Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Points system confusing to fans, drivers

Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2002 | 10:07 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Truck schedule

NASCAR Winston West The Orleans 150 At Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Friday

4 p.m. Spectator gates open (free admission)

4-6 p.m. Winston West practice

7-8 p.m. Driver autograph session (ESPN Zone at New York New York hotel-casino)

Saturday

Noon Spectator gates open

Noon-1 p.m. NCTS Practice

1:15 p.m. Winston West qualifying

2-3 p.m. NCTS Practice

4 p.m. NCTS qualifying

5:45-6:45 p.m. NCTS final practice

7 p.m. Winston West driver introductions

7:30 p.m. Winston West The Orleans 150 race (100 Laps)

Sunday

Noon Spectator gates open

1:30 p.m. NCTS driver introductions

2 p.m. NCTS Las Vegas 350 race (146 Laps)

If you don't understand NASCAR's scoring system to determine its champions in the Winston Cup, Busch and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, you're not alone.

The NASCAR points system, in place in the Winston Cup Series since 1975, places a greater value on consistency throughout the season than on winning races.

Just ask Truck Series driver Terry Cook. The personable Ohio native has four wins this season in his Power Stroke Diesel Ford -- second only to points leader Mike Bliss -- but is fifth in points going into Sunday's Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"The current points system is definitely set up based on consistency," Cook said. "The only thing I think they would need to change at this point is to structure it where you need to give the guy who wins the race a few extra points more than what you get right now."

First place in any of NASCAR's top three divisions pays 175 points to win and 170 for second. But because five bonus points can be earned for leading a lap and five more for leading the most laps in each race, the runner-up in a given race can earn the same amount of points as the winner (180).

That happened once this year, in the NCTS race at Pikes Peak International Raceway, and Cook said he would like to see some changes.

"I think that the guy that wins should get 20 or 25 points more than it pays for second place," he said. "You need to reward the guy that has worked hard enough and races hard enough to win."

Cook has more wins (4) than the three drivers ahead of him in points combined, but still trails front-running Bliss by 177 points with four races remaining.

A larger spread in the payout between first and second place, Cook said, would also deter drivers from "points racing," or protecting their points lead, late in the season -- much like Tony Stewart did in Sunday's Winston Cup race at Talladega.

"Fans come to see a race, they don't come to see a guy basically take a dive," Cook said. "It's like boxing: you've got a 12-round heavyweight fight and (if one fighter) feels he's got enough points in the first eight rounds (to win), the last four all he's got to do is stay on his feet and he's won the thing.

"That's not boxing and that's not racing. You want to see two guys go at it for 12 rounds and you want to see 43 drivers go for it for 400 laps or 400 miles. You don't want to see a guy points racing so if you pay a larger spread between first and second place, you're going to see guys racing and that's what the fans come to see."

Team owner Michael Gaughan said Monday he is trying to secure a new sponsor for the 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.