Importance of winning brought back
Could racing for the NASCAR Championship be a major factor in the way races are run today? I think so.
It seems the old days of clashes on the track and in the pits are long gone as evidenced by the lackluster performances so far this year. Winning the race does not seem to be a priority as much as getting as many points as possible without jeopardizing your standing in the championship race.
Of course the huge sum of money given to the champion at the end of the year could be a motivating factor. Last year, Jimmy Johnson took home over $6 million for winning the championship. Matt Kenseth, who finished second in the Chase, received less than $3 million.
NASCAR has adjusted the Chase? format and points system this year to emphasize victories. The adjustments are designed to establish more balance between winning and consistency, but with a greater emphasis on winning.
?The adjustments taken today put a greater emphasis on winning races,? said NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France. ?Winning is what this sport is all about. Nobody likes to see drivers content to finish in the top 10. We want our sport ? especially during the Chase ? to be more about winning.?
The Chase ? consisting of the season?s last 10 races ? will further reflect the importance of racing to win, via a variety of adjustments. After Race 26, the top 12 drivers in the points will qualify for the Chase.
? All 12 drivers will have their point totals re-set to 5,000. Each will then receive a 10-point bonus for each race victory they had during the first 26 races.
? The Chase drivers will be ?seeded? to start the Chase based on the number of wins amassed during the regular season.
In line with the Chase adjustments, wins throughout the season will be more valuable. Race winners throughout the 36-race season will now receive 185 points, a five-point increase. Five-point bonuses are also awarded for leading at least one lap and for leading the most laps during a race.
The winner of a race receives 180 points while the second-place finisher receives 170 points. I would like to see a difference of at least 50 points between first and second place. That may provide race fans with some interesting finishes.
An interesting stat for this week is that the driver who won the eighth race of the season in 1957, 1977, 1987 and 1997 all went on to win the championships in those years ending in 7s. Those champions were, in order, Buck Baker, Cale Yarborough, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. It didn?t work in 1967, when David Pearson won the eighth race but Richard Petty won the championship.
Following the tragedy of Monday?s shootings at Virginia Tech, NASCAR has received permission to place the school?s logo on race cars for the next three weeks in a tribute to the victims. The logo will be displayed against a black background on the ?B-post? ? the area just to the right of the driver?s side window net ? of cars competing in Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series events at Phoenix, Talladega (April 28-29) and Richmond (May 4-5). Additionally, trucks competing in the Craftsman Truck Series event April 28 at Kansas Speedway also will display the logo.
Art Larson Sr., has followed racing for over 40 years. He can be reached at [email protected].