NASCAR may have new points system in 2011

According to a report by Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press, NASCAR is considering changes to the point system which has run the sport since the 1970s.

A source told Fryer that NASCAR was “shying away” from making changes to the Chase, but is considering changing the points system to a much simpler, easier format. The proposed format would give the first-place finisher 43 points and points would subtract by one all the way down to the last place finisher, who would receive one point.

Testing will take place this week at Daytona beginning on Thursday, where NASCAR’s president Mike Helton and vice president of competition Robin Pemberton are supposed to address reports that leaked last week about drivers only running for one championship. Now it seems they’ll be answering about more than those reports.

Some tweaking might still be possible and there was no definitive answer on how bonus points would be distributed for leading laps or winning races. There was also confusion on which 12 drivers would qualify for the Chase.

One report stated that the top ten drivers would qualify and the last two spots would be held for the two drivers that had the most wins but weren’t in the top ten. Another said the top eight would qualify for the Chase while the last four spots would be given to those with the most wins who didn’t already qualify.

As for the past, Jimmie Johnson still won the championship in 2009 and 2010 according to some calculations I did earlier this evening. However, I went back through the entire 2002 season and Mark Martin fans would be happy to hear that the Old Man from Batesville, Ark., would have captured his first title that season, beating Tony Stewart (who actually won the title) by four points.

In my calculations I used the 43 to 1 system and gave one point for leading a lap, and three for leading the most laps.

We’ll see exactly what NASCAR has planned, but if what Jenna Fryer has reported is true, NASCAR fans may find it easier to figure out how many points their favorite driver has earned just seconds after the race has ended.
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And a reminder, there are 33 days and a few hours until the drop of the green flag at Daytona. More on the Daytona countdown as the week progresses.

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