How to Understand Nascar's Race For The Chase Points System

NASCAR racing came of age in the early 1990's. The sport started to reach out to new audiences, and different sponsors came on board. Whether you like Jeff Gordon, or love to dislike him, the appearance of the DuPont Chevy Monte Carlo, and the Rainbow Warriors gave racing a whole new look. Jeff Gordon himself was a new breed of cat. He definitely was not the stereo-typical Nascar driver. He was however about to become great! With the help of expert crew chief Ray Evernham, they built a legend. Nascar has undergone many changes over the last 20 years, but probably none so drastic as the change in championship format. If you want to ponder on restrictor plate races, and the Car of Today please do. They serve to create safer racing.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Your reading eyes
• TV
• This article

1. Over the history of Nascar, drivers who had the most points at the end of the season were the winners. It was plain and simple. You have the most points-you are number one. You have the second most points-you are number two, and down the line. Then, for reasons that many speculate on, the Nascar powers that be, and probably sponsors, decided that it was to easy for strong teams to win, and too hard for weak teams to even come close. Nascar needed more parity.

2. Now drivers run a regular season, and they gather points. The top 12 in points get to run in "The Chase". "The Chase" is a second season of racing. The other teams get to run, but are no longer in competition for the coveted Sprint Cup title. Consider "The Chase" Nascar's version of playoffs. The regular season consists of 16 races.

3. At the end of the 26 regular season races, the top 12 teams in point standings get to compete for the title. They start out with 5000 points each. They also get 10 extra points for each race they won in the regular season. There are 10 races in "The Chase". At the end of those ten races the team with the most points wins. Whatever your opinion, this has taken some emphasis off of top 10 finishes, and placed more emphasis on wins. It creates something that Nascar thinks is better for fans and sponsors. If you are not a Nascar fan, try watching a race. They are fabulous. Every track is a new challenge. The pit stops and strategies are fascinating, and folks: These guys are athletes!

[Mindee94]

on 9/2/2009 Thanks for this great information! ~Mindee~