[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”266″]
[/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. In fact, even among the more common point distributions across all major racing series, by the end of the season there did not appear to be much of a difference in the order of the final 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 consistent high finishes.
On the left side of the standings is the difference between where they stand in actual Sprint Cup Standings and their position in the respective system.
Classic Points System – Standings After Race 6
Kyle Busch would jump to the top of the standings by 28 points over former leader Carl Edwards. His victory at Martinsville would jump Kevin Harvick up to third in the standings, 57 points back, with Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman bringing up the tail end of the top five.
Notable changes in position compared to current system: None really… as we move forward in the season it is becoming apparent that there is little, if any difference, between the two point distributions.
F1 System – Standings After Race 6
Last week’s leader Edwards drops two spots to third, while Kyle Busch holds a 7 point advantage over Kevin Harvick. Jimmie Johnson is a distant 29 points back and Juan Pablo Montoya makes his first appearance in the top five this season.
Drivers without points: David Reutimann, Jeff Burton, Joey Logano
Notable changes in position compared to current system: David Gilliand (+16), Regan Smith (+8), Jeff Gordon (+6), Kurt Busch (-8), A.J. Allmendinger (-13), Mark Martin (-16)
IndyCar System – Standings After Race 6
Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards once again chase Kyle Busch, this time by 15 and 16 points respectively, with Jimmie Johnson and Juan Pablo Montoya rounding out the top five.
Notable changes in position compared to current system: David Gilliand (+6), Kevin Harvick (+3), Matt Kenseth (+3), Greg Biffle (-5), Mark Martin (-5), Kurt Busch (-6), Brad Keselowski (-7)
Phat’s System – Standings After Race 6
For an explanation of the points distribution, please see consult table below standings. This distribution is designed to reward race winners, while also rewarding those who run well every week.
For the third straight system, the top three consist of Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards. Jimmie Johnson is still a distant fourth, with Matt Kenseth jumping up into the fifth position.
Notable changes in position compared to current system: David Gilliand (+5), Matt Kenseth (+4), Brian Vickers (+4), Mark Martin (-5), Martin Truex, Jr. (-5), Kurt Busch (-6)
