Weekend That Was: AMS (cont'd)

The fact that Johnson currently is fourth in the standings proves it. Sure, he got off to a terrible start when he wrecked in the season-opening Daytona 500 and finished 39th. But he finished third the following week in California, then won in Las Vegas before winning again Sunday in Atlanta.

Yet under the current system he trails points leader Mark Martin by 28, and also is behind Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton -- none of whom has won a race this season. Martin has totaled 629 points thus far, followed by Gordon with 621 and Burton with 618. Johnson's total is a measly 601.

Changes to Chase

When NASCAR announced changes to the points, officials said race victories would become more important.

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The other two race winners, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick, currently are running in fifth and seventh, respectively. Something obviously is not right here.

It brings to mind the immortal words of Bruton Smith, who apparently -- and not surprisingly -- was not consulted by NASCAR before the changes to the points system were put into effect.

"We need to place more of an emphasis on winning," Smith said recently at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, one of six tracks he owns as chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc. "Winning in any kind of sport, to me, that's everything. I told somebody recently that I saw someone get out of his racecar after finishing fourth, and you guys [in the media] run to interview him about what a great day he had. I think he's the third loser. That's the way I look at it.

"And if I'm a race fan, I don't want to sit up there [and hear that]. I'm interested in who won the race. And I'm interested in collecting my money from whomever I bet with about who was going to win that day."

Bruton's plan? It might sound oversimplified, and of course it is, but at its basic core it makes more sense than what the NASCAR folks came up with during the last offseason.

"We need to get rid of Plan 1, Plan 2 and any other plans that anyone else is thinking about," Smith said. "Get rid of all that and put the money up there. A long time ago, we used to run races and 20 percent of the purse was paid to the winner.

"Now I'm not saying that today we need to do that -- but maybe 18 or 17 percent should go to that winner. And let there be a fight to win that race, more so than what you see today."

And let there be more points awarded to the winner at the end of the day, too. Please.

More to ponder

So Mark Martin stuck to his guns, and to his word. Good for him.

Regan Ready

Now that Mark Martin has all but guaranteed he won't be at Bristol next weekend, Regan Smith can get back to the business of focusing on making his Nextel Cup debut in the No. 01 Ginn Racing Chevrolet.

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After weeks of saying he was planning to stick to the pre-arranged plan of running a part-time schedule for Ginn Racing this season, yet inevitably leaving just a little crack of the door open to the possibility of staying in the No. 01 Chevrolet longer than initially advertised, Martin made it clear in Atlanta that he will be nowhere near Bristol Motor Speedway for this Sunday's race. Rookie Regan Smith, as planned, will slide into Martin's vacated seat and drive the 01 car.

But before all the questioners grow completely silent, here is another possibility to consider: Martin could miss the next two races, come back as scheduled for April 15 race at Texas Motor Speedway -- and still make a run for a spot in the Chase.

It's not out of the question. Martin currently is scheduled to run 23 events. He has stated again and again that he doesn't like all the bumping and grinding that transpires at places like Bristol and Martinsville. But he also stated earlier that he's having so much fun running at the intermediate tracks that he might look to add a couple events to his schedule later in the year.

If Martin comes back and continues to stay solidly in the top 12 in points, why not see where it takes him? He could always cut back on his schedule again if and when he drops out of the top 12, or out of contention for the top 12. Meantime, he could keep the dream alive for pursuit of his first points championship -- although at age 48, that seems to mean a whole lot more to his fans and outsiders than it does to the driver himself. (Continued)