WINS OR POINTS FOR CHAMP/THE DRIVERS VIEW

Recent discussions in Formula One about adopting a championship format based solely on race wins have generated plenty of discussion on the same topic this week at Bristol Motor Speedway. No question, there are many NASCAR fans who pine for such a system, especially after watching Carl Edwards finish second to Jimmie Johnson last season despite amassing two more victories. Let’s get this straight right now—there’s no evidence that NASCAR is even remotely considering such an idea, which is just fine with the men who pilot these 3,400-pound stock cars each weekend
“I think if you determine your champion just based on wins, you’re taking a huge gamble of having the wrong champion,” Edwards said. “If one guy wins one race and runs 20th in the rest of them, and another guy finishes second in every single race, [the first] is not the right guy for a champion. The more and more I pay attention to all of these changes with all these point systems all over the board, the more I like the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series, where the guy with the best average finishing position throughout the year wins. I think the farther we get away from that, the bigger the chance of changing our sport to try to fit in with others and I don’t think that’s best for us.”
NASCAR’s system rewards consistency. The highest 12 drivers after 26 races are eligible to run for the Sprint Cup title over the final 10 events of the year, and winning does not necessarily crown a champion.
“I think if you determine your champion just based on wins, you’re taking a huge gamble of having the wrong champion,” Carl Edwards said.
And that’s coming from the guy who would have won the title last year under F1’s proposal. Edwards won a series-best nine races last year, but finished second in the final standings to Jimmie Johnson.
“It’s wrong,” Kyle Busch said. “It needs to be based on consistency. Right now it’s not the perfect scenario, but it’s a good enough scenario where its consistency in the last 10 [races].
“To me for a whole season of wins … I would have finished second in points last year, but to me I don’t think it’s right.”
Four-time champion Jeff Gordon agreed.
“I am not a big fan of them saying just whoever wins the most races,” he said. “I do think they need to change the points system a little bit, though. It needs to award a little bit more for first.
“I like what we have right now where it pays more points to win. You can really make up a lot of points or spread yourself out from your competitors when you win.” Ditto, said Jeff Burton.
“I like the fact that you have to show consistency,” he said.