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the 2007 Chase, it was easily seen only two drivers had a chance at taking home the Championship. Even with only once race remaining, Jimmie Johnson had all but wrapped up the Championship. He only needed to start the race to receive enough points to win the Championship.

This Chase format has lacked the excitement given to us in early September when the IRL Championship was won on the last lap of the last race with only a few points separating the drivers.

And now NASCAR fans are upset that Jeff Gordon, who had held the lead for much of the year, came in second due to fewer race wins. It almost seems a little contradictory, but NASCAR needs to find a common ground between race wins and consistency.

But what? Ideas and issues have all been thrown around and none seem to match the simplicity and level playing field of the Chase.

A single race off would disallow for consistency. Why would anyone race the other 35 races in the year if the last one was the only one that mattered?

The highest number of wins would also disallow for consistency.

So a point system seems and is the most effective, but still the Chase is lacking. Perhaps the points should be tightened during the Chase. In the 12 drivers that make it, each would receive a certain amount of points for finishing ahead of the other drivers in the Chase. So instead of receiving 190 points for winning a race, the current points system, the winner would receive say 60. The other 11 would receive points in increments of 5 and the last of the twelve, no matter where he finished, would earn 5 points. Thus tightening the points and making the final races more important.

While no changes have been scheduled for the 2008 Sprint Cup Season, NASCAR still has some more tweaking to do on the Chase.

Learn more about this author, Meg A Wright.
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