[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”300″]
[/media-credit]The announcement of a change to the distribution of points across NASCAR national series sparked debate among even the most conservative NASCAR fans. One of the explanations behind the change was to develop a more dramatic points battle to increase fan interest.
A debate arose over the fact that a quick calculation would show that very little, if anything, would change in the final championship standings. Here, I shall contend that debate with weekly comparisons across the three most commonly mentioned distributions, plus my own personal points schedule designed to reward both race winners and consistant high finishes.
Classic Points System – Standings After Race 2
Much like the current system, the Busch brothers sit atop the standings with the younger Busch leading the elder by a mere 15 points. Jeff Gordon moves up to third with A.J. Allmendinger and Ryan Newman rounding out the top five.
Notable changes in position compared to current system: Mark Martin (-5), Kevin Harvick (+2), David Gilliand (+2)
F1 System – >Standings After Race 2
After his Phoenix win, Jeff Gordon now sits tied at the top of the F1 standings with Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne. Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards both lurk three and seven points back respectively, while five-time champion Jimmie Johnson rounds out the top five.
Drivers without points: Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle
Notable changes in position compared to current system: Kevin Harvick (+14), Carl Edwards (+8), Jimmie Johnson (+8), Denny Hamlin (-4), A.J. Allmendinger (-9)
IRL System – >Standings After Race 2
Again, Kyle Busch holds the point lead but this time by just two points over Phoenix winner Jeff Gordon. Trevor Bayne’s Daytona victory keeps in the top five in third, while Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards round out the top five.
Notable changes in position compared to current system: Kevin Harvick (+11), Carl Edwards (+7), Tony Stewart (-7), A.J. Allmendinger (-8)
Phat’s System – >Standings After Race 2
For an explanation of the points distribution, please see image on standings page.
Jeff Gordon’s victory would leap frog him to the points lead by nine points over Kyle Busch. Despite his 40th place finish, Bayne would again hold on to the third spot with Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards rounding out the top five.
Notable changes in position compared to current system: Paul Menard (-6), Juan Pablo Montoya (-5), Denny Hamlin (-5), Kevin Harvick (+11)
