But, increasingly, I’ve come back to the model that Formula One uses. It’s not an exact apples-to-apples comparison; F1 races have half the field that a Cup race does.

That series awards points to the top eight drivers: 10 to the winner, eight to second place, six to third, five to fourth and on down to eighth, which gets one point. The remaining drivers receive no points.

Employing such a system in Cup would clearly need a tweak.

In our hypothetical version, the top 15 would receive points. I arrived at 15 for a few reasons: I thought 20 spots would be too much; by awarding points for that many spots, there would have to be a fairly sizable spread to accommodate all of those places.

Like in F1, I’d build in a gap separating each of the top three places. So that means a winner would earn 17 points; second would get 15, third 14, fourth 13 and down to 15th place which earned one point. There’s a three-point gap between the winner and second; a two-point gap between sec-ond and third; and decreasing points from third on back.

No, there’s no typo in that paragraph. The math doesn’t add up, but I’ll get back to that in a second.

Using that same formula and awarding the top 20 spots, the winner would earn 22 points. That’s five points extra that, for instance, Tony Stewart or Jimmie Johnson or Matt Kenseth would have to overcome if they wrecked out or suffered early mechanical troubles. And to me, that just seemed too harsh a penalty.

In keeping with NASCAR tradition, leading a lap is worth one point. Since winners must lead at least one lap — the last one — they must get a bonus point. So figuring in the bonus point accounts for the three-point gap from first place to second place.

Leading the most laps still counts too — for half a point. In Formula One, that’s less of a concern, since the fields are much smaller and the races much shorter. But in NASCAR, particularly in Cup, those that lead the most laps should be rewarded, however modestly it may seem. But if you lead the most laps in four races, that’s two points you didn’t have from results alone.

And, as an added bonus, we’ll scrap the Chase, which drags on too long as it is. In its place, we’ll have five super-races in which point totals are doubled but the number of points winners doesn’t change. A 15th earns two points, 14th earns four points, on up the ladder to a potentially season-changing six-point gap between first and second.

At first glance, my five super-races would be the Daytona 500 (like in the photo above); the race at Indianapolis; the race at Darlington; the spring Martinsville race and the night race at Bristol. That’s a spread across the season and each type of track NASCAR runs at. There’s only one mid-length track, since that type of track comprises a majority of the schedule as it is. Those five races also touch all of Cup’s crown jewels; a rotational system may be a possibility as well.

This system is not problem-free; sponsors may not tolerate no-points finishes for long and the gap between NASCAR’s haves and have-nots is certainly a concern. But that’s really no different than the current system, which has done enough to separate the haves and have-nots. Just look at the precipitous fall for Yates Racing, once among the series’ powerhouses. Envisioning a phoenix-like return from the ashes for Yates is only possible in the long-term view.

But the system does accomplish a few things. It rewards winning more than the current system does, particularly since the totals are all reset at the start of the Chase anyway. Winning now does nothing but help your Chase positioning.

Yet it still provides for consistency, which NASCAR craves. Running well in most races is still a better option than streakiness that may include a few wins. Consistency when it matters — in the super-races — makes up for a lot of other ills.

The most compelling aspect of this plan, however, is the super-races. Right now, races don’t matter. They just don’t. Johnson, by his standards, has been atrocious this season. Yet will anyone be shocked if he makes the Chase?

And winning the Daytona 500 is a career-making achievement, yet when the points are added up, it still counts the same as New Hampshire and Pocono and California.

This spreads the excitement of the Chase over the course of a full season, not just in the final 10 weeks. Every so often, races early in the season will matter.

I’m not naïve enough to think that NASCAR has any real interest in this plan. People far smarter than me have come up with ideas, but NASCAR seems content with what it’s got.

So they can take it or leave it. Either way is fine by me.

But I wanted to do right by you guys reading and follow through on a months-old promise. It took a little longer than I anticipated, and I apologize for that.

(Photo by Jim Topper/Associated Press)

Cup drivers doubling up on Saturdays have won all five events this season: Tony Stewart (twice), Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth and Clint Bowyer.

The top five drivers in the points standings also have full-time Cup rides: Kevin Harvick, Bowyer, Carl Edwards (who cruised to last year’s Busch title), David Ragan and David Reutimann.

But points in the Nationwide series rarely tells the full story, particularly when it involves Cup drivers. Martin, for example, won his race in Hendrick’s No. 5 Chevy at Las Vegas. But Martin won’t be running each race; Adrian Fernandez is scheduled to drive when the series heads south to Mexico City.

In another example, Jeff Burton and Scott Wimmer split time in Childress Racing’s No. 29, which is a contender each week; but that success doesn’t show up in the driver’s points. That’s Burton leading the way at Atlanta in the photo.

