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NASCAR ESTABLISHES NEW FORMAT FOR NASCAR DODGE WEEKLY SERIES

 

* Easy-to-follow Championship Points System Replaces CPI Index

 

* Bonus Points Reward Drivers at NASCAR’s Most Competitive Tracks

 

* NASCAR Reallocates Championship Point Fund to Support More Drivers

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 13, 2005) – NASCAR has established a new method for determining the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series championship, and has reallocated its annual point fund to provide more awards for more drivers in the series. For the first time in 15 years, a traditional NASCAR championship points system will replace the Competition Performance Index (CPI), which ranked the drivers by a statistical index and was used to determine the series champion each year from 1990-2004.

 

Beginning in 2005, drivers in each track’s top NASCAR class will be awarded championship points at each race. The driver with the highest total – based on their best 16 finishes of the season – will win a championship in one of NASCAR’s four newly-designated divisions: Division I, Division II, Division III and Division IV. Each division includes a group of randomly-assigned tracks and is not based on geography or types of cars. Point fund awards will be distributed equally to all four divisions. The divisional champion with the highest point total overall will be crowned as the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series national champion.

 

“This new championship points system marks a new era for the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series,” said NASCAR President Mike Helton. “Since it was founded in 1982, this series has grown to become the premier short track series in North America and this new format will continue to create excitement for teams, tracks, drivers and fans, while ensuring a fair and competitive race for the championship. NASCAR is going to strengthen this series and provide greater support to the true foundation of our sport.”

 

The divisional and national championships are open to drivers competing in the top class at each NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series track – including Late Model Stock Cars, Modifieds, Dirt Modifieds, Dirt Late Models, Late Model Sportsman, Super Late Models, Super Stocks and other styles of cars.

 

Highlights of the new format include:

 

Ø A simple points system … Championship points will be awarded as follows: 50 points to the winner of each race, 48 points for second place, 46 points for third place, 44 points for fourth place, and so on. The driver with the highest points total within each division will win that divisional title.

 

Ø Bonus points for higher car counts … Bonus points will be awarded based on the number of cars competing at each track. Ten bonus points will be awarded per driver, per finish, at each race with between 15-20 cars in the field. Twenty bonus points will be awarded per driver, per finish, at each race with 21 or more cars in the field. If a track has fewer than 15 cars in the field, no bonus points will be awarded in that race.

 

Ø Drivers can earn points at any NASCAR track … Drivers can collect points toward a NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series divisional or national title at more than one NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series track, provided they are competing in the top NASCAR-sanctioned class at that track.

 

Ø Best 16 finishes decide championships … A driver’s best 16 finishes between January 1-September 18, 2005 will be counted towards the divisional and national championships. There is no minimum or maximum number of races a driver must compete in to be eligible.

 

In the event of a tie in the point standings, ties will be broken per the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series rule book, which breaks the tie by determining which driver has more victories. If the drivers remain tied after comparing the number of race victories, the number of second-place finishes (and so on) will be compared until the tie is broken.

 

Ø New point fund format rewards more competitors … NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series competitors will continue to receive a championship point fund of nearly $1.7 million – the largest point fund of any short track racing series in North America. The top finishing drivers in each of NASCAR’s four championship divisions will share approximately $150,000 in point fund awards – a total prize offering of nearly $600,000 among the top divisional finishers in the series. The top 10 drivers in the top class at each track will share an additional $8,900 in point fund and contingency sponsor awards.

 

Drivers in “support” classes will receive greater point fund payouts than ever before. In each track’s second-tier racing division, which includes Street Stocks, Trucks, Sportsman, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and other classes, the top 10 drivers will share $3,000 while drivers in each track’s third-tier, or “Charger” class, will share $2,000 in post-season prize money. NASCAR has discontinued its ShorTrack Division, which provided prizes for second-tier drivers only, in favor of a wider distribution of point fund awards to the top 10 competitors in each of these three classes.

 

The four championship divisions include the following tracks: *

 

Division I

 

Ace Speedway – Altamahaw, N.C.

