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WALLACE: Simply Put, It’s Simpler
NASCAR got it right with the new points system...
Kenny Wallace  |  Posted January 27, 2011   Charlotte, NC
Veteran NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace is an analyst for NASCAR RaceDay Built by the Home Depot and NASCAR Victory Lane on SPEED. (Photo: Getty Images)
The new points structure NASCAR announced Thursday night is simpler to understand. It doesn’t claim to be anything more.

There are several people up-in-arms that the new system, which awards points on an incremental, one-point basis from 43rd to first place, doesn’t do everything they had hoped it would. With the popularity of social media and Twitter, it took about three seconds for everyone to start buzzing and offering their opinions on Twitter while Brian France was still laying out the details.

But it’s things like Twitter that really make the new system more relevant. With the evolution of the Internet, Twitter, smart phones and other up-to-the-minute technology available nowadays, people want instant information. But the old points system couldn’t always provide that because it was so bogged down in large numbers that it oftentimes required a few minutes to calculate the points during and after a race. Plus, very few people could figure out the point differentials at any given moment in a race when dealing with numbers ranging from the 40s to the 190s just for that particular race.

The new system, however, is so easy to understand that I think a sixth grader could figure it out. You finish 43rd, you get one point. You finish first, you get 43 points plus any bonus points you earn. Any driver who uses his noggin can figure out how many cars he must pass to catch someone in the points. If Denny Hamlin starts a race three points behind Jimmie Johnson, he knows he needs to finish three spots in front of him to tie him or four spots ahead of him to overtake him.

NASCAR’s objective was to make the system easier for everyone to understand and the smaller numbers will do just that. On the surface, it seems complicated because we’ve been using the same system since 1975, but once everyone gets used to it, I think we’ll all wonder why we didn’t adopt it earlier.

As for some people saying it doesn’t place enough emphasis on winning, this new system does award race winners because not only do they still get bonus points for winning and carry those points into Chase seeding, the new structure also qualifies two drivers between 11th and 20th in points into the Chase based on their wins. In the past, the guys who started the Chase 11th and 12th might not even have won a race yet. For example, Clint Bowyer didn’t win a race last year until the Chase started at Loudon. Under the new system, Bowyer wouldn’t have made the Chase because there were drivers near him in points who had won races. I think this puts a huge emphasis on winning. You aren’t in the top 10 in points and want to make the Chase? Go out and win yourself a race or two.
The 12 drivers in the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup pose for a picture after solidifying their playoff berths at Richmond International Raceway last September. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Let’s all just take a deep breath, step back and see this for what it is – an improvement. NASCAR has heard the fans, and as much as I’ve bashed NASCAR over the years myself, I really think they are trying to improve the sport across the board.

With input from the NASCAR Fan Council, we’ve seen the sanctioning body make major overhauls recently that include the green-white-checkered finish, double-file restarts, some shorter races, “boys, have at it,” the possibility of moving qualifying to Saturdays in 2011 at select tracks, and now a simpler points system.

Most people have welcomed and enjoyed these tweaks the past two years, so we should give this new points system the same chance we gave the others. After all, in this day and age, who needs more complication in their lives?

Kenny Wallace drives the No. 09 Toyota for RAB Racing in the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series, in which he has amassed nine career wins and 10 pole positions, 63 top-five and 159 top-10 finishes in 344 starts. Wallace has competed in more than 800 events in NASCAR’s top three divisions since his 1988 NASCAR debut. He also keeps the mood light and humorous each week as an analyst on NASCAR RaceDay Built by the Home Depot and NASCAR Victory Lane on SPEED. Currently entering his 22nd year in the Nationwide Series, Wallace finished runner-up in the points in 1991 and is one of only four drivers to have won the Most Popular Driver award multiple times. He also drives the No. 36 Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar entry. To learn more about Wallace or his sponsors, the University of Northwestern Ohio, Federated Auto Parts and Family Farmers, or to sign up to follow him on Facebook or Twitter, please visit www.kennywallace.com.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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