Competition rules changes in order?

Whether or not you agree with Brian France's great remodeling project, you can't deny his daring. The third-generation NASCAR chairman has more guts than Fatback McSwain.

His unabashed willingness to go against popular opinion is obvious on several fronts, including the change to the point system and the continued westward expansion of the Nextel Cup Series. (The very fact that "Nextel" was in that last sentence has much to do with France's forward-thinking nature).

	Marty Smith

The man has a unique vision, but the job is not done. Competitive changes are in order.

France has said from the get-go that he'd rather leave matters of competition in the capable hands of Mike Helton and John Darby. That's understandable, and probably warranted given the respective backgrounds of the individuals involved. We're awfully hard on Helton and Darby, but the boys do a helluva job in the frenzied scoring tower.

That said, whether it's France, Helton, Darby or someone else, the time has come for NASCAR's hierarchy to develop more functional scoring practices -- these marathonish caution periods are getting ridiculous -- and a scheme against mangled cars returning to the racetrack for no other reason than to gain a handful of championship points.

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I briefly mentioned this concept in Last Lap on Tuesday, and received thousands of emails telling me to "shut up," that wrecked racecars are part of the sport and part of what makes NASCAR racing unique and exciting. Point well taken, but not enough to sway my opinion on this one.

Kasey Kahne's accident late in the MBNA 400 is the consummate example why this practice must be studied.

Casey Mears had no business being on the racetrack with 20 laps remaining. Not that I blame him, mind you. He'd wrecked early on, and returned to the track with an off-Target Dodge. He and his crew did their job, repaired the car and got back out to gain points.

Mears isn't at fault here. The rule, or lack thereof, is.

What happened to Kahne is pathetic. He was the race leader with 20 laps to go and wound up wrecked by an oil spill from a car that should have been parked three hours ago. Come on.

For the longest time, I thought the remedy was simple: Award equal points for finishing positions 30-through-43. Then Mears finished 28th Sunday, thereby completely discrediting my idea.

It's rare that a guy can pick up 10 positions just riding around, but the fact remains it can, and does, happen. To quote Richard Childress, I'm flustrated, for fear I'm overanalyzing. Jimmie Johnson thinks I am.

"If Casey's (Mears') car didn't spring an oil leak, this would be a moot point, he would have logged his laps and been fine," Johnson said. "It's unfortunate for Kasey Kahne that that happened.

	After leading the race, Kasey Kahne slipped and spun out in Mears' spilled oil. Credit: Autostock

"The rules are fair, but when an event takes place like Sunday it seems unfair. It's a good rule, just terrible luck for the (No.) 9 team. I hate it for those guys."

So do I. But is there a viable way to fix it? Am I the only person who thinks it's time to do something about it? Nope.

"I had said something earlier in the year, before the season started, about the top 25, and how anybody from 25th on back should get a stock amount of points, and that that would cure that problem unless you're talking about Talladega," Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said.

So a set amount of points for 25th to 43rd is the answer? Not necessarily. Minimum speed is in place for a reason. But just because a guy is fast enough to remain in the field doesn't mean he isn't throwing debris all over creation.

"You know a guy isn't going to bring a car out with no hood or fenders and be able to keep minimum speed, anyway," Junior continued. "You're going to get guys that will pull out and run a lap to get a few spots on the guys who can't get back out on the racetrack. But he isn't going to be out there the whole rest of the race.

"I've had races where I've been wrecked on the first lap and had to ride it out -- at Bristol of all places -- and not been competitive, just in everybody's way and wanting off the racetrack. But you can't get off the track because your crew wants you out there getting points.

"So yeah, there needs to be something done to help that, because you're in the way, you're wasting your money out there running around wearing tires out and gas and all that. It could save some expense, because you've already torn your car up, ya know?"

Yep. And sadly enough, because your car is torn up, there's a decent chance it might tear up someone else's, too.

Marty Smith is a senior writer for NASCAR.COM. His column appears each Thursday. The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.