Dale Earnhardt won the pole in 1996 at Watkins Glen despite a dislocated sternum that made it difficult for him to breathe or raise his arms. Drivers with championship aspirations in NASCAR's top division have long pushed themselves through tremendous physical adversity, knowing that skipping even a single points event would mean the end of their title hopes. Now that era is over, thanks to one caveat of the revamped Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format unveiled Thursday. "Yes, it is a major change," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president for competition. More...