ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, August 11, 1996 TAG: 9608120137
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-7 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: AUTO RACING
DATELINE: WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER
For all the manipulating that NASCAR does with the aerodynamics of the Fords, Chevys and Pontiacs to make them as equal as possible, you'd think the organization welcomed change as readily as a sunny day turns rainy here.
But when it comes to certain areas of the sport, such as the points system, NASCAR might as well have carved its rules in stone.
Many, including this reporter, have long thought NASCAR ought to put a premium on winning races. There ought to be a greater reward for winning. And I think there should be a points reward for NASCAR's major races, as well.
But whether the points system is ever changed - and it seems certain it won't be any time soon - the method the sport uses to spotlight its major races is somewhat out of whack.
The Brickyard 400 quickly has become NASCAR's second biggest race, but it still isn't recognized in any formal way as a major race.
The sport's bonus for its major races is the Winston Million. Any driver who can win three of the four designated major races receives a $1 million bonus from the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., the series sponsor.
Those races are the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, the Winston Select 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
The Brickyard 400 is not in this mix. Obviously, it should be. It pays more than any other NASCAR race. It is held at the most famous race track in the world. Drivers who win the Brickyard 400 become misty eyed. It causes them to reflect on their careers.
``The Winston Million program started in 1985, when the Brickyard 400 was just a gleam in Tony George's eyes,'' said RJR's Chris Powell. ``Now that the Brickyard 400 is an established race, I will say it's been discussed how to work that into the Winston Million.''
The problem is: how?
If you add the Brickyard 400 and decide a driver must win three of the five majors, it may become too easy to win. If you require victories in four of five majors, it might seem too hard.
You could eliminate one existing race. The most logical choice would be the Southern 500. That's messing with NASCAR tradition and history, but the race has lost most of its 1950s luster.
The PGA Tour has done a good job of showcasing its majors, and it doesn't seem to have hurt the non-major tournaments. The bonus for winning a golf major - in addition to the extra money - is a 10-year exemption from qualifying for the other majors. That's a huge additional perk.
NASCAR could enhance its own majors with a bonus points program for the top-10 finishers.
Give the winner 25 extra points, and award 20 extra points for second, 15 for third and a descending number of points through 10th. That would be enough to enhance the big races, but not too much as to detract from the others.
Winston Cup fans appreciate their steady diet of weekly races, but in NASCAR, as in any sport, some events are bigger than others.
Still, this issue won't be showing up on NASCAR's agenda anytime soon.
``We used to [put a premium on the bigger races] years ago when points were based on prize money,'' NASCAR president Bill France said Saturday at Watkins Glen International as the teams prepared for today's Bud at the Glen. ``But the series really took off once the points system was created where all the events count the same.''
France said if a premiums is placed on certain races, it might prompt drivers to cherry-pick the biggest events and skip some of the smaller ones, as Cale Yarborough did in the 1980s.
``It's working good the way we do it now,'' France said. ``And I don't see how your proposal would add anything to it.''
``We're anxious to put the spotlight on the whole series,'' said Mike Helton, NASCAR's vice president of competition. ``Some guys can drive a road course better than the speedways. Some guys can run the superspeedways better than the road courses. That's why the driver who is the champion has to be able to perform consistently across the entire series.''
Helton said the major races already are sufficiently spotlighted, citing the extra money and prestige that comes with a major race victory.
``They do that by themselves,'' he said, ``so we don't have to use the points to do that.''
LENGTH: Medium: 80 linesby CNB