When a Nascar driver comes back on the track after losing 40 laps and deliberately wrecks another driver he then should be suspended for the rest of the year. Cup racing should be an example of class and sportsmanship to the rest of the racing world yet Brian France allows this kind of despicable behavior. And the broadcasting media feeds into this. Boogety Boogety Tighten them seatbelts boys. What a joke. Maybe someday a driver will be sent flying into the grandstands and soon after Nascar will go bankrupt when an army of lawyers descends.

How about we just get back to the competition factor that is racing. Keep it simple. More points for the winner, more points for leading the most laps, more points for the pole. 36 races, one champion. The chase is artificial and hurts the non chasers. Look, it's going to be the same teams in the top ten probably every year. Let's just go racing again and stop mucking things up for artificial hype that means nothing. If we end up with a run away leader every few years, so what? It still happens with the stupid chase. Race the artificial cars for a real 36 race season.

Why not the driver with the most wins at the end of the 36 races wins the championship. That would eliminate the point racing in the 1st 26 races & MAYBE make the races more exciting. No top 35 rule. Do qualifing races like the 500?

@Dennis. I know you've been around the sport, and I respect your opinion: what would you do for a system? Somewhere between the Chase and the so-called "classic" system (Really? A point system devised in 1975?) there has to be something that strikes the balance. There's another part of me that thinks "Scrap the whole thing about the championship" and focus on just winning the races. Doesn't that generally trump everything else at the local track, even though somebody is tallying points?

@Eric. I think your idea has merit. I honestly believe some wins have more value than others. I think winning at Daytona has more value than a win at Talladega, and I think a road course win has more value than a win on a mile-and-a-half track. To your point, a win in the pressure cooker of the last 3-5 races has more value than a win at Auto Club.
The trick is to come up with some way that devises the best formula for determining. People will argue, but I think JJ had a better season than Harvick. Hambone had a better season than Harvick, but Harvick was VERY good, good for 3rd place. On the other hand, by virtue of winning, I think Jamie Mac had a better season than the Busch Bros, Jeffs Gordon and Burton, The Biff and even Smoke and Cousin Carl. Consistency was an issue for him, but Dude, the guy won THREE races.
Maybe there is no perfect way. I just thought the 2003 season was exhibit "A" for the Chase, plus I recently watched Earnhardt's last win at Talladega on DVD, and there Bobby Labonte was, knowing he already had the championship and he's just out for a Sunday drive. Harvick winning by 200+ points would have been a travesty (sorry Harvick fans).

Yeah you're right, and I know the chase isn't going anywhere, but I think the current way they are running it is flawed.

Apparently France wants a "game 7 type atmosphere." I'm willing to bet that next year, midway through the chase, they start increasing the amount of points to win as you get closer to the CUP. In my opinion, it would make sense to have a huge payout if you win the final two chase races like Edwards did this year. Also, Homestead, the championship race needs to have a big reward in itself for winning that individual race since it determines the championship.

For example, in 2008, Edwards won that race while Johnson rolled on to a mediocre win to protect his title. However, since this is the big grand finale, to me it would only make sense that this race pays an incredible amount of points to win since this the "CUP" race.

@Eric. I don't care much for the Chase, but I can't say I cared for the old system, either. Sports are about winning. Hamlin had the wins, Harvick had the consistency, Jimmie had both. As for getting rid of the Chase, you know what they say about how you can wish in one hand....

Here's an idea...perhaps NASCAR could abandoned this ludicrous idea called "the Chase" that has more flaws packaged with it than a box full of sand.

Jimmie finishes 22nd or worse in 10 of the first 26 races with no penalty, yet Harvick loses a 280 point lead and trails by 30 points after being the most consistent all season long with no reward.

If the chase isn't a gimmick, I don't know what is.