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
tracks 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 NASCARs 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:
Ψ
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.
Ψ
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.
Ψ
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.
Ψ
Best 16 finishes decide
championships
A drivers 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.
Ψ
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
NASCARs 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 tracks 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 tracks 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
Source:
NASCAR.com PR
Posted: February 15, 2005
