Tony Stewart won as many races last year as he did in his championship year of 2005, yet was not eligible to defend his title. Credit: Autostock

France: More than 10 was always part of plan

Two additional drivers takes place of never-used 400-point provision

CONCORD, N.C. -- Part of the reason NASCAR tweaked its championship format, CEO Brian France said, was because the format lacked a way for "wild-card" teams to qualify for the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

France, speaking Monday on the opening day of the annual preseason media tour, expressed disappointment that the former 400-point provision never came into play during the past three seasons.

CHANGES ANNOUNCED Wins will be more important than ever following changes to the points system and Chase.  •   Complete story, click here FRANCE ON CHANGES Part of the reason NASCAR tweaked its championship format, CEO Brian France said, was because the format lacked a way for "wild-card" teams to qualify for the Chase for the Nextel Cup.  •   Complete story, click here DAVID CARAVIELLO Changes to the Chase promise to add more drama and intrigue, but David Caraviello says fans should dust off their algebra texts to figure out the thing.  •   Complete story, click here WHAT IF ... NASCAR's decision to award five more points to the winner of each race had been in effect since the invention of the current points system in 1975, the record book would look quite different.  •   Complete story, click here MESSAGE BOARD What do you think of the changes to the points system and Chase format NASCAR has announced for 2007?  •   Post your thoughts New for 2007Brian France on the changes in the points and Chase Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

When NASCAR changed its championship format prior to the 2004 season, it included a provision that any driver within 400 points of the leader after 26 races would automatically qualify for the Chase.

That scenario never happened. The only year where any driver flirted with the 400-point barrier was in 2004, when 13 drivers briefly came within 400 points of the leader just before the playoffs.

NASCAR officially eliminated that provision Monday, instead opting to allow two extra drivers into the Chase.

"It [the 400 points] didn't come into play the last three years, anyway," France said. "It was one provision that didn't get used or activated. Our original vision was that we would have more than 10."

In 2006, Jimmie Johnson already had a 391-point lead on 10th-place Jeff Burton by the season's 11th race.

"We thought the 400-point provision would come into play and it did not," France said. "In my view, I am not sure we added teams [to the playoff] in one respect, because we already had that provision with the 400 points."

Although France didn't specifically say that he was a cause for the change, France said that NASCAR noticed the 2006 season of Tony Stewart, who missed the Chase despite eight finishes of third or better.

Stewart was in the top 10 in points for the majority of 2006, but he finished 18th at Richmond, costing him a spot in the Chase by a mere 16 points.

Stewart then reeled off three victories in the Chase, and France said he would have liked to have seen what Stewart could have done had the new system been in place.

"We want a wild-card provision," France said. "[There] are drivers that are trying to get into the top 10 and they are turning at the end. Just about every time, there is some version of that and we want to capture that surge.

"We think we have arrived at a number that makes sense. If the 11th or 12th driver gets on that run and [wins the title], we might look back and say, 'That was a good decision.'"