Last Wednesday NASCAR announced a new points system for its Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series plus another modification to the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.Starting this season drivers will be awarded 43 points for first place, 42 for second, 41 for third, etc. with the last place driver in 43rd earning a single point. The winner gets three bonus points plus another point for leading a lap and one more point if he leads the most laps.Nothing wrong with that.The Chase will still have a dozen drivers but the 11th and 12th will be added based on race wins if they are not in the top 10 in points and as long they're in the top 20 when the 'regular' season is over.I'm okay with that too.But what I really liked hearing was what Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman Bruton Smith said on Tuesday, the day before the announcement."It [the Chase] started off as a good idea but maybe it's time to look for something [else]. I think it started off being very important, but I don?t think it?s as important as maybe we thought it would be."Hear, hear. Another voice of reason, one who carries a pretty big stick, has actually said what many of us 'purists' think.The Chase was a manufactured marketing strategy intended to boost the broadcast audience when the NFL season started. It added nothing, zero, zilch, nada to the sport and was about as successful at growing TV share numbers against the NFL as Jeremy Mayfield was in sueing NASCAR.The Chase was and remains a feeble attempt at creating a playoff segment a la the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball.But those sports and their championship elimination tournaments are based on the format of teams playing against one another, one game at a time. To crown a champion in those sports, a single-elimination playoff schedule is really the only option.That's certainly not the case with NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1 or anything else except drag racing -- which does it at every event.As a traditionalist I have never liked the Chase, just as I didn't like the NHRA creating their me too Countdown to the Championship for its Full Throttle Pro classes. Racing championships are supposed to be determined according to a full season's results.They're not supposed to be manipulated or messed with to gin up 'spin' or generate more interest; the spin and interest are the by-product of unbesmirched competition for a championship.Yes, some championships are boring if the season provides nothing but runaway wins by one dominant team and driver. And some are as close and exciting as you could want, with titles going down to the last race and even the last lap.But race fans don't consciously choose to not attend or watch a race because of championship standings. We watch and follow and buy tickets because we like the noise and action and precision and brutality of racers pushing their vehicles to the limit in an effort to pass the guy in front or hold off every one who's behind.In 2013 NASCAR will introduce the next generation of Sprint Cup cars, styled and designed to more closely resemble their Chevy, Dodge, Ford and Toyota street car inspirations.I think that would be a great year to lose the Chase.
-Bill
Read more of Bill Tybur's thoughts on fantasy racing at FMFL
photo credit: Bristol Motor Speedway
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