2004 NASCAR New Rules and Comments - The Chase

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"They are always down a little bit whenever the NFL [plays]," Brian France, NASCAR chairman said in unveiling the new program. "It is a very competitive time . . . that's part of what drives you. If you are us, you want to capture the attention all the time, not part of the time."

Expect to see NBC and its affiliates begin a campaign to retain those NASCAR viewers with heavy promotion, touting both the races to decide who will be in the Chase for the Championship and the final 10-race series.

Eddie Wood, of Wood Brothers Racing, says he's too involved with racing to watch a lot of television, but he recognizes how important TV is to NASCAR, so he figures the '04 points change is good. "Whether fans like it or not, if they talk about it and pay attention to it, the change was worth it," he says.

Wood likens 2004 to two seasons. And it will include all the drama of two championship runs. "If you have a driver 450 points behind the leader with three or four races to go, he's going to approach those last races like he was running for a championship," Wood says. "Because he's really not 450 points behind the leader; he's really only 50 points back from qualifying for the race for the championship."

It could generate two entirely different races on the same track. "The drivers who are within the championship window are going to be conservative to protect their position," Wood says. "Other drivers who have a chance to make the cut are really going to press to get into that group."

"If we aren't inside the window but have a chance to get there, we'll throw everything at the car we have just to get a shot at it," Wood says. "If we are already there, well, then we'll dance with the car that brung us and be a bit more conservative."

Wood figures the second season also could be a mixed bag for sponsors. "If you aren't in the hunt, it could have an affect on what kind of exposure you get on television," he says. "But say you aren't in the Top 10, and you are running really well at a track and you're a factor in the outcome of the race-running with the leaders-then it could work in your favor."

It is a big deal for everyone involved, especially the tracks that will be holding one of the shootout events, says Eddie Gossage, president of Texas Motor Speedway.

When NASCAR announced its '05 schedule in May, TMS learned that its second race date of the coming season will be within the final 10 events.

"They don't want us to say it's the playoffs, but it is the playoffs," Gossage said during a press conference at the track. "There's only two races following us, so this is pivotal. I consider it to be a playoff game. It may not be the Super Bowl, but it's the semifinal round.

"We wanted to be in the last 10, and [NASCAR] wanted us to be in the last 10, because they know the market and the crowd. I think what you're seeing is they're trying to shift those last 10 to major markets, which is good for the sport and television."

But is it good for the fans? Number crunchers can find plenty to dislike. To quote Michael Waltrip: "Do the math!"

Applying The Formula
If the system had been in place a year ago, Johnson would have beaten Gordon by 55 points in a battle that would have gone to the final race of the season.

"I think with the new system, it will go to the final race every season," Gordon says.

During that 10-race period, Johnson notched an impressive finishing average of 6.8 while scoring 1,569 points. Stewart was Second with a 7.0 average finish and 1,531 points, but because he was outside the Top 10 after the cutoff, he wouldn't have been in the mix. Elliott was Third with a finishing average of 7.3, and he scored 1,516 points, but he also wouldn't have been eligible to run for the title.

Gordon was next, with a 7.5 finishing average and 1,514 points, followed by Newman with a 9.6 average finish and 1,456 points to round out the Top 5.