With the 2009 Formula One season set to open Saturday on SPEED, FIA officials set the motorsports world buzzing last week.
FIA, the F1 sanctioning body, floated the idea of awarding the championship trophy to the driver who scored the most season wins instead of the current system based on the most points and consistency. The idea did not pass inspection and was loudly panned by F1 team owners, prompting FIA to delay its implementation until the 2010 season. However, it did command the attention of and quick response from the NASCAR world.
Drivers from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series reacted strongly in the garage last week at Bristol, most voicing vehement disapproval of the idea and the possibility of ever implementing it in NASCAR. The key concern for most drivers was the anticipated level of aggression on the final lap under the proposed points system. Let’s face it - there is quite a competitive spirit in NASCAR’s top series and this structure likely would heighten it. The suggested system also would put officials in a compromising position - when and when not to throw the black flag after a last-lap incident in which one driver couldn’t resist the opportunity to go after a win and a shot at the title, and in the process knock a fellow competitor out of the way.
But NASCAR doesn’t appear to be considering any changes to its championship format and why would they? Most agree consistency is the best way to decide who should take the season-ending trophy.
I have to admit I like the way NASCAR does it. A champion should get credit for taking care of business week in and week out and not just be a one-hit-wonder, so to speak. However, I do think the F1 idea would make the NASCAR world look a little more like the PGA tour. Tiger, Phil, Sergio, and Vijay don’t tee it up every week. Tiger, who has more tournament championships and wins than the other three, plays in fewer tournaments than any of them. However, each one of these guys is in the hunt for the tour title every season.
