By Brian from Racedriven.com

With all of the close championships in Motorsports that are going on rightnow, it was only fitting that last Sunday night's WindTunnel on SPEED would get in on the subject too with there question of the week. But after hereing a comment in the late stages of the show, I decided to add a little bit more to it, so the question is:

Which championship fight is more exciting - Alonso vs Schumacher in Formula 1, Force vs Capps in NHRA's Funny Car or The Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship in NASCAR.

The idea of picking on over anyother is not the easiest thing for a Motorsports fan to do, but what is really going on in each series...

In Formula 1, on Sunday before WindTunnel, in an article I touched on this championship battle and the Chinese Grand Prix that resulted in a tie in the championship between Alonso and Schumacher. Basically, this fight will come down to the line with just two races to go. Read more...

Mean time in the NHRA, each of the four top series has a big battle going on among the top runners, but the most talked about and watched for that matter has been in Funny Cars with John Force, Ron Capps and Robert Hight battling it out with Force leading Capps by just 1 point and Force's teammate Hight who has been on a teir as of late winning two of the last three event closing the gap up to just 35 points back. Last years championship came down to the final race with Gary Scelzi winning over John Force. This year, the three way fight will likely yet again go down to the final event in Pomona.

No predictions here on this fight, but I have been trying to watch these events a much as possible for not only the simple reason of I am getting to like it, drag racing, but I have been a fan of John Force and John Force racing since before I meet him at Racearama in 1996, when I got his autography, he was so full of life them, and he still is today. He can get the the job down, no doubt and these John Force Racing teams are the best in Funny Car.

Finally, the Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship in NASCAR with a 10-race 10 driver championship battle that if you have been keeping tabs on, no one is yet out of this. Really it is to early to predict a winner, but that has never stopped me with my early top driver finishing order prediction that I created just after the first chase race at New Hampshire. I predicted Kasey Kahne would win the championship because of his results on the final 9 races to go and those tracks over Kevin Harvick, but rightnow, its his teammate Jeff Burton not only returning to his winning ways when he won at Dover, but has taking an early points lead of 69 points over the very impressive rookie Denny Hamlin and 1 more point back over Mark Martin. The top three are only seperated by 70 points with just 7 races to go and unpredictable Talladega Superspeedway is up next were "The Big One" might appear.

My final 10 driver finishing order predictions..Read Here

In the past and now I have no love lost for Talladgea racing, but I try to keep an open mind, its only 2 races a year. With three races to go, the chase picture might look a lot clearer to some, but who knows. I hope in away I am wrong with my prediction of the top finishing order, because I am a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan and he is down, but not out by any means. The #8 Budweiser Chevy is a championship caliber team,...its all about the results, like its said..you don't have to win a race in the final 10 races to win the championship.

With all that said...he's my answer, it's The Chase For the Nextel Cup Championship in NASCAR and if that was a surprise to you, then you are not a repeat reader of Racedriven.com, I have a big NASCAR fan since the early 90's..and I'm still here. However I will say that the NHRA Funny Car Championship has gotten interesting too,, but since I go to NASCAR events at New Hampshire,its still number 1. Check out all three of these championships, its all there.

A couple of things that caught my eye from the Nextel cup race last weekend in Kansas, Congrads to Tony Stewart on winning the race in a no fuel move to win, but speecking of fuel, the quote of the week had to come in the closing laps when a NBC pit reporter said.."The fuel is in the tank in the trunk of the car" said after Jeff Gordon's fuel pump gave out and he was behind the wall, I'm out..

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One of the biggest questions in NASCAR is how to update the current points system used in all three of NASCAR's top racing series including the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The idea of completely rebuilding the points system is not needed at all. This 35 year+ old system is just fine with a couple of needed tweeks to still give drivers the chance of winning the championship even if they have a couple of bad races. The current system rewards drivers on consistance, not victories, the points system needs to do both.

One other problem, at any given NASCAR race is after a wreck happens, those drivers involves enter back in the race to pick up a couple of positions for the points in turn making a giant mess for the leaders to get through and sometimes resulting in more wrecks, case in point, Talladega.

