March 21, 2011
By Matthew Pizzolato
Matthew Pizzolato
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One of the most significant changes made to the sport in recent years, amid a plethora of significant changes, is the complete revamping that NASCAR officials made the point system during this past off-season.
Critics of the move claimed that there was nothing wrong the old system in the first place. In today's lagging economy, many people wondered how changing the point system would fill seats at the tracks or boost the television ratings.
Now that it's been in use for three races, it's obvious that the new system doesn't do either of those things. As a matter of fact, all its done is simplified how the points are added up, it doesn't change anything at all. So, if NASCAR officials were hoping the new system would stir the pot and create a buzz, their efforts overhauling the point system fell flat, at least according to a couple of drivers.
Two of the biggest drivers in the sport, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, claim that the new system is pretty much the same as the old one.
"You know, I mean, to me all it's done is simplify how you look at the number. It hasn't changed anything as far as your finishes, where your finishes are going to put you in the standings," Gordon was quoted as saying in a press conference at Bristol. "I mean, you know, we've had one great race and two bad ones, and we're where I think we ought to be based on how we fought for the position in the points when we had those bad finishes like at Daytona when we got the car back out there and made up a few positions.
"You know, other than it being simple to look at, at the number, the order in which we are, I don't think that it's any different than it would have been."
The new system still rewards consistency, not necessarily wins. As long as drivers finish near the top of the running order, they will still be in a position to qualify for the Chase, which is all that matters anyway.
The only drastic effect that the new system has is that there is a bigger gap in point accumulation between first place and finishing last, so several bad races could completely destroy a driver's chances and make it extremely difficult to make up position in the standings.
Perhaps without the Chase, the system would have a bigger effect because drivers would have to perform at a high level for the entire season, not just well enough to qualify for the post season then make a ten race run for the Championship.
Five-time defending NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson isn't fazed by the new system at all. He chooses to run his season the best he can and let the points fall where they may.
“I’ve had one good race, one fair race and one bad race and I’m 12th in points. So it kind of feels the same for now. I do recognize the lower you finish the bigger the gap. I think we are all learning as we go here," Johnson said in a press conference. "I want to believe when we get to Richmond where the Chase starts that after the 26th race we will kind of average out the guys that you expect to be in the top-10 or top-12 however you look at it will still be there. We’ve got a lot of racing left.”
In other words, the new point system is not a big deal at all.
So if it wasn't broken in the first place, why fix it?
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