The Chase for the Championship format was such a hit in the Nextel Cup series that NASCAR might apply it to the Busch series in 2006. Busch series director Joe Balish, visiting Wednesday with champion driver Martin Truex Jr., said that while the old format will be used again next year, some form of the Chase is possible for the next season. “We don’t know if we would do the exact same thing or we would reinvent it for the Busch series,” Balish said before a luncheon at the Tampa Marriott Westshore. One obstacle to the Chase being adopted for Busch (and possibly the Craftsman Truck series) is NASCAR doesn’t want a Nextel Cup regular getting in by racking up enough points in a limited schedule. The feeling is that would unfairly divert attention (and earnings) from the Busch regulars. Balish hinted that a Chase format used in Busch might have a provision eliminating that possibility.(Tampa Tribue)(12-9-2004)