So after taking in to account all of these factors and a couple more and using the current 2006 points system as a model, this is what I have come up with.

Here we go.....

This points system would still be used through the entire 36-race schedule including the Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship.

The winner of each NASCAR race receives 170 points. The runner-up in each event scores 150. From there, the point total declines in five-point increments for places three through five, points awarded drop four points per driver for positions six through 10 and three-point increments separate drivers' points for finishers in 11th through 32nd.

The 33rd to 43rd or last-place driver, gets 42 points each.
(Hopefully this keeps wrecked cars off the track and if a driver has a bad race, they don't loss as much.)

Bonus Points:
5 - leading a lap
5 - leading the most laps
20 - winning a race
20 - winning the 26-race points standings going into the 10-race chase.
(Instead of a 5 point lead over 2nd place in the chase, it would be 20 point lead.)

The winner of a race would receive 20 bonus points. If the winner lead the most laps than 5 more bonus points for a total of 25 points.

As for reseting the points for the 10-race chase, that would basically stay the same with one change. The points leader after the final 26-race (Richmond Race in 2006) would receive 20 more points over second place, which is the same for winning a NASCAR race.

What's Next!

Comments?

By Brian from Racedriven.com
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Revised on Friday, Sept. 22, 2006 at 3:31PM ET.

Revised, after a couple of comments on this Foxsports Blog "Racedriven Overdrive", I wanted to restate something on this list. I pick Kasey Kahne as my "dark horse" to win the championship. He will have to go through Kevin Harvick who is on a tear and is the points leader as of now (Friday Afternoon).

What will the year-end finishing order be for the ten drivers in NASCAR's Chase for the Nextel Cup.

1.. 9 Kasey Kahne "dark horse" to win
2. 29 Kevin Harvick "current points leader"
3, 24 Jeff Gordon
4. 11 Denny Hamlin
5. 17 Matt Kenseth
6. 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. "My favorite driver"
7. 6 Mark Martin
8. 31 Jeff Burton
9. 48 Jimmie Johnson 
10. 5 Kyle Busch

Why? Starting at the top, When it comes to the final 9 racetracks, Kasey Kahne has the upper hand, he runs good/has won on Atlanta, Charoltte, Texas, Kansas, Dover and I will even through in Talladega, he just have to finish good in the remainder of the tracks. Kevin Harvick has been on a tear as of late, the question is will it continue. Jeff Gordon has millions in front of him, so he will take off. Denny Hamlin is a wild card, with some good finishes and very impressive, he's the rookie, no one knows just what this kid can do. Matt Kenseth shows top 10 results. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a good team to do it, but still is having a little trouble finishing, but sometimes he doesn't, not to mention a huge fan base including me behind him. Mark Martin and Jeff Burton are in this, but are having trouble finishing. Jimmie Johnson has lost his wind in his sail and Kyle Busch, well, who knows, its a 146 points back.

Remember two things:
1. Don't count out anyone in this chase.
2. I am a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan and I want him to win the championship, the list above including picking Kasey Kahne to win, is based on the final 9-races left in the chase for the championship.

This was a difficult list to make with just 9-races to go, what does everyone think?

There is more postings at Racedriven.com,

By Brian from Racedriven.com
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By Brian from Racedriven.com

Last night, the 400 at Richmond International Raceway was one for championship, the final race to determine which drivers will be in the Chase for the Championship and who was going to the lone driver out.

The focus for the broadcast crew was mostly on the points contenders, this race, every driver must finish in or better than a certain position to lock in the chase. Most of the points contenders had trouble in one way or another, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had raced his way up through the field before a brake problem put him on the bubble on whether or not he would make it in. Dale Jr's key position was 16th, other points contenders had similar brake problems during the race too, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton to name a few. Jeff Gordon found himself outside the top 30 and 1 lap down with cooked brakes, but found himself still in the hunt.

A good day was for Mark Martin who ran in the top 10 most of the night finishing 5th, but two contenders, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick battled back and forth all night long for the top spot with Kevin Harvick passing Busch for the lead coming down for the white flag, Kevin Harvick would go on the sweep both the Busch Series and the nextel Cup races at Richmond.