 

Beech Ridge Motor Speedway – Scarborough, Maine

 

Bowman Gray Stadium – Winston-Salem, N.C.

 

Big Diamond Raceway – Minersville, Pa.

 

Caraway Speedway – Asheboro, N.C.

 

Evergreen Speedway – Monroe, Wash.

 

Greenville-Pickens Speedway – Greenville, S.C.

 

JAX Raceways – Jacksonville, Fla.

 

Lakeside Speedway – Kansas City, Kan.

 

Langley Speedway – Hampton, Va.

 

Lanier National Speedway – Braselton, Ga.

 

Lonesome Pine International Raceway – Coeburn, Va.

 

Motor Mile Speedway – Radford, Va.

 

Rockford Speedway – Rockford, Ill.

 

Rocky Mountain Raceways – West Valley City, Utah

 

South Boston Speedway – South Boston, Va.

 

Division II

 

Adams County Speedway – Corning, Iowa

 

Autodrome St. Eustache – St. Eustache, Quebec, Canada

 

Concord Motorsport Park – Concord, N.C.

 

Delaware Speedway – Delaware, Ontario, Canada

 

Grandview Speedway – Bechtelsville, Pa.

 

Holland International Speedway – Holland, N.Y.

 

I-80 Speedway – Greenwood, Neb.

 

Lee USA Speedway – Lee, N.H.

 

Lorain Speedway – South Amherst, Ohio

 

Mesa Marin Raceway – Bakersfield, Calif.

 

Myrtle Beach Speedway – Myrtle Beach, S.C.

 

Park Jefferson Speedway – Jefferson, S.D.

 

San Antonio Speedway – San Antonio, Tex.

 

Shasta Raceway Park – Anderson, Calif.

 

Spencer Speedway – Williamson, N.Y.

 

Stockton 99 Speedway – Stockton, Calif.

 

Watsonville Speedway – Watsonville, Calif.

 

Division III

 

Cajon Speedway – El Cajon, Calif.

 

Colorado National Speedway – Erie, Colo.

 

Columbus Motor Speedway – Columbus, Ohio

 

Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway – Dubuque, Iowa

 

Hickory Motor Speedway – Hickory, N.C.

 

Kalamazoo Speedway – Kalamazoo, Mich.

 

Kil Kare Speedway – Xenia, Ohio

 

LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway – LaCrosse, Wis.

 

Lake Erie Speedway – North East, Pa.

 

Magic Valley Speedway – Twin Falls, Idaho

 

Old Dominion Speedway – Manassas, Va.

 

Peoria Speedway – Peoria, Ill.

 

Riverhead Raceway – Riverhead, N.Y.

 

Seekonk Speedway – Seekonk, Mass.

 

The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Las Vegas, Nev.

 

Division IV

 

Elko Speedway – Elko, Minn.

 

Farley Speedway – Farley, Iowa

 

Irwindale Speedway – Irwindale, Calif.

 

Jennerstown Speedway – Jennerstown, Pa.

 

Monadnock Speedway – Winchester, N.H.

 

Motordrome Speedway – Smithton, Pa.

 

Music City Motorplex – Nashville, Tenn.

 

Oglethorpe Speedway Park – Savannah, Ga.

 

Raceway Park – Shakopee, Minn.

 

Stafford Motor Speedway – Stafford Springs, Conn.

 

Star Speedway – Epping, N.H.

 

Thompson International Speedway – Thompson, Conn.

 

Tucson Raceway Park – Tucson, Ariz.

 

Twin State Speedway – Claremont, N.H.

 

Wall Township Speedway – Wall Township, N.J.

 

Waterford Speedbowl – Waterford, Conn.

 

* Divisional alignment as of 2/13/05

 

For More Information, Contact:

 

Jeremy Davidson, NASCAR Public Relations, (386) 681-4173 or jdavidson@nascar.com

 

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Debbie Williams sent us the following list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding the revised NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series Championship Point System

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Who is eligible? Drivers who are NASCAR members in good standing. To ensure championship eligibility, drivers must become a NASCAR member within 30 days of their first start of the 2005 season.

