Chase Changes Not Enough, Mr. France: Three Ways to Revolutionize NASCAR

They say that controversy makes the media world go 'round and with a perceived lack of success on and off the track in NASCAR of late, there has been no small amount of controversy for the media to spin. From the increased crashes and conflict born of the "have at it" edict to the fan's reactions to the car itself, it almost seems like there is a belief that controversy alone will draw eyes to the TV and bottoms back to the stands; As if controversy, instead of great racing , can slow -- if not right -- a sinking ship.

One of the biggest controversies now floating about is the word that Brian France Jr . is hinting at possible changes to the 7 year old Chase format. With the aforementioned drop in eyeballs and lack of people in the stands, Mr. France seems to believe that it's time for another tweak to NASCAR's version of the playoffs. And while its fans and foes have come to the fore with their own ideas, one can argue that changes to the Chase alone will not solve the ills that ail NASCAR's premiere division. Rather, it may be time for Mr. France and NASCAR to look at radical changes; not only to the Chase but to the very fabric of the Sprint Cup Series . A revolution, of sorts, to remake what has fallen into disrepair. And while not extensive, the following three ideas could, if implemented, revolutionize NASCAR and help save it from its current downward spiral. Here they are and here's why they'd work:

#1 - Change the COT: Make it Stock -  Because while it is hard to argue against its safety record (minus the hot air balloon that was the rear wing), it's time for Mr. France to admit that the COT car is an aesthetic dud. The cookie cutter look of it turns off fans and, some would say, even takes away from the racing. The solution? Make the COT look and act like an actual honest-to-goodness stock car. Don't sacrifice the safety, but fabricate the chassis to look like an actual Dodge Charger or Ford Mustang or Chevy Corvette or Toyota Camry . Hey, even feel free to play with the aero on the chassis if you want, but make it look and behave like the real deal -- only keep (or even up) the horsepower. This visual change in itself will cause people to relate once again to the NASCAR's secondary product -- the car-- and rekindle fan's love affair with their primary product: the Drivers. It could also renew NASCAR's founding vision of racing real stock cars that were souped up. One might even argue that such a move might even revive the "win on sunday , sell on monday " adage to some small degree as fans would actually recognize that the winning car was one they could conceivably own the next day -- if they didn't already. On any level, though, it is hard to argue that the Fans wouldn't appreciate watching Dale Jr. tear past the stripe in a 2010 Chevy Camero moving at 200 mph at Talledega. That sight alone would draw fans back. And, as an ancillary benefit, the move may even force Toyota to finally make a decent looking muscle car . No matter how you slice it, though, it's time for the C-O-T to look like a real stock C-A-R.

#2 - Change the Points System : Make it about the racing - Because consistency is fantastic; But winning is what it's all about and the points should reflect this -- and not only at the checkered flag . NASCAR needs to make passing and racing the focus again. How do it? Create a race within a race: have a simple to follow point system that awards not only finishes (1st place gets 43 pts - 43rd place gets 1 pt), laps lead (1pt for leading/1pt for most led) and a bonus for winning (5 pts), but also for passes made based on starting position awarded at every caution. Hence, if you started 10th and moved up to 5th by the first caution, you get a proportional bonus of 5 pts if you hold that position by that caution. And if you move up from 5th to 3rd by the 2nd caution, the driver would get another 2 bonus points. These would accumulate and make the actual race become the big points getter as opposed to the current concept of "points racing". But that isn't even the best part of this new points system. The best part? You can also LOSE points if you go backwards; Starting 5th and sitting 10th by the first caution means a drop of -5 pts. The accumulation of points would make for a very variable points count from year to year -- even race to race--- but this system alone would ensure constant high level racing. When you know passing the next guy --or getting passed-- could cost you dearly at any time the racers will put their foot to the floor. Always. Early competition cautions alone would benefit from the move; going from the most predictably boring things in racing to the wildest shootouts you've never seen: A 20 lap dash for points before the yellow flag comes out to check the track or the tires. And with no one knowing WHEN the cautions would come (no one, but NASCAR, some would say...) it would be like this all day long. So instead of "points racing" they'd be racing racing. All the time. Because isn't that what NASCAR should be about?

#3 - Change the Chase: Make it an elimination... with a twist - Because it's not perfect, but it could be better. Keep the 12 Chasers. Keep the 10 races. And let them have their own points separate from the rest of the field so that they're racing the 12 of each other. Make certain that the Chase points system is the same as the regular season "race within a race" points system and have the each of the 10 races eliminate one of the twelve every race so that, by the 36th race, 3 people alone can go for the Cup... EXCEPT with a twist: Any racer eliminated in any of the Chase races can become re-eligible by lapping the field the number of positions they trail the next closest eligible Chaser by AND by winning that race. They would only be able to do this once during the Chase: If eliminated again, that's that; They're out for good. Hence, if Kasey Kahne gets eliminated in the 1st Chase race by finishing last of the 12 he could make it back into the Chase if, in the 2nd Chase race, he not only laps the entire field once but also wins the race. So, theoretically, if by the 5th Chase race only 7 Chasers remain and Kasey Kahne was the 1st eliminated Chaser in the 1st chase race, he could get back into the running for the Cup that day if he lapped the field FIVE TIMES and ALSO wins the race. Keeping this utterly improbable twist around would always keep a sense of "what if" even to the last race.. So that, if anyone actually managed to lap the field the number of positions they sat back of the last eligible Chaser by the 36th race, they could conceivably be back in the Chase with the final three and have a chance at winning the Cup... and only then by winning that 36th race -- and even then it would then come down to points. This alone makes it so improbable that it would nearly be impossible, yet if they ever did occur, it would be a feat of such remarkable driving that it would go down as the stuff of sporting legend. This maintains the integrity of the race and racing that NASCAR fans so desire; moving it beyond a simple gimmick while keeping the possibility for over the top excitement beyond the great racing afforded by the points system. So the elimination creates drama, the possibility of "coming back from the dead" creates drama. The possibility of the impossible creates drama. And all of this from great racing b/c of a point system that promotes racing from moment one to the checkered flag in stock cars that actually look like the car you drive... only moving at 190mph. All the things Mr. France and NASCAR are seeking.

These few ideas, along with others: tweaks to qualifying in order to keep faster drivers from deliberately qualifying slow in order to move up during the race to get points; lowering ticket prices; and the like, could move NASCAR from the slowly bleeding patient it currently is to the hottest ticket anywhere -- not only in sports but in all entertainment.

All we're waiting for now is to have NASCAR see that a mere "tweak" to the Chase is not enough when a revolution the system could bring what she, her sponsors -- and her loyal sports' fans -- all so badly desire: Success.

Because controversy only goes so far, Mr. France. Success, though, will always go further.