NASCAR: New points system in place for 2004

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- In a bid to add excitement and put more emphasis on winning, NASCAR changed its scoring system Tuesday by setting up a showdown for the Nextel Cup championship over the season's last 10 races.

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"I'm confident it is going to work and the drivers and teams are going to like it after they hear all the details," NASCAR chairman Brian France said.

	Brian France

NASCAR has been criticized in recent years for using a points system that rewarded consistency more than winning. Matt Kenseth won the 2003 championship despite finishing first in just one race. Ryan Newman was sixth in the standings despite winning a series-high eight races.

France said the changes to the system that had been in place since 1975 are aimed at increasing attendance and TV ratings that usually drop in the fall because of competition from the World Series and NFL.

The new format will take effect after the first 26 races. The drivers in the top 10 and any other within 400 points of the leader will earn a berth in what NASCAR has dubbed the "Chase for the Championship."

Those drivers will have their point totals adjusted. The first-place driver will begin the final 10 races with 5,050 points, the second driver 5,045 and so on, with incremental drops of five points for all those involved in the championship showdown.

The drivers not involved in the championship will keep the points they have earned to that point in the season.

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"This new model will provide all title contenders an opportunity to compete and contend for the championship," NASCAR president Mike Helton said.

He pointed out that no driver outside the top 10 in points with 10 races remaining has ever won the championship.

"This is not a playoff," Helton said. "Every one of our events will continue to be a Super Bowl and all 43 drivers will be trying to win every race."

The champion will be guaranteed a minimum of $5 million, while each of the other drivers who finish in the top 10 will earn $1 million. The 11th-place finisher will get a $250,000 bonus.

NASCAR also will award a race winner an additional five points, beginning with the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 15.