Q: The points races the last two years before the Countdown were as close and dramatic and exciting as you could ask for so why change your points system?

A: History indicates clearly that the tight points races occurred in spite of the old system, not because of it.

In the top three classes that run 23-event schedules (Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock), only five times (out of 21) in this decade has the final championship margin been less than 100 points. And the average margin of victory is even more telling:

The average margin of victory from 2000-06 in each class follows:

            Top Fuel: 256.5

            Funny Car: 221.3

            Pro Stock: 378.7

Viewing the enormous fan interest sparked by the Funny Car race of 2005 and the Top Fuel race in 2006 against the backdrop of the historical unlikelihood of it occurring, the last two years actually make an argument FOR a change to the points system, not against a change in the points system.

Fans, media and sponsors, the driving forces of our sport, can now expect dramatic, down-to-the-wire championship races virtually every year.

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Q: What incentive will racers eliminated from the Countdown have to enter the final six races?

A: It’s important to begin by noting that being eliminated from championship contention, while more formalized in the Countdown format, is not a new phenomenon — no team outside the Top 8 heading into Indy has ever won a championship.

As to the incentive, there is no historical evidence of a decline in entries (in past years when teams have been eliminated from championship contention) as racers are still competing to win the race, to prepare for the next season, to represent their sponsor and of course to play spoiler.

As it relates to the latter two, they will actually have more incentive under the Countdown format than ever before because there will be a significantly increased chance to play spoiler, to line up against a racer in contention for the championship, than ever before. And that will translate into a significantly increased opportunity for exposure for cars/sponsors that are out of contention for a championship than ever before.

Whereas there were two or three teams still in championship contention after Labor Day under the old format, with the Countdown there will be 10 racers in contention from races 19-24. So it follows that there is a two- to three-fold greater likelihood, under the Countdown format, to be involved in one of the most critical and/or most spotlighted races.

So the opportunity for cars out of championship contention to generate return on sponsorship dollars – and the incentive to enter the final seven races – is actually heightened under the Countdown format.

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Q: After Indianapolis, you have drivers who are out of contention racing against drivers who are still alive for the championship. This seems unfair.

A: If you really examine the Countdown format, this is a problem that is actually addressed and in part solved by the Countdown. There will actually be more drivers in contention – at least 10 in every class – and therefore fewer races between contenders and non-contenders than there have been in past years when there were fewer teams in championship contention this late in the year.

Funny Car veteren Ron Capps, who was in contention each of the past two years preceding the format change, and had to race against drivers not in contention, pointed to the Countdown’s format as a significant means to the end of actually solving this problem.

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Q: What if a driver is eliminated from the Countdown and then has a phenomenal finish over the final six events, but can’t win the championship?

A: In NHRA history, no driver outside the top 10 in the standings with six events remaining has ever come back to win a POWERade Series championship.