Understanding the New Nascar "Chase"

In 2004, the world of Nascar was turned on its head by the implementation of a new points system, creatively coined "The Chase for the Nextel Cup." Some people loved it, some people hated it, but everyone got used to it after a few seasons.

And now, it has changed again.

Bill France, Nascar's CEO, announced that several major changes to the points system would be introduced in the 2007 Nextel Cup season. For fans still shaking their heads at Tony Stewart's spectacular five win 11^th place finish in 2006, here's a guide to the new system (which, for those who are curious, would have included Mr. Stewart, who would have climbed fences all the way to 2^nd place.)

In the old format, the Chase (the final ten races of the Nextel Cup season) included the top ten drivers from the regular season and any competitors within 400 points of the leader. After the field for the Chase had been set, the eligible drivers were given more points to separate them from the rest of the drivers competing in the final races. The driver in 1^st place going into the Chase had his points total adjusted to 5050 points, the driver in 2^nd place was adjusted to 5045, and the driver in 3^rd place was adjusted to 5040 and so on. The final ten races of the season were conducted as usual and the Nextel Cup champion was crowned at Homestead.

This year, Mr. France and company have decided to make some changes in the Chase that will open it up for more drivers. The most notable change comes in the eligibility: this season, the top 12 drivers after 26 races will be included in the Chase, and the never-used 400 point rule has been done away with. At that point, each driver in the Chase will have his point total reset to 5000 and will then receive a ten point bonus for each race won during the regular season. In addition to this change, winners throughout the season will now receive five more points per win, bringing the points total per race for the winning driver to 185 (not including the five point bonus for leading a lap or the potential five point bonus for leading the most laps.)

This new emphasis on wins should make fans of the sport much happier. In the past, drivers could potentially play it safe in a race by simply staying out of trouble instead of racing for the win. When the reward for a win is twofold (points rewarded for a win both immediately following the race and at the start of the Chase) the tendency to hang back is all but removed.

As a fan of the sport's original point system, I was skeptical when the Chase first debuted. I was less than impressed during its first few years, but I am excited to see what happens under this new format. I'm sure all of the Tony Stewart fans are as well.