NASCAR Points System Changed

I love this new points system...it places a premium on winning; that's what competition is about. No more playing it safe and settling for a top-5 finish.


From USA Today:

NASCAR widens Chase field, adds weight to wins

By Seth Livingstone and Nate Ryan, USA TODAY

CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR has determined that if its Chase for the Nextel Cup format is good, then more must be better.

In tweaking its system to determine its champion, stock car racing's governing body announced Monday that there will be two more drivers in the Chase in 2007 along with an increased emphasis on winning.

"The key thing is this intersection between winning and consistency," NASCAR CEO Brian France said. "In our sport, I don't like it and no one likes it when a driver gets out of his car and says, 'I'm happy with that eighth-place finish.' No one in NASCAR thinks that's a neat thing to hear. ... We want to emphasize winning. Winning is what this sport is all about."

To accomplish that, NASCAR will award race winners an additional five points. It also will take the top 12 drivers after the season's first 26 races and re-seed them for the 10-race run to the championship. Each qualifying driver will start with 5,000 points and receive an additional 10 points for each victory accumulated in the first 26 races.

Under the revised system, Tony Stewart, who stood 11th in points and failed to qualify for the Chase in 2006, would not only make the field but be seeded fifth. Kasey Kahne, who qualified 10th, would have earned the top seed thanks to five victories.

The new system eliminates the 400-point rule that called for drivers outside the top 10 to qualify for the Chase if they were within 400 points of the leader. That rule never came into play during the 2004-06 points format.

NASCAR did not feel a need to drastically overhaul a system France said "re-energized" the sport. "I'm sure some will think we took it too far and some will say not far enough."

The Chase was installed in 2004 to prevent one driver from running away with the title. "The Chase has been successful because it has done what it was designed to do — give more drivers an opportunity to win the championship," France said. "A good thing is about to get better.

"In 2004 when we unveiled the Chase, we said we would keep a close eye on it and make adjustments if needed. We have done that, and we feel like the sport ... will benefit."

"It's not going to make that big a difference," said Mark Martin, who qualified for the first three Chases. "I like the number 10. In 2006, when you look at first, second and third (from 2005) not making it, I think that showed how exclusive the deal was. (But) if it continues to be incredibly exclusive, the group could be 15."

Carl Edwards, a teammate of Martin last season, failed to qualify for the Chase but finished the season 12th.

"They made the discrepancy between a great day and a good day a little bit bigger," said Edwards, who was testing his Busch Series car at Daytona International Speedway. "But a bad day is still such a hit in the points. To address that, they have two more cars in the Chase, so you could have more bad days and still make it."

Team owner Richard Childress was pleased. "I'm happy to see NASCAR increase the points for winning a race," he said. "After all, winning is what this sport is all about."

From a business standpoint, Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage took a wait-and-see attitude. "Will it help us at the gate? Time will only tell," he said.

"But if No. 11 and No. 12 are Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon— or in last year's case, two-time series champ Tony Stewart— obviously the answer is a definite yes."

But Gossage also cautioned: "Long term, NASCAR has to make sure that they don't go too far and water down the playoff field like we have seen in other sports."

I agree .I applaud them for constanly tweaking the system to make things more competitive. NCAAF should begin taking notes for thier season.

TOYOTA huge wild card this year.These MFs are throwing mad cash to get things going ASAP.Wouldnt be surprised to see them win a race or two this year.

Nice move like it

it about time and 20 years overdue....ck

It still should be more for a win. I would give 200 or 225 for a win, with second getting 175 then, and so on.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>NASCAR revamps All-Star race</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER type="block" height="1" width="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By JENNA FRYER, AP Auto Racing Writer

January 23, 2007

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR made another slight adjustment Tuesday, revamping the format of its annual All-Star event to add at least one more driver.

The Nextel All-Star Challenge will now be run in four 20-lap segments with an expanded field.
The announcement came one day after NASCAR tinkered with its title-deciding Chase for the championship system.
``The changes to the Chase, as well as the All-Star event, were a collaborative effort that we put forth to make it easier for the fans to understand,'' said Steve O'Donnell, vice president of NASCAR's racing operations.
``We know that's going to take some time, as with any change takes some time. But we believe both decisions are headed in the right direction and will make the sport more exciting.''
The All-Star event, held annually at Lowe's Motor Speedway, will now be a total of 80 laps with breaks between each segment. There will be an optional pit stop after the first segment, and a 10-minute break after the second segment in which teams will be allowed to work on their cars.
There will be a mandatory pit stop after the third segment, setting up one final 20-lap dash to the $1 million grand prize.
The All-Star race is only open to drivers who have won races in the current and preceding year, past All-Star race winners, Cup champions from the last 10 years and the winner of the Nextel Open, a qualifying event held before the main race.
Now, the field has been expanded to include both the first- and second-place finishers of the Nextel Open, as well as one driver voted in by the fans.
NASCAR also changed the procedure of its Pit Crew Challenge, which will now be seeded similarly to the way the NCAA tournament field is set. Crews will be seeded based on their 2006 season standings, and the top eight teams will have a bye in the first round.
As the competition advances, the final eight teams will be able to choose their opponent for the next round in order of seeding. The final results will be used to set the pit selection order for the All-Star race.
NASCAR, Lowe's officials and Nextel have always been looking at ways to keep the All-Star event fresh. Now that the Hall of Fame is coming to Charlotte, NASCAR is likely looking to tie the race into either induction ceremonies or other Hall events to turn the weekend into a major event -- much like the NBA All-Star game. The race has been tweaked over the years, and most recently was a 90-lap event that started with a 40-lap segment, followed by a 10-minute break in which teams were allowed to work on their cars. That was followed by a 30-lap run, a yellow-flag pit stop, and a final 20-lap dash for the cash. The field was also inverted during one of the segments, with the fans voting to decide on how many cars to switch. The inversion has now been eliminated.
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