From the January, 2007 issue of Stock Car Insider

2007 Points & Chase System Gets an Overhaul

Christmas has come early in 2007 for NASCAR fans who have longed for change in the way points are awarded and the format of the Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship. The upcoming tweaks to the 2007 season will heavily emphasize winning!

Brian France, head hauncho of NASCAR said, “The adjustments taken today put a greater emphasis on winning races. Winning is what this sport is all about. Nobody likes to see drivers content to finish in the top 10. We want our sport, especially during the Chase, to be more about winning.”

Starting with the points system, NASCAR will now award 185 points for a 1^st place finish (compared to 180 points under the old system) along with 5 bonus points for leading a lap and an additional 5 bonus points for leading the most laps. This new system will now allow for a larger gap in points between 1^st and 2^nd place finishers.

NASCAR wasn’t content with just changing the points system. The highly successful Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship got an overhaul as well.

In 2007, the top 12 drivers from the first 26 races of the year will now qualify for the Chase. The old format allowed the top 10 drivers and any other driver within 400 points of the leader into the Chase.

The seeding of the top 12 drivers in the Chase is where the real fun begins. In previous years, the drivers were seeded by total points accumulated in the first 26 races of the season. Now the drivers will be seeded by the total number of wins amassed in the first 26 races.

What kind of impact will these changes have? If you apply these changes to the results of last year, Kasey Kahne, with his impressive 5 wins in the first 26 races, would have been the top seed at the start of the Chase. Also, non-qualifiers Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle, would have qualified for the Chase in the 5^th and 10^th seeds respectively.

“The Chase has been successful because it has done what it was designed to do, give more drivers an opportunity to win the championship,” said Brian France. “It has re-energized our sport. And now, a good thing is about to get better.”

“In 2004 when we unveiled the Chase, we said we would keep a close eye on it, and make adjustments if needed. We have done that, and we feel like the sports and the sport’s fans will benefit.”

Mr. France, with these changes I think you finally have gotten it right! NASCAR thrives solely on fan support. The new Chase will force drivers to give fans what they pay money to see, action-packed, fender-bending, white-knuckled action all the way to the checkered flag!

2007 Points System:

Position	Points
1	185
2	170
3	165
4	160
5	155
6	150
7	146
8	142
9	138
10	134
11	130
12	127
13	124
14	121
15	118
16	115
17	112
18	109
19	106
20	103
21	100
22	97
23	94
24	91
25	88
26	85
27	82
28	79
29	76
30	73
31	70
32	67
33	64
34	61
35	58
36	55
37	52
38	49
39	46
40	43
41	40
42	37
43	34
44	31
45	28
46	25
47	22
48	19
49	16
50	13
51	10
52	7
53	4
54	1