NASCAR has a new title sponsor, so it only makes sense that they've decided to make a bunch of changes that they think will make things simpler and easier to follow, but in reality are much more complicated than they intended. I don't know if I'm for or against the changes (or if I'll be invested enough to care), but I definitely like the increased emphasis on winning and the idea of bonus points heading into the Chase (is it still called that?).
The biggest change is that races are now broken down into three "stages," with bonus points being awarded to the top 10 at the end of each stage. Sorry, but that just sounds confusing. The only other thing I can think of where you get points in the middle of the race is track cycling...and does anyone understand the points race in cycling? And the Tour de France has a separate points leader jersey that's different than the yellow jersey. But when and how they collect these points is beyond me.
I'm willing to bet that I'm not the only person who's going to be confused by this whole "segment" thing. I guess the idea behind it is to create an end-of-race like excitement at multiple points throughout the race. Except I highly doubt guys will go all-out on lap 40 of a 200-lap race just for a couple bonus points (maybe later in the season if a playoff berth depends on it, but that's about it).
My guess is that the theory behind the "segments," other than "creating more excitement" is to reward drivers for doing well during the race. I can somewhat understand the rationale there. In the past, if someone led 130 laps, but ended up finishing 30th because of a blown out tire or an accident, he'd only get the 15 or so points for 30th place. There was no reward for dominating the race until something out of their control happened. Now there is. But, if you ask me, I'd bet drivers would still prefer finishing in the Top 10 at the end of the race than winning the first segment and calling it a day.
Now that I'm thinking of it, they probably got that idea from themselves. Because that's pretty much the exact format of the All-Star Race every year. But even in the All-Star Race, being in first at the end of a segment doesn't really get you anything (I don't even think there's any money involved). It's only the winner at the end of the race that gets the $1 million. And in the All-Star Race, they have mandatory pit stops at the end of each segment (they even reset the field before the final one), so it really is like three separate races. What's unclear about doing it in the regular season races is if they cross the start/finish line and just keep going as if they're in the middle of a race (which they are).
One of the benefits of this new system is that all bonus points, from both segments and finishes, carry over into the next round. Likewise, when they reset the points at the start of the Chase, they're actually going to give them bonus points based on their position in the standings. I never quite understood why they didn't do that in the past. Yes, I get the whole "everybody starts fresh" thing, but if you lead by 200-something points at the end of the regular season, you deserve to have a lead of more than three at the start of the playoffs.
Have you ever noticed, too, that these format changes always seem to happen after Jimmie Johnson wins the NASCAR Cup (I do prefer that to Monster Energy Cup)? Seriously, the dude is like the Patriots. The format doesn't really seem to matter. He manages to win anyway. I'm sure he'll figure it out in this way, too. I'm not a fan of Jimmie Johnson (I find is constant winning incredibly annoying), but what he's done sure is impressive. He's got seven titles, the same as NASCAR legends Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, but has done it how many different way?
Speaking of the great Dale Earnhardt, his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes his long-awaited return to Cup Series racing this weekend at the Daytona 500. He missed roughly the last half of the season last year because of a concussion, and it's very admirable that he decided to wait until he was totally symptom-free to return. Most drivers (and their sponsors) would be itching to get back in the car and probably come back too early, which is dangerous on many levels.
Earnhardt started a very necessary discussion in a sport where the risk of injury (and even death) is much higher than it is in any other. That's one of the reasons Carl Edwards gave for his sudden retirement, and Danica Patrick has said that she'd seriously consider it if she got another concussion.
Dale Jr. has an impeccable sense of timing, too. Because he comes back just as some of NASCAR's other more popular drivers call it a career. Jeff Gordon retired a year ago (although he ran a couple race in Dale Jr.'s place last year), and this year Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards join him in retirement. Sure, Johnson's still there, and there are still plenty of transcendent NASCAR drivers like Kevin Harvick and the Busch Brothers (among others). So, in a way, this Daytona 500 is a changing of the guard. There are a lot of unfamiliar names in the field, meaning NASCAR's new generation has arrived.
Last year, we saw rookie Alexander Rossi win the Indy 500. It's a lot tougher for rookies in NASCAR, especially at Daytona, so I still expect to see one of the usual suspects end up in the Winner's Circle after NASCAR's Super Bowl. But to see one (or more) of the rookies win a race and perhaps make the Chase, that wouldn't surprise me at all.
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