[clutchslip]

[MODS move this to where-ever, if not appropriate here.]

I would LIKE to see the champion of any racing series also be the person with the most wins. This does not always happen.
Two bike examples (off the top of my head) where this did NOT happen were: Doug Chandler, who won a championship without EVER winning a race. And Mick Doohan who LOST a championship even though he had the most wins. (I like D.C., by the way.)

It was recently suggested that without a point system, motorcycle racing would be like NASCAR. This was completely and totally wrong. One reason NASCAR is not better racing is because of the point system.

For everyone's edification, I have included the convoluted NASCAR point system and the even stranger money pay out. Preliminary calculations suggest that it is possible to never finish above 5th and still win the NASCAR championship.
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NASCAR Point system explained

NASCAR.COM
October 2, 2006
12:43 AM EDT (04:43 GMT)
The winner of each Nextel Cup race receives 180 points. The runner-up scores 170. From there, the point total declines in five-point increments for Nos. 2-6; points drop four points per driver for Nos. 7-11; and three-point increments separate drivers' points for finishers 12th place and lower.

In addition to the points allocated, any driver who leads a lap receives five bonus points. The driver who leads the most laps receives an additional five bonus points.

Chase for the Nextel Cup
Adjusted points structure
Place Points
1st 5,050
2nd 5,045
3rd 5,040
4th 5,035
5th 5,030
6th 5,025
7th 5,020
8th 5,015
9th 5,010
10th 5,005
Note: If more than 10 drivers qualify, the additional drivers will have their points reset at 5,005.
In Nextel Cup racing, following the 26th race of the season, all drivers in the top 10 -- and any others within 400 points of the leader -- earn a berth in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

All drivers in the Chase will have their point totals adjusted. The first-place driver in the standings begins the Chase with 5,050 points; the second-place driver will start with 5,045, etc. Incremental five-point drops will continue through 10th place (5,005 points).

If more than 10 drivers qualify for the Chase, the additional drivers will have their points reset at 5,005.

• Owners are rewarded in the points race in much the same fashion but, unlike drivers, they earn points for merely attempting to make a race. If an owner shows up with two drivers and one fails to qualify, the owner still receives points for the non-qualifying effort.

Through the first five races of the season, the top 35 in owners' points from the previous season are guaranteed a starting spot in the race. Beginning with the sixth race, the top 35 in current owners' points are guaranteed a spot.

The fastest non-qualifier on race day earns 31 points for his owner, three down from the 43rd-place points. The scale continues downward for all non-qualifiers, with the lowest possible point awarded being one.

• Manufacturers have a points race of their own. The car maker who has a driver take first place in a race earns nine points for that race. Second-best performance by a manufacturer gets six points, third place earns four points and fourth place, three points.


Any driver who leads a lap receives five bonus points.
The driver who leads the most laps receives an additional five bonus points.

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How money is distributed in NASCAR
February 25, 2004
1:52 PM EST (1852 GMT)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Who wins what amount of money from competing in a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race can seem like a complicated process -- with the most compelling question being how a driver that finishes far back can win more money than a driver that finishes in the top 10?
An example would be the 2002 Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville Speedway, where Jimmie Johnson won $49,550 for his sixth place finish, while Jeff Gordon won $90,753 -- the fifth highest payout in the race -- for his 36th place result.
The biggest reason for the money disparity is in the bonus programs that Gordon, as the defending champion and driving for one of the leading winners in the series, Hendrick Motorsports, is eligible for more special award plans than a newer team, such as Johnson's first-year operation, is.
As convoluted as it seems, the process is actually fairly simple and is regulated by the entry blanks that the NASCAR Competition Department issues in advance of each event.
Each race carries a purse figure, or its "posted awards."
The purse is comprised of a number of segments, including the racing purse; television awards; car owner special award plans, including the Winner's Circle Program; and a list of qualifying and special awards that may or may not be paid depending on the eligibility of the driver finishing in the appropriate position.
The racing purse breakdown designates a set amount for positions 1-43 that decreases on a sliding scale. "Television Awards" are also posted for each position, using the same sliding scale from first to 43rd.
NASCAR Nextel Cup team owners may participate in special award plans, such as "Plan 1," which allows for a set figure for each owner. Car owners participating in Plan 1c win money for their finishing position in relation to the other owners in the plan, again on a decreasing scale.
Those owners participating in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Car/Champion Owner Program are also entitled to additional awards, per the regulations of the program.
Among the largest special awards at each race are the NASCAR Nextel Leader Bonus, Time Trial Awards and the Gatorade Front Runner Award.
The Nextel Leader Bonus is a modern day version of "Studebaker money." The money is available to the race winner IF he is also leading the Nextel Cup standings after the event. If the winner is not the point leader, the money -- which accrues at the rate of $10,000 per event -- is not paid.
The Gatorade Front Runner Award, $10,000, goes to the driver that leads the most laps in the race, regardless of finishing position.
Most of the other manufacturers' and special award prizes are contingent on using the products and displaying uniform patches or decals.
At certain events special prizes are awarded to the leader of each lap in the race.
These days, about 75 percent of the posted awards are paid after each event, per the official NASCAR race report. The balance of the posted awards is the "Manufacturer's Point Fund Awards," a prorated share of nearly $15 million in manufacturer and sponsor funds that are distributed at the end of the season.
While a certain portion of each purse is guaranteed to be paid after the event, some of the cash is what formerly was referred to as Studebaker money, placed in the purse simply for appearance sake.
The term refers to money offered on a purse, say "$10,000 to the winner if he is driving a Studebaker." The $10,000 would be reflected in the total posted awards, making them more impressive, but the chance of a Studebaker winning would be miniscule.
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*What a mess. Do you know that some teams just run one qualifying lap, because that gives them a payout and they don't have to risk their car?
GRRRRRR.