A Different Kind Of Championship Format

Much has been made of the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship format. The “playoff” format that has been use has had mixed results and reviews. Some have called for another revision. In fact, there are several issues that cause concern, among them the fact that someone could potentially miss a few races and still make the Chase, or that those who fans favor missing out. Maybe the Old School Racing Tour has an answer.

The Old School Racing Tour, OSRT, is a series for old time drivers to compete for charities. They will hold 10 regular events, followed by one championship race. It will start in May and conclude the “regular season” in October. The championship race will be held next February, in conjuction with the Daytona 500. Drivers like Harry Gant, David Pearson, Dave Marcus and Geoff Bodine, among others, will compete for the championship, earning money for a specified charity.

The format for the championship will consist of allowing drivers to choose 6 races in which they will compete. Their top five finishes will be used to compile their points. At the end of the season, the top ten will qualify for the winner-take-all championship race. Prior to the championship race, all other drivers will race in a last chance race, in which the top 10 will also qualify for the championship race.

I like this idea. I think it has potential for the Cup series. Now, I don’t think limiting the number of races the drivers could race in would every fly. The fans would revolt if their favorites chose not to race their favorite race. But, the idea of taking the top 32 or so finishes has merit. Allowing drivers to throw out four or five of their worst finishes would remove the problem of the non-contenders affecting the outcome of the championship. Also, the idea of a final race with only 20 or so drivers, 10 automatic and 10 who raced their way in from a qualifying race, is very intriguing.

I think most of all, this format shows that there are other potential formats that could be put to use to change the Cup championship. With the concern of falling TV ratings, something like a winner-take-all race to decide the championship might spark interest. I’m sure it would have it’s detractors. Every format will have those. The OSRT will definitely be worth watching to see how it plays out, though.

Next fix should be the miserable failure, the Top 35 rule.