|
the good, the bad, and the ugly of NASCAR |
<< HomeHave New Articles E-Mailed To You!
Chase Proposals
Monday, October 16, 2006
By Heather Pohlabel
It is no secret that NASCAR has been looking for a better points system both prior to and during the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Whether it be to allow more drivers in, to make it more competitive for the ones who are already there, to be more "fair", or to make it more difficult, NASCAR has had its hands full trying to come up with some solutions that will make more people happy and that will also keep the Chase the elite fight for the championship that they intended it to be.
The way the Chase is currently laid out, a driver can be in contention for the championship and not have won a single race all year (Mark Martin, for example, would be that guy this year. Before the Lowe's race on Saturday night, he had zero wins and was second in championship points.). For some reason, that doesn't seem quite right or quite fair. Then you have guys who have won multiple races, Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson, for example, who are IN the Chase, but just barely, and due to their points, they are both trailing the non winning Mark Martin in points. Last year, Jeff Gordon, one of the sports favorite all time racers, won three races, but did not make the Chase.
Currently, there is a four hundred point margin between the points leader and anyone outside of the top ten, meaning a driver has to have within four hundred points of the points leader to qualify for the Chase. If there were two drivers tied with an equal amount at the tenth spot, both of them would be allowed to race in the Chase, making eleven drivers eligible. Two tied racers above tenth would not open the field to an eleventh car. This is how it the points system currently operates.
Tony Stewart, two-time NEXTEL Cup champion, did not make the Chase this year, being passed, but just narrowly, by Kasey Kahne for the tenth spot. Stewart, being the outspoken guy that he is, is only but one of the drivers calling for a new points system, at least within the Chase, if not leading up to it. Stewart has suggested holding different races - one for the Cup chasers, say, a two hundred-lap race, and one for the non-Cup chasers, also a two hundred-lap race. This idea didn't go very far. Ten cars on the field are no way near as exciting as forty-three!
One proposal is to widen the gap between the points leader and the points allowed below that to qualify, to say, five hundred points. This could allow twelve or even fifteen drivers in on the Chase. This would have ensured Tony Stewart a spot this year. But, is twelve to fifteen racers that too many to let in? One or two drivers may not affect the Chase too much, but five extra drivers would certainly stir things up a bit. Some believe that ten is the magic number because it allows for a more "elite" driving squad battling for the Cup. Allowing less than the best of the season to participate would make it not as big of a deal as NASCAR would like for it to be.
Another proposal calls for a points system within a system. Chase drivers would be scored differently than non-chase drivers, on a points scale. The highest placing driver would get more points and the lowest placing driver would get fewer points. The points could even be set, like top driver receives ten points and lowest placing driver receives one point. There would be points available for poles, leading, and most laps led, as there currently are. Surely some racers would dominate here, but good driving would be rewarded more so than it currently is.
It just seems like a travesty that a first or second place finish, say, at Lowe's, the fourth race of the Chase, really didn't help Kasey Kahne or Jimmie Johnson much in points. They did not gain much in positions, and Johnson only gained ten points overall for his effort. It doesn't seem right.
Hopefully NASCAR will weigh all of the options carefully and come out with something better than the current system. The fans would definitely like to see the elite force running for the championship, but would also like to see deserving drivers, not points manipulators, win a championship!
6:16 PM Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home
Archives: