Jan
23
New Magic Number for Cup Chase is 12
January 23, 2007 | Posted by VroomDude
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NASCAR has announced plans to not only award more points to drivers that actually win races (imagine that), but are expanding the total number of teams that will make the Chase each year to 12.
Beginning this season, the Chase will have 12 drivers — up from 10 — and the field will be seeded based on “regular-season” victories.
It starts in the 26-race “regular season,” where wins now will be worth 185 points. That’s up five points from years past, and assuming the winning driver also picks up other bonuses during the race, a victory can be worth as much as 25 points more than second place.
In addition, those wins will be worth a 10-point bonus that will be used to “seed” the drivers when the 10-race Chase begins.
Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle would have been the lucky dogs last year if the system had been in place, as they finished 11th and 12th in the standings. While the final outcome would have been the same, with Jimmie Johnson winning the championship, Tony would have actually finished 2nd, just 16 points behind.