NASCAR’s points system will remain unchanged from last year, when the debut of a 10-race shootout format resulted in the closest championship finish in series history. “We feel like we have a pretty good system and we’re set for ’05,” NASCAR chairman Brian France said Monday. “We did look hard at making any potential adjustments.” In 2004, France began his first year as head of NASCAR by overhauling the decades-old points system and creating a playoff structure for 10 drivers over the final 10 events of the Nextel Cup season. In resisting the urge to tinker with the system, NASCAR will begin the season without any major changes for the first time in four years. So, by standing pat, France had nothing to announce when the Nextel Cup media tour made its annual stop at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center. Instead, he used his time to give a State of the NASCAR address and denying rumors that he was looking to leave the family-run business to pursue bringing an NFL team to Los Angeles. France said there are no plans to stage a Nextel Cup race in Mexico or Canada anytime soon.(New York Newsday/AP)(1-25-2005)
