The Genius of NASCAR

Here is a press release from NASCAR, dated January 26, 2011, headlined "Changes for 2011 Include Emphasis on Winning." In the press release, NASCAR Czar Brain France states that "{t}he fans tell us that winning matters the most with them, so we're combining the tradition of consistency in our sport with the excitement that comes along with winning." Of course, NASCAR also kept its silly "Chase" system, whereby a group of races at the end of the year are supposed to count more than other races in terms of deciding the title.

This weekend is the end of the NASCAR season, so let's see how things have worked out.

1. This year, Tony Stewart has won four races, and all four of them were in the Chase. Stewart won the Geico 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway on September 19th, the Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25th, the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville on October 30th, and the AAA Texas 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway on November 6th.

2. Stewart's closest competitor for the Winston Cup (or whatever it's called these days) is Carl Edwards. But Edwards's only victory in a Winston Cup race was at the Kobalt Tools 400 in Las Vegas back in March -- well before the Chase began in September.

3. So Stewart is way ahead of Edwards, right? Wrong. Going into the last race of the year, Edwards has 2,359 points, while Stewart has 2,356 points. No one else is even close. So Edwards will win the title unless he finishes at least three spots behind Stewart.

Here's my question: Why does NASCAR make such a big deal of new rules designed to promote winning at the end of the year, if the guy who wins at the end of the year is not actually going to be the champion? I mean, have whatever rules you want, but what is the point of setting up your fans for such a confusing outcome?

In that January press release, France was quoted as saying that "{m}any of our most loyal fans don't fully understand the points system we have used to date." My guess is that if Carl Edwards pops the champagne on Sunday, France will be able to use that same quote next January.