A few points about NASCAR

If you're a stock car racing fan, you know the "chase" is on. But how does all this stuff work, anyway?

Near as I can tell, the Top Ten drivers after 20-some races in the "regular season" qualify for a 10 race "playoff". This is all determined by points. Drivers get so many points for a win, finishing 2nd, 3rd, etc. They get points for leading the most laps in a race. They get points for leading just one lap in a race. There's owner points, sponsorship points, and for all I know, maybe the guy with the cutest girlfriend or wife gets a few points for that.

Points can be taken away too. Sometimes it's OK to trash another guy's car at 190 MPH, but if the instigator's car is a quarter of an inch off at post-race inspection, that's gonna cost him points. Ramming a member of his pit crew might be acceptable, but don't run over an air hose.

A NASCAR guy can race at high speeds with a totaled car that a state trooper would pull over on the interstate as being unfit to drive, and that's just fine -- but if a tire-changer missed a lugnut on an otherwise perfect car -- they get busted.

Besides the top 10 drivers, there's 2 "wild cards" in the "chase" field. They had to be in the top 20 for the regular season, and the rest is based on points. Wins score points. Top 5 finishes score points. Top 10 finishes score points. Depending on what team they drive for, that might score some points. If they and their crews were good boys and didn't get in a fight with another driver/team, they might not lose any points. And how dumb are the crew chiefs to think they might get away with using an illegal part these days when it comes inspection time? Those guys tear the whole car apart, engine and all. Do they really think they're going to miss something? That can result in a major loss of points.

Points for this, points for that, and at the end of the day, if you can figure out how all this works, you shouldn't be watching NASCAR. NASA is looking for people like you. Something about rocket science. These folks have more points flying around than a tornado on a cactus farm.

There's a better way, especially when the "chase" begins.

However the qualifiers are determined, it should be just THEM on the track at the last 10 races. The other cars/drivers/teams go home. That's the way it is in every other sport. All the riff-raff is doing is wasting tires, sheet metal, gasoline, sometimes causing wrecks, and mostly getting in the way.

If the also-rans insist on racing, fine. Let them do it a day or 2 earlier on the same track amongst themselves. Preferably when the souped-up "trucks" race. Get rid of that anyway. Ever watch one of those? There's NOBODY in the stands. The only things running are the trucks, the cameras, and the announcers' mouths.

As the 10 race, 12 car "chase" progresses, drop whatever car is last in points after every 2 races. When it comes down to the last 2 contests, there would still be an 8-car field. That's enough cars to allow for drafting, high and low lines around the track, and pit strategy. More important, reset the points. Everybody starts with none. Come playoff time, other teams in pro sports don't get spotted a few points because of what they did in weeks before -- and neither should these guys.

In the next to last race, a win is 8 points, on down to last place being worth one point. Forget laps led and all that other crap. Same for the final race.

We've boiled it down to the best of the best, and whoever racks up the most points in a 2-day competition is the champion.

They do it that way on Jeopardy! and that's good enough for me.

However, if it's STILL a tie after those 2 races amongst 2 or more competitors, then it's time for sudden death. Bring the cars into the pits, let the crews put on fresh tires, make adjustments, and put enough fuel in them for a 5-lap shoot-out. They pick numbers out of a Richard Petty hat for starting positions.

One lap under the yellow and drop the green. Winner take all 5 laps later. Those guys would have run thousands of laps over the year and now it all comes down to the last five to see who gets the pot of gold.

It would be all-out, no holds barred, balls to the wall racing to determine a champion.

In the end, what could be better than that?