Points is an indicator only for those drivers committed to the full season, like Edwards and Reutimann.

The lower half of the top 10, however, is full of Nationwide-only drivers: Mike Bliss, Mike Wallace, Brad Keselowski and Jason Leffler occupy spots six through nine.

Bliss is the most interesting of the stories. He’s running for Fitz Motorsports — the team that used to have Terry Bradshaw as a co-owner — which is now down to a single-car operation. Fitz’s second car, an entry driven by Kenny Wallace, suspended operations recently when sponsorship money dried up.

It would be impossible to expect Bliss to keep competitive. Single-car entries fall behind quickly in Cup, and the same is true in Nationwide — particularly when the resources of Fitz Racing are dwarfed by the resources of teams like Gibbs and Roush.

But if Bliss can maintain the pace, he would become one of Nationwide’s biggest stories of the season. But there’s a long way to go and much can happen, as we’ve noted many times.

Keselowski is an interesting story as well. He’s driving for JR Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team, and seems to have found a home there. His presence may provide some stability that Earnhardt’s team lacked for most of its early days.

Earnhardt’s initial driver was Mark McFarland, who made his name with a highly successful stint at Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas. But the team didn’t excel as quickly as Earnhardt had hoped, and he was replaced by Shane Huffman. Huffman was eventually sacked as well, leading to Kezelowski.

Now, Earnhardt’s team is reaching places that he envisioned. Kezelowski was at the front of the pack at Vegas when he was caught up in the late-race wreck between Martin and Edwards, and deserved better than his 23rd-place finish.

Since then, Kezelowski has scored a sixth at Atlanta and a fourth at Bristol, and winning doesn’t seem far-fetched. (Of course, Junior’s new association with Hendrick Motorsports hasn’t hurt either.)

There’s a long way to go in the Nationwide series and every driver mentioned will likely be shuffled around the standings as the season progresses.

That will be far better than last season, when Edwards had the title wrapped up long before the end of the season.

(Photo by Glenn Smith/Associated Press)

I’ve tried to answer this myself for several years, both online and in print. My best options were Nurburgring, the legendary, 13-mile course in Germany (won’t ever happen) and the Capitol Beltway (really won’t ever happen). Other, lesser — though more realistic options — included Laguna Seca, Road Atlanta and Road America.

But some of the folks at Yahoo have some interesting suggestions as well: Daytona’s road course, a 3/4-mile ‘Field of Dreams’ dirt speedway in Iowa (one of several dirt recommendations, along with Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Ohio), North Wilkesboro and perhaps the most interesting suggestion: A Mardi Gras race in or near New Orleans just after the opener in Daytona.

Hey, that would rid NASCAR of one of its perennial problems: racing at California Speedway. And couldn’t you see Carl Edwards racing through the French Quarter? His razor-sharp focus allows him to look past the co-ed, uh, improving her collection of beads.

But any talk of new or improved racing sites is really just a dream. If you can get past civic uproar, moving a stick-and-ball team is much easier because building a stick-and-ball arena is much easier.

In those sports, each type of arena is different. A football stadium is different than a baseball field, which is different from an hockey/basketball arena. What gives them an edge over a racetrack is that all three can host non-sports activities.

Concerts work well indoors and have been held at Fenway Park and FedEx Field. The more picturesque arenas can host off-day activities, like corporate functions, which are a frequent guest of Camden Yards.

A racetrack? Well, you can race there. Corporate functions are a non-starter, because what kind of a view do you get from the top level of a race track on a non-race day? The next track built with a scenic view will be the first. And let’s be honest: a racetrack without cars on it is pretty boring. (In fairness, I have gone to tracks on off days to say I’ve been there — Indianapolis, Watkins Glen and Dover come to mind — but once you’ve seen it, there’s really not much more to do.)

Moreover, think of the cost of building a speedway. Even a standard, 1.5-mile track requires much more land and infrastructure than the biggest of football stadiums. Heck, Penn State has the second-biggest football stadium in the country, and lots of people park in cow pastures.

Building a football stadium or a basketball arena is, relatively, much easier.

And given the current economic crisis — be my guest if you want to officially label it a recession — franchise movement and schedule revamping figure to be in short supply.

But it’s OK to dream. Otherwise, where would the fun be in life?

Now, back to finding a serviceable route around the Beltway for those drivers…

(Photo courtesy of NewOrleansOnline.com via the City of New Orleans)

About half the time, those e-mails really come in handy or just make for really interesting reading.