 

Each participating track will designate its own top class to participate in the NASCAR championship division. Typically, those have included Sportsman, Super Late Models, Pro Late Models, Late Model Stock Cars, Modifieds, SK Modifieds ®, Dirt Modifieds, Dirt Late Models, Pro Stocks and Super Stocks.

 

When are the races held? NASCAR championship points will be awarded for any NASCAR championship division races held between Jan. 1 – Sept. 18, 2005. Points can only be awarded for races held and officially reported to NASCAR points and membership, by a NASCAR-sanctioned track.

 

How does it work? Driver championship points will be awarded for each event, per section 17-3 of the 2005 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series rule book. Points will be awarded to each driver in the event, according to their finishing position, as follows:

 

Position Points Position Points Position Points

1st 50 11th 30 21st 10

2nd 48 12th 28 22nd 8

3rd 46 13th 26 23rd 6

4th 44 14th 24 24th 4

5th 42 15th 22 25th 2

6th 40 16th 20

7th 38 17th 18

8th 36 18th 16

9th 34 19th 14

10th 32 20th 12

 

 

(All finishers below 25th position receive 2 points each.)

 

Bonus points will be awarded, based on the number of cars in a given race.

 

· 10 bonus points will be awarded PER DRIVER, PER FINISH, at each race with between 15-20 cars in the field.

 

· 20 bonus points will be awarded PER DRIVER, PER FINISH, at each race with 21 or more cars in the field.

 

· If a track has fewer than 15 cars in the field, no bonus points will be awarded for that race.

 

The bonus points will be awarded on a race-to-race basis, and are not based on the average number of race cars over the course of a season. Those cars included in the car count totals (which determines the amount of bonus points awarded) must be cars of the same class, adhering to the same rules and undergoing the same technical inspection as any car in the track’s premier NASCAR-sanctioned class on a given race night. Car counts and race results are subject to NASCAR review.

 

Simply put, a driver who races against a larger field of cars on a regular basis will have a chance to earn more bonus points – and increase their chances to win the championship – compared to a driver who races against fewer cars.

 

Are all races counted? Only a driver’s best 16 finishes, between Jan. 1 – Sept. 18, will be counted towards the championship. A driver may compete and accumulate championship points at any NASCAR-sanctioned track, provided they are competing in the track’s top NASCAR class. Likewise, bonus points will only be counted for a driver’s best 16 finishes.

 

What championships are being awarded? Drivers in the top NASCAR class at each track will be competing for one of four (4) NASCAR divisional championships. Those divisions include: *

 

Division I

 

Ace Speedway – Altamahaw, N.C.

 

Beech Ridge Motor Speedway – Scarborough, Maine

 

Bowman Gray Stadium – Winston-Salem, N.C.

 

Big Diamond Raceway – Minersville, Pa.

 

Caraway Speedway – Asheboro, N.C.

 

Evergreen Speedway – Monroe, Wash.

 

Greenville-Pickens Speedway – Greenville, S.C.

 

Jax Raceways – Jacksonville, Fla.

 

Lakeside Speedway – Kansas City, Kan.

 

Langley Speedway – Hampton, Va.

 

Lanier National Speedway – Braselton, Ga.

 

Lonesome Pine International Raceway – Coeburn, Va.

 

Motor Mile Speedway – Radford, Va.

 

Rockford Speedway – Rockford, Ill.

 

Rocky Mountain Raceways – West Valley City, Utah

 

South Boston Speedway – South Boston, Va.

 

Division II

 

Adams County Speedway – Corning, Iowa

 

Autodrome St. Eustache – St. Eustache, Quebec, Canada

 

Concord Motorsport Park – Concord, N.C.

 

Delaware Speedway – Delaware, Ontario, Canada

 

Grandview Speedway – Bechtelsville, Pa.

 

Holland International Speedway – Holland, N.Y.

 

I-80 Speedway – Greenwood, Neb.

 

Lee USA Speedway – Lee, N.H.