At the end of the night, it would come down to Kasey Kahne in his Dodge vs. Tony stewart. The question was in someway answered by only 16 points differences with Kasey Kahne gaining enough positions to make the chase and the lone driver out was Tony Stewart. This will be the first time in so many years that Stewart will not finish in the top 10 in points. Saddly, Stewart will not defend his championship.

Going in the first chase race next weekend in Loudon, New Hampshire, it will be Matt Kenseth with the points lead followed by Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, the rookie Denny Hamlin, in 6th is Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon and in 10th with 45 points back will be Kasey Kahne.

This time around, I really have no predictions on who is going to win the championship, all I can say is, it will be the driver with the most consistent finishes throught these 10 races going into Homestead. A couple of drivers to look at, Kevin Harvick, who is all but clinched the 2006 Busch Series championship and has been on a roll as of late, Mark Martin could be a wild card as he could be in his last full time Nextel Cup season, or one of the young guns, Denny Hamlin or Kyle Busch. Who really knows at this point. I will as always be pulling for my favorite driver Dale Jr. to win his first Cup championship.

What a lineup compared to last year, four-five drivers that made the chase in recent years, this year are no where to be found including the Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards among others.

One final note, this will also be the last time this style of car will be run in loudon, as the Car of Tomorrow will be making its mark its next June/July.

Well see Yeah next week at NHIS.

By Brian from Racedriven.com

Before I get to the Race for the Chase, the Sharpie 500 won by Matt Kenseth, something caught my eye during the closing laps of the race, Riggs was racing the Jeff Gordon for 4th position and Riggs asked his spotter to ask Gordons spotter to ask Gordon to move over and let him by because he was faster...when did racing become asking the person ahead to move over for position instead of racing for it...you want that position, race for it, no gifts here and certainly not in the closing laps of any race.

Following the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Sharpie 500 last night, the Race to the Chase has gotten tighter with just two races to go. On the TNT broadcast, the announcers kept saying that this race was the wild card, don't think that for a second, every race is a wild card, anything can and will most likely happen in the final two races. California Speedway is D-shaped 2 mile oval similar to last weeks Michigan race and Richmond is a 3/4 mile short track filled with action, both with unknown results and under the lights racing.

Right now as it stands, from 4th place #5 Kyle Busch to 10th place #6 Mark Martin is only 48 points difference. The only two drivers going in to California in the points standings that are (somewhat) safe, is the points leader Jimmie Johnson and second place & winner of the last two cup races Matt Kenseth who has both clinched a spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. But some of NASCAR's biggest names have found thereselves on the bubble including 7th place Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr. to 10th place Mark Martin.

The picture for these bubble contenders is not as dark as some may put it, unless Greg Biffle and/or Carl Edwards who are over 251 points out of 10th get lucky with bad luck on the other contenders part, the race is down to Kasey Kahne in 11th place vs. 3rd to 10th in the points. Kahne is 90 points out of 10th place and could make that difference up in the last two races.

Where these drivers finish in the final two races and every bonus point could be the key to being in the chase after Richmond or not.

Final Thoughts on Bristol:
As always, I look forward to the two Bristol races among others every year including racing under the lights, and the racing this time didn't disappoint with Mark Martin dominating the Wednesday Nights Truck race and Matt Kenseth sweeping both the Busch and Nextel Cup race.

Bristol needs to change the Busch race from 250 laps to 300 lap race like they did in the spring race. As for the Cup race, I believe both races should be under the lights or the race ending under the lights. Night racing seems to bring out something in drivers...action. Only a thought.

Now its on to the labor day weekend race, California Speedway for the 500.

The Car of Tomorrow:
NASCAR Performance touched on several different aspects of the COT and did a great job in the process, but the fact remains, according to NASCAR, the COT is the 2007 and beyond car for the Nextel Cup Series starting at Bristol in 07 and at select races until 2009 season. Now how do we get it to look good and create better/safer racing?

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