NASCAR Sprint Cup: 11 Reasons This Year Is the Best Competition Ever

The sport needed some tweaks, and the changes announced in January earlier this year concerning the new policies NASCAR would implement during the 2011 season seemed simplistic.

Sitting amongst the throng of media at the NASCAR Hall of Fame during the annual media tour, we had our recorders playing, and some were taking notes. We heard words like "wild-card slots," and it all sounded a bit ho-hum.

Little did we know the changes announced by Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO, would make such game-changing differences, resulting in one of the most competitive seasons in quite some time.

It sounded like the dumbing down of the point system might insult some, but in actuality it has amped up the importance of winning and made racing easier so far as calculating driver standings.

France's announcement preceded a season, especially at the Sprint Cup level, that has yielded a year with high stakes on the track and in the pits.

Fans wanted wins and consistency to carry more importance, and by gosh, we have found out just how important both have become.

In no particular order, let's take a look at the 2011 changes along with some other factors that have made this year's competition the best ever.

1. New Qualifying Procedure

As a rule it is best to go out for your qualifying laps later in the day because, at many tracks, that will mean a slight advantage with track temperature and air temperature.

Under the new qualifying rules, drivers go out based on their practice speeds. The fastest cars in the first practice session are reversed in order with the fastest going out last to qualify.

Good qualifying position means good track position, which has become so very important under the new points system.

The fastest cars going last to qualify makes it more interesting for fans as well as the drivers. Each run has the chance of someone taking the pole and perhaps setting a new track record.

This new qualifying rule covers the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series.

2. Parity

The generic Car of Tomorrow has made for more parity among all the teams regardless of whether they run Chevrolets, Fords, Toyotas or Dodges.

The range of adjustments any one team can make is pretty much the same as every other. It all comes down to how they apply it to their driver, the track and how quickly they can improve a car during race conditions.

This season we don't see drivers running away from the rest of the field like we used to. Team parity makes for better racing.

3. Lots of Different Winners

This season we have had 14 different winners in 21 races with only five races remaining until the Chase. Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick have three wins apiece, the most of any drivers with multiple wins.

Four drivers have found Victory Lane for the first time this year: Trevor Bayne at the Daytona 500, Regan Smith at Darlington, David Ragan at the Coke Zero 400 in Daytona and Paul Menard at the Brickyard 400.

The variety of drivers garnering wins makes for more fan interest because the domination by a handful of drivers can be annoying unless they are your favorite drivers.

It also shows how team parity, strategy and a bit of luck can make for a surprise winner at any given race.

4. Rivalries

The "Have at it boys" policy announced by NASCAR last year has freed up drivers to show their personalities more than in previous seasons.

Rivalries such as the ongoing one with Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch reached a crescendo when Harvick took a swing at Busch while he was in his car and Busch knocked the driver-less No. 29 into the pit road wall.

Drivers don't hesitate to bump draft and side draft in an effort to make a competitor get loose, get out of the way or go for a spin.

Allowing the drivers to police themselves a bit more has made the racing more entertaining for the fans and those behind the wheel. There is a limit, however, for when NASCAR must get involved.

5. Closed Loop Fueling

The closed loop fueling system eliminated the catch-can man and also presented a challenge to the pit guys who are charged with the responsibility of getting every possible drop of fuel in the car.

The new system is working better than it did at the beginning of the year, when it was sometimes difficult to tell if all the fuel was on board during a pit stop, and many times it wasn't.

Fuel strategy has become a big deal in how races play out with some teams getting better mileage with the ethanol blend than others.

Add in a pit stop where the car was not filled to the max, and it can be the difference between winning a race and almost winning a race.

6. Wild-Card Slots

The wild-card slots for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase are actually 11th and 12th place in the 12 Chase contenders for the series title.

When Brian France announced the wild-card deal, it was met with a somewhat lackluster attitude. At the time it was hard to see just how much it would force drivers to try to get at least one win, perhaps two, in order to make the Chase.

