NASCAR Makes Rule Changes

On Monday evening NASCAR officials announced a new format for the 2017 season. With Daytona only 5 weeks away, the format is quite different than anything the sport has seen before.

Each race will be broken up into segments with a caution flag to break them up. Drivers will be awarded points based on their finishing position at that point.

However, only the top 10 will be given points. 10 for 1st, 9 for 2nd and so on.

The final segment will award points to all 40 drivers and pay out similar to previous seasons.

NASCAR did not stop there. The sport added a new type of point called playoff points. These are points that carry over into the newly termed playoffs that give drivers an advantage each round.

The points are paid out in multiple ways. Race winners, or final segment winners, will be given 5 playoff points. Each segment winner is awarded 1 playoff point. The regular season champion will be awarded 15 playoff points.

It's quite clear why NASCAR made these changes. They will try to hide behind the simple reason that it makes drivers fight to stay up front all race long. Which is true, but it is a clear effort to make the sport fit nicely to a TV audience.

Get your 1-minute refresher on NASCAR's new national series format. pic.twitter.com/h14TwcN9H6

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) January 24, 2017

NASCAR ratings fell consistently throughout the 2016 season. By breaking the race up into segments they provide a nice little commercial spot and break for the casual fan. Almost like a quarter in football.

It also gives some importance to lap 75 of a 300 lap race. Casual fans have been screaming for years that race length is too long. This is an easy way for NASCAR to "shorten" race length while still giving the old school fan full length races.

I really dislike the fact that these segments will be broken up with a yellow flag. It is NASCAR's way of doing away with the phantom debris cautions that they been under heat for the past few years.

This whole system is a unique idea, and I will hold my judgment until I see it in action. I am worried that NASCAR will chase away its core base by making the races something that is unrecognizable.

This sport is one deeply rooted in tradition. If you need proof of that just look back to when NASCAR added Toyota to the sport. They better hope that these changes work as intended, or a large portion of their fanbase will chased away.