2007 Changes to the Chase Format
1. Any driver with the name Earnhardt, Jimmie, Tony Stewart, Dale, or Jeff Gordon will be eligible for the championship.
2. A minimum of ten drivers, with a maximum of 43 will be allowed to race for the championship cup, as long as they meet NASCAR requirements, along with the required Coke chug points. (With the exception of Jeff Gordon.)
3. A minimum of 10 races will make up the championship Chase, Sprint, Target, Ameriquest, Fusion, Motorola, or Red Bull Run, with a maximum of 36 races to be determined at any given date.
4. The scheduled tracks for the playoffs will be stripped from their dates, to be given to other venues, to make a more diverse track schedule. This will build more excitement, because a championship run will have to be raced on all different terrain. NASCAR will pick the tracks through auction. A road course may or may not be included. All tracks will be determined through the diversity of the track owners and sponsors assets.
5. A championship will be awarded for a combination of driver points, owner points, and an exciting new division of sponsor points. Bonus points will be rewarded to the team with the majority of commercial airtime during actual green flag racing.
6. Any sponsor shall be allowed to gain entry into the championship playoffs, as long as they have a long-term relationship with the business of NASCAR. A 'friendly fee,' will be levied against such sponsors, for an amount to never be disclosed, along with them agreeing to subscribe to Trackpass on www.NASCAR.com for a minimal length of 4 full years.
7. An exciting new network deal will make all scheduled championship races to be available through a subscription service of NASCAR, with only official licensed NASCAR content. This will be an additional advanced coverage that will NOT replace any regular network contracts. The original basic cable coverage will also be advanced with a special new patent technology that will super impose race long commercials over the exact shape of the racecar, at the exact location of the car on the track. With 5.1 Digital Surround Sound!
8. All playoff races will be raced in the Car of Tomorrow and be equipped with the most advanced LCD panels, that will drastically cut down glare, and make sponsorship easily interchangeable during actual race time. Assuring hard paying race naming right sponsors of their chance to make their product win specified such events.
9. A minimum of 3 rain delays and 1 postponed race will be mandatory for the championship schedule. NASCAR holds the right of not informing the viewing audience of weather reports, nor will they postpone a race until all such sponsored commercials are ran in their entirety.
10. The Championship Cup will now be known as the Championship Bud, and all fans and media will only be allowed to refer to the championship driver by their sponsor's name. All onsite track parking for the fallowing year will only be given to car owners of the championship manufacture.
"At first I was skeptical that it was too early to make any changes to the Chase format, but after analyzing these new rules I believe they will all benefit the sport of NASCAR. I think the fans are the true winners. And I can't wait for next year!" -Darrell Dale, fan, self proclaimed Toyota guy.