in NASCAR Articles

It seems that the more accurate question is what will NOT be new in NASCAR this season. Between a revised Race for the Chase format; the entrance of three Toyota teams and the arrival of Juan Montoya from Formula One, there are numerous recently-introduced plots to keep track of this season. All of this, and more, will keep bettors on their toes.

Revised Race For The Chase

Last season, the top-ten drivers at the end of the first twenty-six (26) races were eligible to participate in the Race for the Chase. While no driver satisfied the condition last season, had a driver finished outside of the top-10 but within 400 points of the standings-leader, that driver would have also qualified for the Chase.

This season, the 400-point exception has been quashed. However, the Chase has been expanded to include the top-twelve drivers at the end of the first twenty-six races.

Another change is the enhanced importance placed on a win during the first twenty-six races of the season. First of all, each victory is now worth 185 points (versus 180 in 2006). Since a 5-point award is given to each driver who leads at least one lap and to the driver who leads the most laps, a winner who led the most laps could now gather 195 points with a win. Given the tight margins in the chase, a couple of wins could make all of the difference in qualifying for the Chase.

More important, though, each win will now provide each Chase-driver with a 10-point bonus after every Chase-driver's points are re-set to 5,000 to begin the ten races of the Chase. Therefore, a Chase-driver with no wins in the first twenty-six races will begin the chase with 5,000 points while a driver who had three wins in the first twenty-six races would begin with 5,030 points.

Consider two drivers from last season and how they would have fared in the 2006 Chase had this year's rules been in place. Kasey Kahne started the Chase dead last - 10th place - even though he entered the Chase with five wins in the first twenty-six races. Under the new format, he would have begun the Chase in FIRST place with 5,050 points.

Consider, also, Tony Stewart. Stewart was left out of the party having finished 11th after the first twenty-six races. This year, he would be part of the top-twelve to make the Chase. In fact, his two wins in the first twenty-six races would have had him begin the Chase with 5,020 points - good for fifth place!

The new format will make a difference this year and will place an enhanced premium on winning races. The guys are already fiercely competitive. Bump drafting reached a dangerous intensity last year. Just wait until Daytona!

Team Toyota
Toyota is throwing its money, resources and technology into the NASCAR hat this year and has dove right in by fielding no fewer than three race teams which will field up to six cars. Michael Waldrip racing will field three cars, including the #55 NAPA car of Michael himself, and the UPS car of Dale Jarrett (whose number will switch from 88 to 44).

Bill Davis Racing will field for Toyota the #22 Caterpillar car of Dave Blaney, while new teammate Jeremy Mayfield will drive BDR's other Camry - the #36 360 OTC car - this season.

Finally, Red Bull Racing will field the #83 Toyota of Brian Vickers this season. Time will tell if Vickers continues his 2006 string of good luck at the Superspeedways although spinning Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to win the Fall race at Talladega could require him to overcome adversity back at that track this time as fans may have left with a sour taste in their mouths for the way in which Vickers won that race. Make no mistake, Talladega fans love their Dale, Jr.

RICKY RUDD…#88!?... Snickers?!

Since Dale Jarrett left for Team Toyota and brought UPS along with him, #88 became available for another driver, but it needed a sponsor. Robert Yates Racing struck a deal with Masterfoods USA to use the Snickers-brand on the car and it also brought back Ricky Rudd, who sat out last season and has not won a race since 2002. Strange as it may sound, get ready to see the #88 Snickers car driven by Rudd flying around tracks this season.

Juan Pablo Montoya And Chip Ganassi Racing

Montoya had no Formula One ride this year so he turned to Chip Ganassi for help. Some may know that Ganassi owned the car which Montoya drove to victory at the Indianapolis 500 in 2000. They've met.

Ganassi embraced Montoya's plea and made him the new driver of Ganassi's #42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge. Of the switch from Formula One to NASCAR, Montoya explained that while there may be 50 passes in a given NASCAR race, he was not sure if he had passed 50 drivers his entire Formula One career.

Montoya laid to rest any doubt that he can control a NASCAR ride at speed, however, when he put down the fastest time in the Day 6 morning practice at Daytona during NEXTEL Cup Series' practices.

Harvick Versus Dei

Not a stranger to altercations on or off the track, Kevin Harvick threw a grenade into Camp DEI last week by labeling Teresa Earnhardt a "deadbeat owner." Pointing out that Childress, Ganassi and other owners are constantly at the tracks for races, Harvick, in what may have been a curiously-conceived effort to recruit Dale Jr., stated "I think it's hard when you have what I call a deadbeat owner that doesn't come to the racetrack."

To his credit, Dale Jr., who has not yet re-signed with the company that his father built, did not add any fuel to the DEI fire. Instead, as the loyal current employee, he explained that Teresa does quite a lot for the team and has performed an even more important role for their family.

Informed of Harvick's comments, Dale Jr. dismissed them as ridiculous and explained that he really had no return comment.

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Brock Murphy, BetUS Nascar Staff Writer.