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January 10, 2005 Daytona Beach, Fla
On the heels of a disastarous 2004 season NASCAR announced today major changes to the points system for the second consecutive season.
The 2004 system, which was based off of the format of the Winston All-Star race, reset the driver standings for a 10-race sprint to the finish. This proved to be disastarous as Kevin Harvick, who dominated by wining 13 of the first 26 races, failed to capture the title as he could only find victory lane twice in the postseason. Meanwhile, Dale Earnhardt Jr. did not win a single race the entire season but managed to string together enough top-10's in the playoffs to capture his first Nextel Cup.
NASCAR fans, who had opposed the plan, cried foul. Throughout the season TV ratings and attendance at races fell as many saw the system as being an artificial attempt to boost ratings for NBC.
Despite clamoring for a return to the old system (with minor adjustmetns), NASCAR today announced a new championship system.
The plan calls for a 31 race regular season and a 5 race postseason. After the first 31 races the the top 25 teams will gain a berth into the playoffs. From there teams will be eliminated race-by race depending upon finishing position. The postseason process will be:
Race 1 -- Top 20 eligible finishers will advance to week 2 of the postseason. If you did not make the top 20 (of eligible cars) you are eliminated. The highest finishing "non-eligible" car will gain entrance into the playoffs as a wildcard.
Race 2 -- The top 15 finishers eligible for the championship will move on to week 3. Once again, the first non-eligible finisher will be rewarded a spot into the playoffs.
Race 3 -- The top 8 finishers eligible for the championship will move on to week 4. Once again, the first non-eligible finisher will be rewarded a spot into the playoffs.
Race 4 -- The top 4 finishers eligible for the championship will move on to week 5. Once again, the first non-eligible finisher will be rewarded a spot into the playoffs.
Race 5 -- The final race of the season will be a 5 car (4 eligible + 1 wildcard) race for the championship. The driver among the five with the best finishing position will be the 2005 NEXTEL Cup Champion. Any non-eligible driver that wins the race will be given a $250,000 bonus.
NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter stated, "We know this is a major change that most fans are against but we need to do something. Historically, interest drops off between Halloween and Thanksgiving and we are trying to grow the sport. If it doesn't work we will try something else."
When asked if he would consider a return to the old points system Hunter said, "we don't think that will ever be necessary. We have some ideas for another system if this fails. As a matter of fact, we have hired several members of the BCS to consult us about a possible points system for next year."
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