASCAR seemed then to recognize the mass appeal of people being eliminated, something that had become a staple of prime-time TV.
We all grew up playing musical chairs, a game in which one poor soul gets the boot every time the music halts. Then many became mesmerized by the talent/reality shows that found people voted off an island, not getting a rose or being jettisoned by a judge with a heart the size of a Honey Nut Cheerio.
The Cup Series’ version of “get off the island” or “no rose for you” comes into play Sunday at Dover International Speedway, that steep-sided concrete monster tucked in behind a strip mall and an Applebee’s alongside Highway 13 in the lower neck of Delaware.
NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne, right, talks with a member of his race crew last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Kahne is 16th (last) in the Cup Series playoffs points standings with four drivers set to be eliminated after Sunday’s race at Dover International Speedway.
After the race, four drivers will be eliminated from the playoffs, setting up the Round of 12. After three more races, four more will be gone. Then will come another three-race segment that leaves four eligible contenders for the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.