NASCAR changed the points system in its top series prior to the start of the 2014 season. Already it has been evident that certain drivers and teams are taking the new format as a chance to gamble.
One driver who gambled on Sunday at Las Vegas was Dale Earnhardt Jr. The driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet came up half a lap short on fuel but nearly won his second race of the season.
“I think everybody has seen that over the last couple of weeks, that this format has definitely allowed teams to gamble like we have.”
Earnhardt says that even if his teams stragety did not result in a win it still produced good results.
“You know, it did pay off. Not the ultimate prize, but we did run second. We weren’t going to — as much as you want to win, and believe me, we were out there trying to win, you do take pride in a good performance, a good finish, and we weren’t going to run in the top 5 if we hadn’t have used that particular strategy, if we’d have run the same strategy as our competitors we would have probably run just inside the top 10 where we were all day.”
It should come as no surprise that Earnhardt is enjoying the new format.
” I think the way the new format is, nothing is perfect, right, but it definitely is showing it has tons of positives, and it’s better as far as entertainment for our sport.”