 

Lorain Speedway – South Amherst, Ohio

 

Mesa Marin Raceway – Bakersfield, Calif.

 

Myrtle Beach Speedway – Myrtle Beach, S.C.

 

Park Jefferson Speedway – Jefferson, S.D.

 

San Antonio Speedway – San Antonio, Tex.

 

Shasta Raceway Park – Anderson, Calif.

 

Spencer Speedway – Williamson, N.Y.

 

Stockton 99 Speedway – Stockton, Calif.

 

Watsonville Speedway – Watsonville, Calif.

 

Division III

 

Cajon Speedway – El Cajon, Calif.

 

Colorado National Speedway – Erie, Colo.

 

Columbus Motor Speedway – Columbus, Ohio

 

Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway – Dubuque, Iowa

 

Hickory Motor Speedway – Hickory, N.C.

 

Kalamazoo Speedway – Kalamazoo, Mich.

 

Kil Kare Speedway – Xenia, Ohio

 

LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway – LaCrosse, Wis.

 

Lake Erie Speedway – North East, Pa.

 

Magic Valley Speedway – Twin Falls, Idaho

 

Old Dominion Speedway – Manassas, Va.

 

Peoria Speedway – Peoria, Ill.

 

Riverhead Raceway – Riverhead, N.Y.

 

Seekonk Speedway – Seekonk, Mass.

 

The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Las Vegas, Nev.

 

Division IV

 

Elko Speedway – Elko, Minn.

 

Farley Speedway – Farley, Iowa

 

Irwindale Speedway – Irwindale, Calif.

 

Jennerstown Speedway – Jennerstown, Pa.

 

Monadnock Speedway – Winchester, N.H.

 

Motordrome Speedway – Smithton, Pa.

 

Music City Motorplex – Nashville, Tenn.

 

Oglethorpe Speedway Park – Savannah, Ga.

 

Raceway Park – Shakopee, Minn.

 

Stafford Motor Speedway – Stafford Springs, Conn.

 

Star Speedway – Epping, N.H.

 

Thompson International Speedway – Thompson, Conn.

 

Tucson Raceway Park – Tucson, Ariz.

 

Twin State Speedway – Claremont, N.H.

 

Wall Township Speedway – Wall Township, N.J.

 

Waterford Speedbowl – Waterford, Conn.

 

* Divisional lineup as of 2/13/05

 

The driver who accumulates the greatest points total from events held at tracks in each division (including bonus points and counting only the best 16 finishes) will win the division championship. The divisional champion driver with the highest point total overall wins the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series national championship.

 

Are all four divisions equal? Yes. The divisions are randomly-assigned, and are not based on geography or styles of cars. Point fund awards will be distributed equally to all four divisions.

 

Can a driver win more than one divisional championship in the same season? Yes. The division championships are based solely on the total points accumulated by each driver – including bonus points. If a driver elects to compete at tracks in another division, they are eligible for the title, providing they are racing in the track’s top NASCAR-sanctioned class.

 

Why is NASCAR changing the format of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series? NASCAR has developed this new format for the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series in order to better serve the needs of its teams, tracks, drivers, fans and media.

 

Media and fans will benefit from an easy-to-follow points system, while competitors benefit from the flexibility to earn championship points at more than one track, and by counting only their best 16 finishes towards the championship. This system provides opportunities for the best drivers – at the most competitive race tracks – to compete for the championship in a fair and balanced manner.

 

Will drivers who race more often have an advantage? Under this new championship points system, only a driver’s best 16 finishes will be counted. Drivers who race more than 16 times will have the opportunity to accumulate more championship points if they win more races. However, only their best 16 finishes are counted – the same policy as all other competitors in the series. Racing more frequently does not guarantee more victories.

 

This system is designed to reward those drivers who race and win at the most competitive tracks in the series – those with the greatest number of cars competing on a weekly basis.

 

Does a driver need to win the track championship to win a NASCAR division championship? Not necessarily. The division championships are based solely on the total points accumulated by each driver – including bonus points. Therefore, the driver who has amassed the most points in the division, regardless of their position in the track point standings, will win the division championship. A driver can earn points towards a division championship at multiple tracks.

