New Points system is offcial

[CrewChief]

NASCAR this season will significantly change the way it determines the champion of its Nextel Cup series, marking the first major change to its points system since 1975. Jim Hunter, NASCAR's vice president of corportate communications, confirmed Thursday several changes to the current system. Among them:
• Every race winner in each of the three national series - Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck - will receive a points bonus for a race win.
• The Cup series will adopt a version of a "playoff format" - first discussed at the end of last season - that will encompass the final 10 races of the season. That system will be used to determine the series champion.
• NASCAR will continue with its current policy of not awarding any points in any of its series for qualifying.
• In order to accommodate any potential injuries to drivers who may be fighting for a championship, NASCAR will continue to award both car owner and driver points, allowing for the possibility of split championships.
• NASCAR is considering increasing the minimum speed requirements to reduce the number of damaged vehicles that remain in races after accidents.
The final details remain to be decided, but the entire plan should be ready for a formal announcement within two weeks, likely during the Charlotte media tour, Hunter said

Taken from Jayski

[$noopy]

Originally posted by CrewChief
[B]NASCAR this season will significantly change the way it determines the champion of its Nextel Cup series, marking the first major change to its points system since 1975. Jim Hunter, NASCAR's vice president of corportate communications, confirmed Thursday several changes to the current system. Among them:

• The Cup series will adopt a version of a "playoff format" - first discussed at the end of last season - that will encompass the final 10 races of the season. That system will be used to determine the series champion.
•
The final details remain to be decided, but the entire plan should be ready for a formal announcement within two weeks, likely during the Charlotte media tour, Hunter said

Taken from Jayski

YUK!!!!!

[dirtshoe99]

That really is a huge change and I cannot believe they did it, but nothing surprises me anymore about NASCAR.

What a strange thing to do....

[dog-ring]

Time will tell I guess...............

[dironstarr]

Once the fans polls showed that fans were 80% against it, I knew it was gonna happen. For some reason, NASCAR does not listen to it's fans.

At least the defending champion and it's most popular driver spoke against it, instead of spouting the suportive PR junk.

This really takes some of my enthusiasm out of the season.

That list of last 10 races really sucks to determine a champion.

[mnkywrch]

They're kidding, right?

What was so wrong with just giving the winner of each race some more points - and being done with it?

It needed tinkering, not being put out of its misery.

[dog-ring]

So basically after 26 races if your not in the top ten then you and your sponsor have no chance of winning the Nextel Cup? I know it would be a remote possibility but I'd hate to tell my sponsor after 26 races " Oh well, wait till next year "

[superstar]

tell me the last time a driver out of the top ten with ten races to go that has gotten anywhere close to the championship

its never happened!

you guys are crying about something that will actually increase the on track competition

[shutterbug]

Just curious when are they going to start calling Brian the idiot grandson?

[dog-ring]

Originally posted by superstar
tell me the last time a driver out of the top ten with ten races to go that has gotten anywhere close to the championship

its never happened!

you guys are crying about something that will actually increase the on track competition

oh..............ok

[j.d.c]

Originally posted by shutterbug
Just curious when are they going to start calling Brian the idiot grandson?

This is great!!!

[dog-ring]

Originally posted by shutterbug
Just curious when are they going to start calling Brian the idiot grandson?

it's already started.............

[frodo13]

Is this what they mean by" theblind talking to the deaf?

[Murffee]

dironstarr has it right. Oh so right.

What was so different about this last season that made them decide to change something? Matt Earned a huge lead during the season because he ran well everywhere! The end result of the season was a difference of just 90 pts of over 5000+. Not an out of the ordinary season. The drivers have said they do not like it, the fans overwhelmingly have said they dont like it, what in the heck were they thinking in tweaking the system THAT much??? IMO doing nothing was just fine and warranted. If tweaking the system was necessary at all lets then just reward the winner not 5 bonus pts but maybe 25 bonus pts. That way consistancy is rewarded along with a greater emphasis on winning with a reward that mirrors that emphasis.

I can tell you what, right now I have half the excitment about the upcoming season that I usually have this time of year. I might as well start watching some golf or tennis instead. JK )

[HendrikGerhardt]

Seems like NBC thought they needed something extra to compete with the NFL. Might turn out to work well for the business, but bad decision sports-wise IMHO.

Anyway, it won't be too much of a difference for the fan. A driver outside the top-10 with 10 races left would hardly win the title under the traditional system. All it really does is equaling the points of the top-10 after 26 races.

[diftw]

Originally posted by superstar
tell me the last time a driver out of the top ten with ten races to go that has gotten anywhere close to the championship

its never happened!

you guys are crying about something that will actually increase the on track competition

With the system used up to now, it was impossible. What I would like to see them do is to give the winner at least a 50 point bonus for a win, stop paying points from 30th place on down and penalize anyone taking a provisional with a 20% reduction in points earned for that race. Getting rid of provisionals all together would be wonderful but it will never happen.

