Not All See Points System as a Perfect 10

The multimillion-dollar NASCAR Nextel Cup series reaches the halfway point Sunday in Chicago with the Tropicana 400 and after what amounts to 17 heat races it is apparent that only 10 drivers will be in the Chase for the Championship over the final 10 races.

Although several drivers are lurking just below the top 10 and could move up into the favored group, there is virtually no chance that there will be more than 10 within 400 points of the leader -- NASCAR’s wild card in the revolutionary points system makeover.

Reaction to the split season has been widely diverse.

Some, headed by points leader Jimmie Johnson, do not like it. Others, such as Michael Waltrip, deep in 18th place, laud it. Veteran Ricky Rudd is concerned what it will do to sponsors, the life blood of NASCAR.

Jeff Gordon, the four-time Cup champion and winner of the last two races, sees both sides. Gordon is also co-owner of the No. 48 Chevrolet that Johnson drives.

“If you’re leading, you hate the system, and if you’re way back, you love it,” Gordon said. “It’s going to be interesting when we wind down to those last 10 races and basically everybody is separated by 50 points. It’s going to be extremely interesting because everything you did all year long is a wash.”

The 2004 scoring system calls for a new start Sept. 19 at New Hampshire Speedway, wiping out all margins earned over the first 26 races, or heats. The No. 1 driver at that point will start with 5,050 points; second place with 5,045, and so on down the line, dropping five points per position.

That means that if the 11th-place driver after 26 races were to win every remaining race, he would have no chance for the $5-million champion’s bonus. It also means that with only 50 points separating first and 10th, with 10 races to go, that it’s wide open.

“I think that the leader at that point needs to have more than a 50-point gap between him and the 10th place,” Gordon said. “That guy could very easily finish 10th in points and that’s a huge loss. All that effort that he put into those [first] 26 races is for nothing.

“If I were leading the points like Jimmie, I’d be criticizing it too. But from where I’m sitting, I’m pretty happy with it.”

Gordon is third, 232 points behind Johnson. Rudd, driver of the No. 21 Ford Taurus, is mired in 28th place, 945 points behind Johnson. He is in his 30th year with NASCAR, and knows the difficulties of finding, and holding, a big-bucks sponsor.

“I think the ones that are going to come out on the short end are the sponsors,” Rudd said. “They pay so much and car owners are having a harder and harder time finding one. I think it is going to be a 36-race schedule for some and a 26-race schedule for others.

“I’m afraid the sponsors are going to step up and say you ran 26 races, and I’m going to pay you for 26, not 36. I think they opened a can of worms by doing this.”

Waltrip, 723 points behind Johnson, is excited about the new system.

“I think it’s great, it’s a positive thing for the sport,” Waltrip said. “Look at us. We’re over 700 points out of the lead, back in 18th place, and you and I are talking about the championship. It would never happen under the old points system.

“I think Brian France and his people have created a great story line for the last 10 races. We’re still in it, and even if we aren’t in the final 10, we still will want to win races. That’s why we do it every week.

“And another thing, 11th place will pay close to a million bucks, and that’s not too shabby.”

Remembering Rodger

Friends of Rodger Ward, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, will hold a memorial in his honor at 5 p.m. Sunday at the San Diego Automotive Museum in Balboa Park. Ward lived in San Diego from 1988 to 2001 and was a member of the museum board.

Ward died Monday at age 83 from complications of diabetes.

His first major win came in Balboa Stadium in 1948 when he won a 75-lap Labor Day midget race, defeating Sam Hanks, Bill Vukovich and Walt Faulkner. He won the Indy 500 in 1959 and 1962.

Southland Scene

Irwindale Speedway’s new pure stock division was started to give new drivers a taste of speed on the third-mile paved oval. Tonight, an old timer, Jimmy Insolo, will test his reflexes. Insolo, 61, was the Winston West champion in 1978.

On Saturday night, Greg Pursley will try for a seventh victory in the NASCAR super late model division.

Competition will heighten in the street stock 20-lap main event Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway with only seven points separating the top four drivers -- Chuck Ribbe of Ontario, Don Zoll of Moreno Valley, Joe Falduto of Santa Ana and Carl Rozatti of Buena Park. Also showcased will be two-driver cruisers, in which one controls the steering wheel and the brake, with the other controlling the throttle.

The U.S. Auto Club western midgets will be at Bakersfield Speedway in Oildale on Saturday night. Johnny Rodriguez leads Jerome Rodela, 657-553, followed by 2000 winner Wally Pankratz with 516.

After a week off, racing will return to Ventura Raceway on Saturday with a busy schedule of VRA sprint cars, modifieds, IMCA modifieds and the popular dwarf cars, which are downsized four-cylinder racers. Racing starts at 5 on the Seaside Park track.

Last Laps

The U.S. round of the world superbike championship will be held this weekend at Mazda Raceway in Laguna Seca. Frenchman Regis Laconi leads Ducati teammate James Toseland of Britain by three points after 12 races.

Fan favorite Noriyuki Haga, also on a Ducati and third in points, is a two-time winner at Laguna Seca and has three wins this season. Two 28-lap races Sunday will count toward the world championship.

The Champ Car World Series, seemingly on its last legs before its season opener at Long Beach in April, is expanding its 2004 season to include a Sept. 25 night race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

A symposium on racing in and around San Diego, which began in 1907, will be held Thursday night at the San Diego Automotive Museum. Motor racing writer Johnny McDonald and TV commentator Mike Smith will be moderators. Details: (619) 231-2886.