Backseat Blonde - Rethinking Racing’s Most Coveted Prize

October 4, 2004

Rethinking Racing’s Most Coveted Prize
By Allison Wagda

The Chase for the Championship was supposed to
make stock car racing more exciting. While it has
certainly given fans something new to think about during
the final stretch, it also may hand the title to the wrong
guy.

NASCAR’s attempt to energize the tail end of the
season, and therefore improve ratings, has been a rocky experiment at best. But the
governing organization’s attempt to inject some energy into racing was not entirely
misguided.

The old points system had gone a little stale, and a refresh was probably in order.
But NASCAR made two critical errors that put the Chase in jeopardy and may have
set racing’s growth back a few years.

The Chase was developed as a tool to retain fan attention once football started. That
was NASCAR’s first mistake. Something as fundamental as the way a sport
christens its champion should not be influenced, let alone dictated, by a completely
unrelated sport.

The Chase wasn’t conceived to improve racing competition or to raise the bar for
champions, it was created to compete with the NFL. That not only limited options, it
guided the intentions of those tasked with creating a new system.

Second, the new points system was implemented without testing or feedback.

It was a move typical of NASCAR’s image of the benevolent dictatorship. Brian
France et. al. know best, after all. Right?

Not necessarily. NASCAR had a very real opportunity to build a consensus among
teams and drivers and gain an endorsement of the new system prior to its
implementation. Instead, the new playoff was announced and put into effect before
anyone could so much as sneeze.

NASCAR expected the Chase to be embraced by fans. But fans are naturally wary of
change, and soon it became evident the Chase was not favored by many drivers.
NASCAR has fought an uphill battle for acceptance much of the season.

And even though drivers have now reportedly been silenced by NASCAR, fans
remain divided.

It didn’t have to be this way. After Matt Kenseth ran away with the 2003 Winton Cup
championship title by focusing on consistency rather than dominance, fans were
itching for a return to all-out racing. We didn’t want to see drivers playing it safe
anymore. If that meant a new points system, so be it.

When the one big flaw in the Chase has been exposed - when the wrong driver wins
the title - NASCAR will have one more opportunity: admit the mistake, and work with
teams to craft a new championship system that determines the best, most deserving
champion. It may not happen this season, but it will happen.

In order to develop a championship points system that will determine to best
competitor, NASCAR should return to racing’s roots to identify the fundamental
aspects of competition to be rewarded. What exactly should determine success?
Only once that has been decided should the entertainment aspect enter the
equation. As long as the entertainment doesn’t interfere with the integrity of the
competition, I’m all for it.

Since I’ve spent much of the last three races snoozing on the couch, I’ve had plenty
of time to consider what I would have done in NASCAR’s position.

First of all, these are the six elements of racing I consider vital:
1.        Preparation: Teams should be rewarded for showing up ready to race.
2.        Competition: Staying in contention for a win shows talent and team strength
3.        Endurance: The ability to stay focused throughout a race is essential.
4.        Ingenuity: Creative problem-solving and engineering should be encouraged
5.        Mastery: A team must be able to comprehend and adjust in order to compete
at a variety of tracks
6.        Winning. Any legit sporting competition awards the victor the spoils.

With that in mind, I’d start with the old points system rather than try to modify the
Chase. The following suggestions are intended to improve racing.

1.        Passing Inspection on the first try: 5 points
I know when a team has a part confiscated or fails to meet height requirements, they
act all surprised. But these teams know what they are doing, and they know the
specs on every little lug nut on the tire. Trying to skirt the rules should be
discouraged.

2.        Pole Winner: 10 bonus points
Winning the pole shows the team came with their game face firmly in place. Being
on the pole is an accomplishment, and should be acknowledges. Plus, this would
inject significantly more interest into qualifying. With more on the line, teams would
try harder, and fans would have a more vested interest in the outcome.

3.        Lead a Lap: No points
Leading a lap means nothing. You can lead a lap by staying out when the leaders pit.
It is not an indication of anything more than luck. Get rid of it.

4.        Lead the Most Laps: 25 bonus points
This is a different story. A racer who leads the most laps clearly had a very strong car
and was talented enough to run up front. Having a larger bonus for this also might
help mitigate the pain if a catastrophic event happened near the end of the race,
removing them from contention. It also discourages other drivers from laying back
throughout the race.

5.        Victory: 100 bonus points
I always find it interesting when a driver is satisfied with a top five finish. We need to
create a greater sense of urgency to win. Not only will better racing result, but more
thrilling finishes as drivers are willing to risk position for a victory. Plus, a 100 point
bonus for winners virtually guarantees the champion will win multiple races, and
also allows drivers who have won to suffer an occasional mishap without destroying
their chances. Yet a 100 point winner’s bonus doesn’t destroy the chances of a driver
who has maybe won one or two times less than the driver with the most victories.

None of my suggestions are drastic changes, and I do have additional ideas to
improve the entertainment value of racing (such as decreasing the number of
commercial breaks!). But for now, the best move NASCAR could make would be to
take a step back, look at the bigger picture and start communicating with teams in
order to define the future of NASCAR.

Because as much as NASCAR wants to ignore the critics and ride this out in silence,
it is not going to go away.

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