To qualify for the wild-card slots a driver must have one or more wins and be in the top 20 of the point standings but out of the top 10.

It has turned into a bit of a dog fight to finish consistently, get a win or two and stay in the top 20.

A driver like Brad Keselowski found himself with a win, but he was 21st in points heading to Pocono, which made him ineligible for the wild-card slots at that point.

The injured driver of the Blue Deuce won the Pocono race and moved to 18th in points, which pretty much guarantees he will get a coveted wild-card slot.

There is no doubt the wild-card slots are good for the Cup series, and it makes for more intense competition, just as Mr. France predicted it would.

7. Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus

Many feel the five consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships won by Jimmie Johnson, amazing as that may be, are ruining NASCAR. There are fans who are tired of his domination.

This year Johnson and his crew chief, Chad Knaus, have shown some vulnerability. Though they are currently second in points, the Lowe's No. 48 team has only one win.

Mistakes have rocked the pit stops with the changing of the athletes who perform their assigned duties during the pit road ballet.

Frustration has been noted between Johnson and Knaus during radio communications. They still remain the team to beat for the title, but there are several drivers ready to pounce on the 2011 title.

The competition level has risen so high that the Chase should be one of the best we have seen since its implementation.

8. Tire Strategy

Goodyear has continued to improve the tires for each race during the season. Tire strategy is becoming a much bigger factor lately.

Most pit stops used to be the standard four-tire change and sometimes two, but now often the races play out and it comes down to several two-tire or no tire pit stops for the eventual winner.

Strategy by the crew chiefs has often become nearly as interesting as some of the battles on the track.

9. New Points System

The 2011 version of the point system for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series are all the same.

Each position is worth one point, so the driver who wins gets 43, while the driver who comes in last gets one point.

In addition, the winner gets three points, and one point is awarded for leading a lap and leading the most laps. So in theory the winner could get a possible 48 points.

The simplified system at first glance appeared to be just that, but what it has resulted in is an intense priority on top finishes, consistency and wins.

One or two bad finishes or DNFs can quickly drop a driver into a hole he can't recover from, where he probably won't even get a shot at the wild-card slots.

The new point calculations make for more changes in the standings, and competition is better because drivers know how important the finishing positions really can be.

10. Engines

Doug Yates is a major part of the engine-building program at Roush Yates Racing. CEO Yates has worked closely with Ford to build a new lighter, cooler FR9 race engine that has taken the Ford teams to the lead with the stout engines.

Chevrolet still has a healthy engine program, and Dodge has developed some horsepower with the Penske team.

Toyota has had the most engine failures with Joe Gibbs Racing, and specifically Denny Hamlin's No. 11 FedEx team has faced an unusually high number of failures.

Hamlin was thought to be a contender for the title this year after finishing second to the champion last year, but to date he has only one win as he fights to make the Chase.

The title winner in 2011 could well be determined not only by good strategy, but pure horsepower.

11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

I can hear the Dale Earnhardt Jr. naysayers moaning when they get to this last slide, but with the large fanbase known as Junior Nation so much a part of NASCAR, it would be hard to say he has not been a hot topic this season.

Rick Hendrick's swap of all the drivers, except for Jimmie Johnson, to new teams appeared to be working well for Dale Jr. and Jeff Gordon.

While Gordon is gaining momentum with two wins and a seventh-place standing, No. 88 has slid from a high of third place in the standings to 10th with no wins.

His winless streak continues to build to 114 after Pocono. For Junior Nation, hope springs eternal, and even if he fails to make the Chase, this season looks much better than the last two.

Qualifying continues to be a big weakness with the team, but Junior has led laps and run at the front. He has three top-five and nine top-10 finishes.

With a contract extension close to being finalized with HMS, his future looks to be pretty good under the guidance of his new crew chief Steve Letarte.