Going into NASCAR Preseason Thunder at Daytona for 2011, speculation of yet another change to the points format lingered. On Friday, January 21, NASCAR President Mike Helton announced that the sanctioning body is exploring possible changes for the 2011 season.
The changes proposed are with the amount of points awarded after a race. Instead of a large amount of points, like 170 or 150, 43 points would be awarded to the race winner with one point less to each successive driver. This would give 1 point to the last place finisher, and 43 to the winner. Helton did not have any details about Bonus points but did hint that they would be factored in, in some way.
I like this concept. For years I have been a proponent of a similar system. I have always said get rid of the funky difference of some places being separated by points, some by three. This system will make it very simple to understand, and will not effect the overall outcome. Under the “new” system, Jimmie Johnson would have still been the champion last year.
Kudos to NASCAR for taking this route. I wonder how they will tackle The Chase. To this point, they have reset the points for the Chasers to 5000, plus bonus points awarded for wins. Should they adjust this as well? Post your thoughts and opinions bellow.
This week, Darrell shares his thoughts about the impending rules changes in the Nationwide Series, focusing on the importance and implications of a driver’s series declaration. Enjoy!
The DW Show on YouTube is a unscripted recording of Darrell Waltrip’s view as it relates to this week in NASCAR. You can follow DW on Twitter at @AllWaltrip, on Facebook at facebook.com/allwaltrip, on at his Blog at AllWaltrip.com. You can buy DW Merchandise at DWStore.com
Travis Pastrana has officially announced that he will be making a career move into NASCAR, signing on with the new Pastrana-Waltrip Racing that will field cars in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Initial plans call for Pastrana to run seven Nationwide events in 2011, but there has been speculation that he could also appear in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, East or West, to gain stock car racing experience. [source]
The past couple of weeks have been very hectic for myself and my family. We just moved into a new house, so the move, along with my day job has prevented me from devoting the time needed to post new articles to the site. Thankfully, I am now some what set up in my new office space and can get back to racing. After a whale of a race in California, the Sprint Cup Series heads home to the hub of the NASCAR world in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Bank of America 500 is the first night race of the 2010 Chase and is set to be a wild one. Before we jump into this weekend’s action, let’s take a look back at some of the action from the past two weekends.
In his usual style and in spite of a pit road speeding penalty, Kyle Busch powered his way to his twelfth race win in the CampingWorld.com 300 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
Busch, who started from the pole position, brought his No. 18 NOS Energy Drink Toyota to the checkered flag, taking his traditional victory bow to the delight and omnipresent booing of the Cali race crowd.
Busch put it simply in Victory Lane. “To get No. 12,” Busch said. “It’s awesome.”
With the early part of the race being relatively caution-free, several late race cautions and restarts challenged Busch and the rest of the field. One of the biggest wrecks involved Danica Patrick, fresh off her good IndyCar run and now focused fully on her NASCAR career in her No. 7 Tissot/Go Daddy.com Chevrolet.
Patrick was running well and was on the cusp of achieving her goal of a top-15 finish when James Buescher got into her from behind, spinning her and sending her car almost airborne before collecting Ricky Carmichael, who just seems to keep ending up on the short end of the luck stick.
Because of the accident, Patrick ended the race in the 30th position. But she was most upbeat even after the wreck, talking with the media and explaining her run just like a NASCAR pro.
“I think we’re getting closer. I really do,” Patrick said after the race. “We’re going to have a lot of confidence going into Charlotte, I think.” [More at Speedwaymedia.com]
CUP: Stewart Revives Chase Hopes With Victory
Tony Stewart held off Clint Bowyer in a two-lap shootout and won Sunday’s Pepsi MAX 400 atAuto Club Speedway, returning his name to the Chase conversation.
Stewart’s win, coupled with numerous problems experienced by other Chasers, boosted him five positions in the standings to fifth.
Standings leader Jimmie Johnson stayed in front with a third-place run, boosting his point lead over second-place Denny Hamlin to 36 with six races remaining. Kevin Harvick stayed in third place with a seventh-place finish.
Jeff Gordon rallied from a late-race pit-road speeding penalty to finish ninth and jumped a position in points to fourth, 85 points behind Johnson. [More at SpeedTV.com]
Why NASCAR Fans Like Harvick
If lots of NASCAR fans have their way, Kevin Harvick will be the man who kicks Jimmie Johnson off the Sprint Cup pedestal.
Harvick, who is currently third in points, trails Johnson by just 54 ticks – mere peanuts.
And while the current Sprint Cup champ has been dubbed “vanilla,” there’s little chance that Harvick would garner such a moniker.
Rocky road? Maybe. Vanilla? Never.
Harvick can be a punch-throwing good ol’ boy one minute and a strategic-thinking team owner the next. He has been known to cuss out the media on a bad day, but he has a rep for being always gracious with fans.
He’s a winning driver and a successful businessman. And, thanks in large part to his presence on Twitter, fans know he’s one of the funniest NASCAR drivers around. [More at NASCAR-ista.com]
Jimmy Joe’s NASCAR Update Bank of America 500 Preview
