NASCAR has a point to ponder

[blingbling]

As NASCAR heads into Saturday's Sharpie 500 at Bristol, Tenn., the question remains: Should a guy who only wins one Winston Cup race be deemed the circuit's best driver?

More importantly, is it good for the long-term health of the sport to employ a point system that rewards consistency over outright victories, which often require superior driving?

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=dw-nascarpoints&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[Hack]

It's time to come up with something new because the current point system was based upon getting many or all teams to participate in every race. In the 60's-70's some drivers didn't want to participate in all the races so this system was set up to reward drivers who ran in every race. Since all teams participate in every race today this system needs to be overturned because it sucks. I don't care how consistent "one" team is, I care about the cars/drivers who wins the most. Should a car/driver who wins only one race win the title over a team that wins 7 races? Hell no!

[blingbling]

I agree Hack. I respect what Matt Kenseth/Jack Roush team has done this season. He is consistently in the top 10 or top 5 almost every week. Obviously that's why he is in 1st place. But its going to be very embarrassing to have a Winston Cup Champion who has only finished first one time during the season. While at the same time you have Ryan Newman with at least 5 wins and yet not even close to Kenseth in the standings. They have to start rewarding drivers who do what they are paid to do...win races.

[SamC]

NASCAR is doing just fine, thank you.

The less it listens to people who couldn't have told you who Dale Earnhardt was in 1985, and can't, today, tell you who Buck Baker was, the better.

No changes.

[Steve Mehs]

This relates more to what Sam said then the topic but what NASCAR should have done was to continue to focus on it's enthusiasts, and not trying to go after the mass market. Some where around 1998 or 1999 it seemed like people who though watching guys driving a circles was a waste of time, now suddenly thought it was the greatest thing ever. People went on the name relationship of Dale Earnhardt, Gordon and Rusty. The new NASCAR fans have no idea about two of the greatest potential drivers that proved themselves and could have been big time winners on the circuit, Alan Kowiki ('92 Cup Champion) and Davey Allison. NASCAR has become an enterprise, no longer can a driver own his own team, 1 car teams are almost non existent, and fair play rules are getting out of hand. ESPN Classic is my almost exclusive home for Winton Cup, I'd rather watch replays of the good old days then watch the current races.

[John Corn]

I like the current system, don't see why it needs to be changed.

The same points system is used in BGN and CTS and those series are virtual ties at the moment.

Plus, Tony Stewart and Alan Kulwicki both overcame 200+ point deficits late in the year to win their championships.

[TNGTony]

Think about this...a guy comes in second in 20 races and wins one. Is he a better or worse driver than one that wins 5 races but cannot fnish the other 16?

See ya
Tony

[Cyclone]

They had a fairly close points race last year with the exact same points system. Lets face it, Matt K is just having the best season this year.

[Hack]

NASCAR is doing just fine, thank you.

The less it listens to people who couldn't have told you who Dale Earnhardt was in 1985, and can't, today, tell you who Buck Baker was, the better.

No changes.

Well I think the current system sucks and I've been a fan since DE's Wrangler days and when the 2nd race of the year was in Richmond, and North Wilkesboro had two races, and DW was hated and booed by DE fans when he drove for Jr. in the 11 Bud car. Not to mention being a Riverside fan. So an old fan says it's time to get rid of the current system and put more emphasis on laps lead and the finish results if your post was meant to be a slam on that only newer fans want the current points system changed.

When Terry Labonte won a championship it was fluke because he won so few races while somebody like Bill Elliot probably should have won another one during his career in another year.

What is the true mark of a champion? Being the best and winning as often as possible. A true champion goes all out trying to prove he’s/’she’s the best in the world while some NASCAR drivers drive for points instead of trying to be the best with 100% effort to win.
If you have a sport where athletes or drivers (in this case) that are not going hell bent 100% to win then the sport is fundamentally flawed. Thus NASCAR is fundamentally flawed and needs to be changed.

What’s one of the best races of the year outside Bristol? The Winston because it’s a dash for cash (no points) and every driver tries their best to win and this is the way it ought to be in every race of the year. I have nothing against Matt, but real sports reward winners and the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and many others seasons are not decided in freaking August or with three months left in the season. Now let’s get with it, NASCAR!

[markh]

It bugs me that Kenseth won 5 races last year and didn't win the championship and this year now that he's leading in points there is suddenly something wrong with the point system. Obviously he learned that winning isn't everything, finishing consistently in the top 10 is what wins at the end of the season.

Guys like Jeff Gordon are crying about points now, but it's the same system he's won 4 cups under. Rusty won way more races than Earnhardt back in the early '90s and E still won the championship and nobody whined about the point system.

This torques me a little because Kenseth doesn't get enough credit for having a good consistent season. I don't know if it's because he's not flashy enough of a person or if he's just too much of a yankee.

[djlong]

Personally I think it's wrong that you can finish 2nd but if you lead the most laps you get just as many points as 1st.

I think the system should be tweaked a bit but not "wholesale" changes.

Sure, Ryan has won more races - but need we remember some of his other times on the track this year? Like the Daytona 500 where his car flipped and shredded into more pieces than you can count? Or when the same thing happened at (I think) Talledega - or when his car erupted into a fireball - or earlier today when he accidentally hit the kill switch on his car and ended up 8 laps down by the time he got it restarted?

Don't get me wrong, I like Ryan. But for him to be in 1st, he has to be more consistent. Kenseth is just a machine these days...

[Hack]

I guess a new point system would rarely if ever change the winner over the current system according to something I heard the other day.