Dave

[CrewChief]

Who wants to make a bet that if Earnhardt Jr dominates the season winning say 10 races in the 1st 27, has a huge points lead and then cools off in the final 10 races and finishes 7th in the final 10 race shootout that the points structure will be changed again the next year ?

[tnindyman]

Although not probable, but possible, someone could actually score enough points in first 26 to have clinched championship (under old system), then could end up 10th at end of season?

Tom Eidemiller

[IndyJim]

So for the last 10 races does everyone in the top 10 at that time start with a clean slate?

I like the idea of reducing a percentage of points given to a driver who takes a provisional to get in the show.

Sounds like a huge over reaction to me, when some slight tweaking, giving the winner more points, would have solved the issue without changing everything.

[CrewChief]

Now Jayski is reporting that they may tweak the playoff system more then what was first reported. They are considering taking all drivers within 400 points with a minimum of 10. In other words if 13 guys are within 400 points all go to the playoff, if only 7 are they still take the top 10. Also is some sort of seeding where the guy who finished first in the first 26 races gets 100% of the points he earns, the second seed gets a lower percentage and so on.

This is about the craziest idea NASCAR has ever had.

[rev-ed]

How is it we get a playoff in NASCAR and not in College Football?

[crashcoursed]

Personally I hope the Nascar has a guy clinch it after 8 or 9 out of the 10 "playoff races" and if they would have let it alone it would have been like a normal year where it goes down to the wire. matt clinching is something that happens only 1 out of 5 years otherwise it goes down to the wire.

sure would peeve me off if i would have won under the old system but some rookie who gets in the top 10 his first year somehow gets hot and wins it all in the playoffs


The term for the series is " Nascar ". Please refrain from using derogatory terms.

[Mazzacane]

Now all that drivers have to do in first 26 races is try to stay in top 10 or be at least 400 points behind the leader who won't really care about his place in the standings in races 23-26.
I would be better to have season split in 3 parts. top 20 after first 12 races would continue battle for NC. Then after 24 races top 10 will continue battle in last 12 races.

[IndyIRLman]

Originally posted by mnkywrch
They're kidding, right?

What was so wrong with just giving the winner of each race some more points - and being done with it?

It needed tinkering, not being put out of its misery.

Absolutely

[fivehundred2go]

Originally posted by CrewChief
• The Cup series will adopt a version of a "playoff format" - first discussed at the end of last season - that will encompass the final 10 races of the season. That system will be used to determine the series champion.
Taken from Jayski

My question - If a team has a driver who did not make the "10," will owners start looking for replacement "rookies" trying out for the next season? Could there be "unknown" drivers on the track "playing" with the big boys as they try for a title?

Second question - coud some owners who are now just religated as field fillers just choose to not show up until the next Feburary race - maybe leaving "short fields" for the final ten races?

I just wonder what the fallout might be - positive or negative.

[HendrikGerhardt]

Originally posted by fivehundred2go
My question - If a team has a driver who did not make the "10," will owners start looking for replacement "rookies" trying out for the next season? Could there be "unknown" drivers on the track "playing" with the big boys as they try for a title?

Nope. The driver with the most points at the end of the season will be 11th in the final standings.

Originally posted by fivehundred2go
Second question - coud some owners who are now just religated as field fillers just choose to not show up until the next Feburary race - maybe leaving "short fields" for the final ten races?

Nope. They will go for prize money, points, end of season prize money, and first and foremost, race wins.

So, at the end, pretty much nothing changes.

[crashcoursed]

something that also could happen--you have a much better chance of reverting to formula 1 where a tony stewart is behind in the points in the 10th race of the playoffs. he needs 10 or 15 points to catch dale jr. who was leading but is 4th in the last race. bobby labonte is leading the race. do team orders come in

i think its much more likely in a 10 race shootout where teams should be closer then over 36 races

[Bill Wicker]

WWF

[StatMan]

Wow another original NASCAR and WWF comparison. I don't like all the aspects of the "playoff" either, but the "playoff" is nothing like the WWF.

I mainly think there should be some advantage to being in 1st place over being in 10th place. For example, in an ordinary sport-with-a-ball playoffs, just like the NASCAR system, the records/points are all reset after the regular season. But in the other sport its still better to be a higher seed because you get home field advantage and get to start off playing weaker opponents. You can't give weaker opponents or home field advantage in auto racing though.

[HendrikGerhardt]

I understand the driver in 1st after 26 races will start the playoffs with 100 points or something like that, with fewer points down to 10th...