 

Why will the best 16 finishes be counted? By counting only a driver’s best 16 finishes of the year, the pressure is taken off the teams and drivers to guarantee a minimum number of races, which can be problematic when poor weather or other factors affect the track’s schedules. One poor finish or rained-out event will not necessarily ruin a driver’s chance to win a championship, if that race will not be counted towards the championship.

 

How much money will the divisional and national champions receive? Each divisional champion can receive up to $27,000, provided they finish high enough in the track point standings to collect the $2,000 contingency sponsor bonus (based on the track point standings), and are displaying all 2005 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series contingency sponsor decals for the duration of the season. The overall national champion receives an additional bonus of up to $50,000.

 

The second-place driver in each division will receive $15,000 in point fund awards while the third-place driver can collect $12,500. In total, the top finishing drivers in each championship division will share approximately $150,000 in point fund awards – a total prize offering of nearly $600,000 among all of the top divisional finishers in the series.

 

The top 10 drivers in the top class at each track will share $8,900 in point fund and contingency sponsor awards. The $8,900 is distributed based on track point standings, and is in addition to the $150,000 in championship awards paid per division.

 

Why is NASCAR changing the point fund? NASCAR, Dodge and participating sponsors will continue to provide a championship point fund of nearly $1.7 million, the largest point fund of any short track racing series in North America. NASCAR has reallocated this point fund to distribute more money to more competitors in the series.

 

Drivers in support classes will receive greater point fund payouts than ever before. In each track’s second-tier racing division, which includes Street Stocks, Trucks, Sportsman, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and other classes, the top 10 drivers will share $3,000 while drivers in each track’s third-tier, or “Charger” class, will share $2,000 in post-season prize money. NASCAR has discontinued its ShorTrack Division, which provided prizes for second-tier drivers only, in favor of a wider distribution of point fund awards to the top 10 competitors in each of these three classes.

 

By distributing more point fund money among more divisions, NASCAR can provide more opportunities for more drivers to share in the point fund, and help foster development for the future of NASCAR.

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I understand they literally "drew tracks out of the hat" to determine the divisions. As it states in the press release, divisions were not assigned based on geography or types of cars. Yep, there's only one NDWS track in the big state of Texas . . . at least, SAS is no longer up against Irwindale!

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Its great to see a change. But still looks like car count will still be a big factor with the bonus points system. Hope that the new LM rules will bring out the cars. Even though I am not in love with the 8' tire deal, I think it was the best decision based on the economics. I like the wide spread on engine combinations, just wish they would give the sportsman motor and the 350 2bl combination some more weight break.

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The new format will allocate more money to the racers who finish 2nd thru 10th in their local track points standings. That part is good.

 

However, to have a shot at the big money, the advantage will go to the well-funded teams that are able to run more than one race track per week with car counts exceeding 20 at each track. Looking at the divisions, it seems that Division 1 has several tracks in North Carolina and Virginia (close to each other) that would allow a well-funded team this opportunity.

 

The tracks that already have good car counts will have even greater car counts towards the end of the season. The tracks with average car counts will lose cars (the divisional points chasers) as the season progresses.

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Sure looks like Nascar has come up with a new touring series, but not telling anyone. Maybe its a test to see if they can mold the first self perpetuating racing series, and let the best class of car wins. The class of car that is most common through all the divisions becomes the newest Nascar touring series. To add to Pacecars opinion about the well funded teams also think also about the well funded and marketed tracks (ex:South Boston, Irwindale, Concord etc) They not only can dangle the points fund money but the car count bonus points could be marketed also as though it were dollars. First marketed to the racers then to the fans with the talk of higher car counts the points chasers would provide. Maybe Nick,Mike and the rest of the TTOPA group could come up with something very similar, I think the new SAS rules are a move in that direction. All they have to do is dangle that points fund carrot. With the 16 race minimum is would free up alot of time for the racers to race the other Texas tracks and still race for the Nascar points money. HHMMMM

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