NASCAR change is wise move

NASCAR has revamped its points system this season and it’s an improvement.

In case you missed it, the top 12 drivers in points after the 26-race “regular season” will qualify for the 10-race “playoff” Chase for the Championship. It used to be the top 10 in points and anyone else within 400 points of the leader.

NASCAR has also put added emphasis on winning.

This year, the race winner will earn five extra points and the seeding for the Chase drivers will be based on wins.

The 12 Chase qualifiers will receive 5,000 points to start the Chase and for every win they amassed during the 26-race regular season, they will earn 10 bonus points.

For example, a driver who won four races will begin the chase with 5,040 points.

The Chase drivers who didn’t win a race will be seeded based on total points accrued during the 26-race regular season even though they will each start with 5,000 points.

So, if qualifying is rained out for the first race of the Chase, the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway on Sept. 16, the starting grid will be based on the revamped points system for the Chase qualifiers.

And qualifiers who hadn’t won and didn’t receive bonus points will be placed into the starting grid based on the points accrued during the first 26 races.

The one problem I see with the new system, which probably won’t be considered a problem at all in the eyes of NASCAR, is it could lead to some nasty finishes.

What I have never understood is why do drivers who deliberately spin out competitors in the early or middle stages of a race get penalized (i.e. black-flagged) but they never get penalized if they do the same thing in the final laps race?

The unwritten rule of NASCAR seems to be if you are racing for a win on the last few laps and you bump somebody out of the way, that’s OK.

Granted, sometimes the leader is doing nothing more than blocking his pursuers. Blocking is supposedly a no-no in NASCAR (insert laugh here).

If the leader is judged to be blocking, I suppose they should allow the pursuers to nudge him out of the way.

But if it is ruled that he isn’t blocking, the driver who spins him out of contention should be black-flagged.

Of course, the bottom line is filling the grandstands and improving the TV ratings and there’s nothing like a little controversy or some helmet-throwing, finger-pointing or pit- row scuffles to generate interest.

The idea of upping the reward for race winners is the right one.

After all, 43 drivers start every race and I would guess any one of 20-25 could win.

There are field-fillers who just don’t have the resources that the other teams have and just earning a spot in the field is a noteworthy accomplishment.

It is very difficult to win a Nextel Cup race. There are so many variables you can’t control on race day (i.e., wrecks, engine failure, flat tires).

Early indications are that there may be more cars trying to qualify than ever and 10 or more could be sent home.

In recent years, there have only been three to six that have failed to qualify and gone home.

The fun gets under way on Sunday with the Daytona 500. ESPN has come on board and it will be interesting to see what knew wrinkles it will bring to its broadcasts.

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