OK, here's the warning. This is a moan about the chase, if you like it as it is press the back button now.

But this is not about how it's run, what the points system should be, how many drivers should be included or even if the damned thing should exist at all.

This is about where the chase is run.

Currently the 10 races take in

1 Short Track (Martinsville)

1 Super-Speedway (Talladega)

3 1-mile tracks (Loudon, Dover, Phoenix) AND

5 (yes 5) 1.5 mile tracks (Kansas, Lowe's, Texas, Atlanta, Homestead)

There was a coloumn on NASCAR.com in the build up to the Dover race that mentioned how the chase should be a cross section of NASCARs tracks - both geographically and by type. Does 50% of the chase bening made up of one type of track seem like a cross section to you. No? Me Neither.

So, what tracks should be in the chase, and in the immediate run-in to it and in what order. What follows is my perfect 11 races to end the season, however impossible due to the Corporations owning most of the facilities.

Chase Prelude: Richmond.

Richmond is a good fit for the run-in to the chase, it needs no help selling out races and is one of the more unique tracks in Nascar so deserves an integral place in the NASCAR play-offs.

Chase Race 1: Homestead

Homestead keeps it place in the chase but is moved up to the opener, as one of the few non-d-shaped 1.5 mile tracks. The cynic in me says it is only the final race due to the banquets held at the WDW resorts in the following week, but having both the season opener and final race in the same state and market seems to spoil the Floridians a bit.

Chase Race 2: Bristol

I don't care that the re-surfacing seems to have neutered the track based on this year. Bristol 9 times out of 10 gives some of the best races of the year and the helicopter shots over the high-banked bullring is probably one of the most memorable camera angles of the (well, at least my) sporting year.

Chase Race 3: Atlanta

Atlanta keeps it's place on the calender as a survivor from the real chase. Only having one or two means that the chase isn't in danger of suffering from the "Kahne factor" a phonomenom I've named in honour of KK after his 2006 showings - what was it - 6 wins on the Intermediate tracks

Chase Race 4: Pocono

Pocono replaces Phoenix as the odd-shaped-triagular-apparently-drives-like-a-road-course-track. Now, both are unique so deserve their places in the re-vamped chase, but Pocono just takes it as the two regular season races are too close together, plus it may be the only way Denny Hamlin can win the Cup. Ever.

Chase Race 5: [Insert Road Course Here]

I don't mind which one, just a road course. At the moment the Glen and Sonoma are the wierd uncles of NASCAR, regarded with suspision every time they come round and not really taken seriously, hence the number of ringers that come in over the regular guys. A road course in the chase will mean that teams have to look at the road course abilities of drivers as well as their ability to turn left. This is also a great way to expand the international aspect, at least a test, putting a high pressure race on in Mexico City or Montreal should really guage the appetite of NASCAR out side the US.

Chase Race 6: Dover

This weekend showed what Dover can do at it's best. It's also privately owned and unique in the much referenced corners below the level of the straights way. Plus it keeps me wondering whether there's a guy with 43 die-cast cars and a glue gun waiting in victory lane who just manages to finish by the time the camera shows the trophy

Chase Race 7: Martinsville

Now, I'm not a fan of the Paper Clip, in seems to breed follow the leader till you spin him out the way races. But as this chase is all about a cross-section it stays in.

Chase Race 8: Darlington

Another race, another style of track, the aim of Darlington to not just rid the white line all day makes it a track unlike most others.

Chase Race 9: Talladega

The chase needs a super-speedway, and giving Daytona or Indy two big stages every year seems too much. It's position at 9 is deliberate as the constant threat of the real big one means that the points positions going into the final race should be unpredictable.

Chase Race 10: Calafornia

So, after all this the final race is a D-shaped-oval. Yes. But. Every February the debate about the shedule rears it's ugly head, and we are always told that Southern Ca. is NASCAR's second biggest market. So prove it. Here's one of the biggest weekends of the year, if NASCAR is as important there as it's meant to Fontana will revel it. Plus, if it comes down to the party venues like I mentioned for Homestead there are enough places round there to keep them happy, and they can still go see Shamu. 

So, Juan Montoya (or however many names he has this month) isn't suprised about the McLaren scandal in F1, or "Stepneygate" as it's been called after the Ferrari employee who leaked the initial info to McLaren.

Why should he be suprised? Firstly he was with McLaren for umpteen years, and for a load more was around F1 with the Williams team. F1 may be the most competetive motorsport in the world, as not only do you have multi-million pound/euro/dollar sponsorships and wages on the line, but increasingly so the fates of major car makers are pinned on the outcome of a 2 hour race every few Sundays.

But isn't competition a part of all sport. Haven't people in all sports been trying to get through tiny loopholes since the beginning of time (unfortunately the results of random drug tests from the Ancient Greek Olympics haven't survived to the present day). Whether it be types of steroids in sports like athletics, football - both mine and yours - and just about any other sport. Or the more technology driven 'cheating' that motorsports attracts.

Last year Ferrari were stopped from using a flexible wing that gave them more downforce in corners and flexed flatter to provide less drag in a straight line. Honda (or BAR Honda as they may have been) were disqualified from a race and barred from a further two for having an under-weight car in an after race inspection.

In NASCAR it's no different, in fact there may be more attempts at getting through the loopholes, and heaven only knows how many of those pass unnotived through the scrutineers stations and so never reach public awareness. Just these last few seasons Chad Knaus has been suspended twice, Evernham Racing has had points taken from all of it's teams after Daytona, at least 4 cars have been found to be too low - Andretti and Vickers were kicked out and two other (Gordon and someone else) were stopped from practising or qualifying for the following race. And, my personal favourite in the 'Yeah, how were you planning to get away with that one" class - Waltrip's attempt to get away with some substance (did they ever find out is that was jet fuel?) in the engine.

So in summary. Juan has pointed out the blindingly obvious. Cheating, as much as it shouldn't be part of sports is and we should never be suprised of the lengths desperate men with their cheque-books go.