Changes needed for ‘Chase’

LOUDON, N.H. – Tony Stewart is on the other side looking in these days. He is nothing more than an also-ran.

The defending Nextel Cup points champion didn’t qualify for the Chase to the Championship this season and was asked about his mindset after Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Only the top 10 in points following the first 26 races qualify for the 10-race Chase and he was 11th.

“It isn’t fun. It’s such a tense deal racing around those 10 guys. You don’t want to make a mistake and jeopardize their [championship] chances like what happened to Jimmie [Johnson]. You don’t want to be the guy who makes something like that happen and cost somebody a chance to win the championship.”

Stewart said also-rans have been respectful to the Chase drivers the previous two years.

Johnson got wrecked early in the race and finished 39th overall. He is now 139 points behind leader and Sylvania 300 winner Kevin Harvick and no driver has ever overcome a deficit of 100 or more points to win the Chase.

The Nextel Cup points championship used to be decided on points accumulated over the 36-race schedule.

But when Matt Kenseth built a huge lead en route to his 2003 championship, he took all of the drama out of the final six or seven races and that hurt TV ratings.

So now just the top 10 in points after the first 26 races and anyone else within 400 points of the leader qualify for the Chase.

Their point totals are readjusted with five-point increments between each Chase driver.

Stewart suggested that there should have been a 200-mile race for the 33 drivers not involved in the chase and a 200-mile race for just the 10 Chase drivers.

The problem there is a 10-car race at NHIS would be a bore. Fans love wrecks and there wouldn’t be any.

NASCAR officials said they will tweak the system for next season but haven’t decided what changes will be made.

It does appear race winners will receive more points and that’s the way it should be.

Another suggestion is to have a separate points system for the Chase drivers so a driver who gets wrecked and finishes near the bottom isn’t eliminated.

But as one writer pointed out during a media center discussion, it isn’t fair because it doesn’t take into consideration the driver’s actual race finish.

He said the driver who finishes last among the Chase drivers and 17th overall should receive more points than the last Chase finisher who winds up 41st overall in a race.

Here is a solution.

The top finisher among the Chase drivers should receive 100 points and, if he wins the race, give him an extra 20 points.

Second among the Chase drivers earns 90 points, 80 for third, 60 for fourth, 50 for fifth and then five-point increments after that.

In addition, the Chase drivers receive points for their actual race finish.

If he wins the race, he earns 43 points. If he finishes second, he gets 42 points, etc…

So a Chase driver who winds up 17th overall would receive 27 points and the 41st-place finisher would earn three.

I also feel any driver who wins at least two races among the first 26 and who has qualified for at least 24 of the 26 race should earn a spot in the Chase.

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600 or by email at lmahoney@bangordailynews.net.