January 21 2011 Last updated at 03:00 PM ET
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR President Mike Helton, Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton and Sprint Cup Series director John Darby held a competition update news conference Friday at Daytona International Speedway, confirming that the sanctioning body is looking at a "simpler" points system that would be introduced in all three national series for the 2011 season.
Speaking to reporters during downtime from a three-day preseason test session at the Daytona Beach track, the trio spoke on a wide range of issues. First, Helton made the news official that drivers must now select only one of the three national series to earn points toward a championship. He also indicated NASCAR was considering changes to the 1, 3 and 7:30 p.m. race start times introduced this past year.
Pemberton said that the proposed fuel injection systems would not be used this season but are progressing well in tests and Darby explained that the introduction of ethanol to fuel this year was actually an easier transition than when NASCAR switched from leaded to unleaded fuel in 2008.
The hot topic, unquestionably, was a change to the points system -- which would be the first since NASCAR formed in 1958 -- even if none of the officials would confirm what the new format might look like.
"We're in the middle of the conversations, telling the competitors where our mind is,'' Helton said. "The goal for some time is to create a points system that is easy to understand, easy to explain, easy to talk about but also be credible at the end of the season. So it's a function of taking the current one that has established credibility and come up with one that you can sit and have a conversation with someone and they say, 'well, that's pretty simple.' ''
"We're close. And we're getting a lot of good feedback from the drivers about tweaks that would go into that.''
The Associated Press citing unnamed sources, reported this week that NASCAR is considering a system using 43 points. The winner in the 43-car field gets 43 points and the last place car gets one point. Helton said the tweak to that might include bonuses for wins as incentive and reward.
NASCAR CEO Brian France is expected to announce the new points system next Wednesday at dinner with the national racing media at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C.
Helton was asked if he thought the late timing of the news -- with teams expected in Daytona Beach for the season-opening Speedweeks only three weeks from now -- might hurt the series' credibility with competitors and fans.
"I think that our fans -- as long as we maintain the core elements of the sport, tweaking the points, tweaking the Chase, tweaking different components in the sport -- they're quick studies."
-- Mike Helton
"I think the credibility of our final decision is actually better because of the collaborative effort that we put into it today as opposed to what might have happened in the past to get to the final decision,'' Helton said. "So that when the final decision is confirmed, and NASCAR, who's the governing body and responsible for making the final decisions, right, wrong or indifferent, our appetite and our desire is to do it correctly and have one that makes sense and not one just for the sake of changing things. ''
And Helton continued, "I think that our fans -- as long as we maintain the core elements of the sport, tweaking the points, tweaking the Chase, tweaking different components in the sport -- they're quick studies.
"And by the time we announce our final decisions and the time Speed Week opens up, in today's world with all the opportunity to debate it and discuss it and to wash it out between all of our stakeholders, I think the season will start off with, 'Okay, let's go.'''
Helton explained that the new pick-your-championship rule was designed to give the lesser tier Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series a more distinct identity. Under the new rules, a driver such as defending series champion Brad Keselowski may win 10 times in the Nationwide Series in 2011, but he will not receive any points in the drivers championship, although his car owner can earn points toward that title.
In other news, Pemberton reported that he was satisfied with the new, slightly smaller restrictor plate that the Sprint Cup Series cars have been running during this three-day test at Daytona. Yesterday's top speed -- turned in by David Reutimann's No. 00 Toyota -- was 195.780 mph. Tony Stewart had the fastest lap in Friday's rain-delayed first session at 194.884 mph.
"There's some margin in there,'' Pemberton said, The track is smooth and we're happy with where we're at right now and maybe even a little bit quicker.''
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