In 2003 Matt Kenseth ran away with the Winston Cup championship beating second
place finisher Jimmie Johnson by ninety points. This proved to not be a close
enough championship finish for the new sponsor of NASCAR’s top series, Nextel,
as they set out to revamp the points system. The inaugural season of the Nextel
Cup saw the institution of the new Chase for the Championship. The Chase for the
Championship is a points system that rewards drivers in the top ten in points
following the season’s first twenty-six races. After the first twenty-six races
the drivers in the top ten in standings have their point totals reset so they
are within reasonable reach of the points leader. In the inaugural season of the
Chase for the Championship Kurt Busch was awarded the Nextel Cup championship.
Under the previous points system which had been in place since NASCAR’s
institution drivers who were consistent throughout the entire season’s schedule
would be awarded with a championship.
Now a driver, Busch, who would not have been
anywhere near the championship had the old system still applied was handed his
first career championship. Under the old points system four-time Winston Cup
champion Jeff Gordon would have won the 2004 championship. In 2005, Tony Stewart
won the Nextel Cup championship. Had the old points system been in place Stewart
still would have won the championship, but by a much more commanding points
deficit. It has been proven that driver’s who would have had no chance at
winning the championship in the old points system can win in the new point
system, as Kurt Busch proved in 2004. Is this right? Should a driver basically
“luck” his way into a championship or should a driver win a championship by
being consistent throughout an entire season? Each fan has his/her own opinion
on what they think the points system should be like. Some fans say that the old
points system should have remained in place because of tradition and the fact
that it rewarded drivers for being consistent, something all drivers should
strive for.
To win the old championship a driver truly had to
be great and have the best season among his peers. To win a championship under
the new system a driver must only hang around the top ten for twenty-six races
and then turn it on over the final ten, or perhaps “luck” into it. Some fans
prefer the new system saying that it adds a new excitement to a sport that
greatly needed to be spiced up. Whether fans prefer the old points system or the
new points system is up to each individual to decide
BY Julian Spivey (SNL)