I've found that explaining the way the Nascar format works to outsiders is a bit of a double edged sword. People understand play-off rounds, but not everyone nowadays has the attention span to follow a season-long marathon in order to see how well you stack up. Ironically, the old Winston Cup era system where the points leader won the championship was not always the most exciting for casuals to see, it was the easiest to explain. Perhaps how well you do during the regular season could be equated to home field advantage and where you rank in your division in other stick and ball sports. - And this coming from someone who believes motorsport is unique, and who likes long drawn out events with games of chess.
I've found that explaining the way the Nascar format works to outsiders is a bit of a double edged sword. People understand play-off rounds, but not everyone nowadays has the attention span to follow a season-long marathon in order to see how well you stack up. Ironically, the old Winston Cup era system where the points leader won the championship was not always the most exciting for casuals to see, it was the easiest to explain. Perhaps how well you do during the regular season could be equated to home field advantage and where you rank in your division in other stick and ball sports. - And this coming from someone who believes motorsport is unique, and who likes long drawn out events with games of chess.