An Alternate NASCAR Points System

NASCAR is in the business of putting on a show and what makes a good show in racing is passing. How do you make the drivers pass? Making the cars less aerodynamic would help but that is a different topic. You make the drivers want to pass by enticing them with bonus points. Under today's system a driver can stay out during a caution period and receive the same amount of bonus points as the driver who fights all day for the lead but falls short of leading the most laps by one. Not fair!! Bonus points should be awarded per lap. I will explain my bonus point system a bit later. First, let me talk about the points awarded for the finishing position.

There has been a lot of talk lately about awarding the winner of the race a larger share of the points. I agree. I also agree with the idea of finding a cutoff point in the scoring so the teams are not forced to return a wrecked car to the race. My system achieves both. The first change is the amount awarded the winner. For years the number '500' almost seemed to be a magical number in NASCAR. Most races were 500 miles or 500 laps, with the notable exception of the 'World 600'. Some changes have been made recently but '500' is still a prominent number. Give the winner 500 points. This will allow for a larger spread between finishing positions and still allow for a significant amount of points to be awarded to the lower positions. Under this system cars finishing 30th or lower receive the same points total. My points breakdown would be as follows:

Finishing Position - Points

1 500

2 475

3 455

4 440

5 430

6 420

7 415

8 410

9 405

10 400

11 395

12 390

13 385

14 380

15 375

16 370

17 365

18 360

19 355

20 350

21 345

22 340

23 335

24 330

25 325

26 320

27 315

28 310

29 305

30-43 300

Bonus points!

Longer races should pay more bonus points than shorter races. Leading a lap at Bristol is an entirely different feat than leading a lap at Talledega. A driver that leads the first 499 laps of a 500 lap race but loses an engine and finishes last should be awarded for his effort. Drivers who 'Put On A Show' by driving hard and trying to lead should be awarded for their efforts also. How is this achieved? Pay the leader of each lap bonus points equal to the length of the track in miles. In other words, lead a lap at Richmond and get .75 points. Lead a lap at Daytona and get 2.5 points. And to make it really interesting, give the drivers in 2nd through 5th place on each lap exactly 1/2 the number of bonus points as the leader.

One final item: give the pole qualifier 5 points. Those teams that work hard and challenge for the pole deserve to be awarded something for their efforts when they succeed.

This system not only awards points for consistency but also awards drivers who attempt to put on a show. It makes pushing hard and risking engine failure not as jeopardizing to a teams points standing. It also makes determining a points champion very difficult to establish until the last lap of the last race.