When Kasey Kahne came perilously close to not making the Chase For The Nextel Cup despite a series-high five victories, the debate raged during the Richmond race weekend on how a win should affect determining the Chase field. The question: Whether the driver with the most wins in a season might qualify as a wild card or whether a win should be worth more points in general. NASCAR is considering adding more points for a win. The sanctioning body increased the points margin between first and second place from five to 10 points in 2004 when it instituted the Chase format. “We’re looking at what effect it would make to award more points,” NASCAR Managing Director of Corporate Communications Ramsey Poston said Sept. 9. “But at this point, nothing is done. It is important for us to get through this season so we have three full seasons to look back on.” Two drivers – Jeff Burton and Mark Martin – made the Chase without a win, while Tony Stewart (two wins) and Greg Biffle (one win) are 11th and 12th, respectively, in points and out of Chase contention. Burton noted that the point system does not reward a team for winning as much as it penalizes a team for performing poorly. “That is something nobody really puts any emphasis on, the penalty for doing poorly,” Burton said. “If you have a terrible, terrible race, that is a huge penalty that you pay.”(in part from SceneDaily.com)(9-14-2006)
