Changes to Chase, points unveiled

The Chase, which comprises the last ten races of the season and determines the Nextel Cup champion since its introduction in 2004, will now take the top 12 drivers in the standings after the twenty-sixth race, not the top ten as it used to be until last year.

Only those drivers in the Chase are eligible to fight fot the championship.

The 400 points cut-off will be eliminated from this year, as in the past, only drivers within that ammount points of the championship leader with ten races to go qualified for the Chase.

The 12 drivers who qualify will now have their points reset to 5000 plus 10 additional points for each win they have. This means the driver with the most wins among those making the Chase will lead the championship heading into the final ten races.

During the past three seasons, the driver leading the championship after the twenty-sixth race would start the Chase as the leader also, regardless of his number of victories.

NASCAR also announced that race winners will receive 185 points for each victory during the season, five points more than in the past.

This allows for a maximum of 195 points for a race-winner, counting the five-point bonuses available for leading at least one lap and leading the most laps. A race-winner can now have a 25-points gap to second place.

"The adjustments taken today put a greater emphasis on winning races," said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. "Winning is what this sport is all about.

"Nobody likes to see drivers content to finish in the top ten. We want our sport - especially during the Chase - to be more about winning."

Last year Kasey Kahne had won five races heading into the Chase, more than any of his rivals in the top ten of the championship after race twenty-six.

Despite that, he started the Chase in tenth place, but with the new points system, Kahne would have led the championship going into the last ten races.

Two-time Nextel Cup Champion Tony Stewart would have also made the Chase last year under the new format taking the top 12, as he was twelfth in the standings with ten races to go last season.

"The Chase has been successful because it has done what it was designed to do - give more drivers an opportunity to win the championship," France said. "It has reenergized our sport. And now, a good thing is about to get better.

"In 2004 when we unveiled the Chase, we said we would keep a close eye on it, and make adjustments if needed. We have done that, and we feel like the sport - and the sport's fans - will benefit."

The changes announced by NASCAR today will be effective from the start of the 2007 Nextel Cup season.