Like the handful I’ve received so far this week, one for Patrick Carpentier and one for Elliott Sadler and his team. Both take the same sort of approach: What are you going to do with your off weekend?
The answers aren’t your standard fare.

Carpentier, according to the release, will be spending time with friends and family in Montreal. He also anticipates a hook-up from team owner George Gillett: tickets to a Canadiens game. Gillett also owns the legendary NHL franchise.

“I know a lot of NASCAR fans probably don’t know much about Canadiens hockey games, but they are a blast,” Carpentier said. “I guess it’s like college football in the South.”

He goes on to say that he wants to spend time snowmobiling in Canada’s snowy northern reaches. But, he added, he’s concerned about the recent spate of inclement weather that has hampered the series, most recently in Bristol.

“I love NASCAR,” he said, “but the only complaint I have so far is the weather. Does it always rain at these races on Friday when I am trying to qualify?”

Carpentier has qualified for two races this season: He started 40th but finished 12th at Las Vegas and had a similar run at Atlanta, starting 35th and finishing 21st. He didn’t make the field at Daytona, and the other two races had qualifying washed out. Since Carpentier is outside the top 35, that’s an automatic ticket home.

As for Sadler — well into the top 35 and, thus, working every Sunday — he’s ready for the break. His team’s press release quoted Sadler as being ready for the downtime, since he’s been on the go since the beginning of the calendar year. Team director Rodney Childers will follow the same course and said only, “I won’t be racing.”

While Sadler and Childers relax at home, members of their team are planning something more ambitious. Mechanic Alan Mincey and his fiancée are going camping for the first time. Shock specialist Mike McCarville has some yard work to be done: namely, cleaning up some trees that he hasn’t had time to clean up yet.

But the most daring of the crew is hauler driver Jeff Seaburg. Long nights on interstates in Middle-of-Nowhere, Texas aren’t conducive to bouts of excitement. So Seaburg, who has a pilot’s license and his own Cessna, has plans for a more thrilling adventure.

“Hey, some people like to sit on a beach, some like to go visit relatives and others like to hang out at the house when they’re off,” he said. “Me? I like to check them all out from the sky and then parachute down to join them.

“I log about 80,000 miles a year in our Freightliner truck, so I can’t think of a better way to get farther away from that than skydiving.”

Hard to argue that.

And then there are some who just can’t escape work, like rear tire carrier Don Marvel.

“Chase Miller is making his first start of the season for us and they asked if I’d help out. So I’m heading to Nashville Superspeedway with the No. 9 Nationwide team on Saturday,” Marvel said.

Ahh well, sometimes duty calls.

I’m trying to imagine Childers or Ray Evernham sauntering up to Marvel — despite Marvel’s best attempts to squeeze into a large tool cabinet — and saying, “Hello, Don, what’s happening. Ummm, I’m gonna need you to go ahead and come in Saturday. So if you could be here around 9, that would be great, mmm-kay?”

Kinda like this guy.

Hey, look at the photo. The only thing Evernham’s missing is the suspenders.

(Photo by Terry Renna/Associated Press)

The damage was minor and mostly cosmetic. But there Stewart sat, facing out from the wall as car after car zipped by. He wound up 14th, the last car on the lead lap.

Harvick was part of a top-three sweep by Richard Childress Racing. Jeff Burton won with Clint Bowyer taking third.

Were you expecting something conciliatory from Harvick?

“I already answered that once. I’ll answer one more ignorant question. I got down on the apron. I lost the car. I hit the side of Tony. That was pretty much the end of it. If you can’t understand that, then I don’t know what to tell you,” Harvick said, according to the post-race transcript.

He seemed confident that he and Stewart, both friends, would work out what happened.

“I’m sure somehow it was my fault,” Stewart said afterward. “I’m just sorry I got in his way.”

On a screen, the words look innocent enough. But the sarcasm was evident, if not in tone then in phrasing. It was apparent to anyone watching that the wreck was not Stewart’s doing. He had given enough room and paid the price for someone else’s mistake.

Harvick paid too, as Burton slipped by and held on for the win in the green-white-checkered finish. Karma’s reaction was quick.

Bristol is a place where anything can happen. But even an open-ended word such as ‘anything’ has boundaries attached; even the great Dale Earnhardt was booed at Bristol after punting Terry Labonte on the final lap nearly a decade ago. Anything can happen, but perhaps not all of it will be acceptable.

That was the case with Harvick, where his overzealousness — an excellent descriptor used by SI’s Lars Anderson — cost him slightly less than it cost Stewart.

Sometime in the future, Harvick and Stewart will be racing for position. Any guesses as to what happens then?

Don’t be surprised when it does.

(Photo by John Raoux/Associated Press)