>>>If you aren't going to reward quick and efficient racing on the final leg when teams were equalized right before the last pit stop what the heck is the point of the race? Seriously. It shouldn't be about luck (which is essentially what happened), it should be about who is the best racer.<<<

I agree with you somewhat on the bunching. It does seem to defeat the purpose of the game many times. However, there does have to be some compensation for LUCK or lack there of. What if a team cruised way ahead because they got really lucky or the next few teams got very unlucky. Meaning that circumstances out of their control came into play and not because of bad decisions or bad game strategy. By bunching, the luck factor can be kept in check to some degree. It would also be a pretty boring game if one team got way ahead, by days ,of the rest, or if the teams got way spread out. Where would the competition factor come in then. The same team would come in first for all the legs, win all the prizes and it would just be boring. It's just more entertaining to watch them compete against each other in close proximity.

If U/J hadn't had a flat tire (bad luck, not of their doing) they would have come in first for that leg and R/A would be the ones to benefit from the bunching.

I kind of like the bunching because it does give chances to those who might have had a string of bad luck to stay in the game.

Also, if one of the parts/rules of the game is bunching then the good game player has to also incorporate that as a factor in their strategy. It's part of the game.