What we do know is the champion is going to be one of those 12 guys. We will run the next 10 races after Richmond to see which guy that will be. Based on what we have seen so far this year, it's a pretty good chance it will either be Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards or Jimmie Johnson. One of the remaining nine drivers would have to get really hot to keep up with and beat those three guys.

One of the many things that continue to stick in my craw about the Chase is, once you are locked in, the worst you can finish for the season is 12th place. You could show up every week and finish dead last in the final 10 races and you are going to finish 12th for the season. For that matter, you could not show up at all and you will still finish 12th.

What about the guys just outside the top 12? Let's say the 13th-place guy gets on a winning streak and wins a lot of the last 10 races. Well, guess what? The best he can get is 13th position for the year. There's just something about being locked in and locked out that doesn't set well with me. I would like some kind of mechanism where you have to perform to stay in the Chase or risk being knocked out by someone outside the top 12.

I just think it would add an element of excitement so that after Richmond, there isn't a sense of letdown from some of these teams that know they are locked in for the final 10 races. The other thing I think needs to be changed is that you should have to win a race to qualify for the Chase. Not that they need more pressure to win, but I don't think it's right for some of these guys to make the Chase this year without even winning a race. So in my mind, one of the things that would automatically qualify you for the Chase is that you have to win.

NASCAR roundup

News:

• Sources: Sadler set to return to No. 19
• Petty, Gillett Evernham to merge
• Chevy to remain Daytona sponsor
• Owner reaches deal on fraud charges
• Logano to defend All-Star title
• Baldwin to debut Cup team at Daytona

Analysis:

• DW: Teams spend too much
• Owens: Where were the fireworks?
• DW: Petty cash, not enough
• McReynolds: It all starts here
• Mondaca: Nine stories for '09

Looking back at 2008:

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• Nationwide
• Trucks

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I just think there has to be something more to liven this thing up other than after Richmond the Chase begins. I mean nothing changes. You still have to be consistent. You've still got to finish every race and get those top-5 and top-10 finishes. Unless you are like Jimmie Johnson was last year and win a lot of races in the Chase. He and his teammate Jeff Gordon raced under two different strategies. Jeff was racing under the old point system where it paid to finish consistently high each week.

Jimmie and his crew chief, Chad Knaus, figured out a lot quicker than anyone else that it's not how many races you win in the regular season but how many you win in the Chase. Obviously winning is the answer to every problem. If you win, you will be in the Chase. If you win, you will win the Championship. I just think the emphasis on winning is something that has to be driven home to keep the excitement up week in and week out.

The other thing I can't embrace about the Chase is basically resetting the points for the last 10 races. Last year Jeff Gordon had a 400-point lead at the end of the regular season. They took all those points away from him and patted him on the back for a job well done, but all it meant was he had the most points of anyone in the first 26 races. As you saw, Jeff went on to lose the championship to Jimmie Johnson.

I still believe there needs to be some reward for being the regular-season champion. There should be a big presentation for winning the regular season. Maybe they get a cool $1 million and a nice trophy. Then we can go into the playoffs and the championship battle. That would make me feel a little bit better and I bet it would some of the drivers too.

These are all ideas I have voiced for years. Another thing I think would help the final 10 races is a separate points system. They aren't competing with the other 31 guys because the other 31 guys can't win the championship. There are only 12 people who can win the championship. It should be a battle within a battle. Those 12 guys should be competing with each other under a scenario where they have a totally different point system. If you use the same point system like you used the entire year, then three or four guys could come hot out of the box in the Chase with wins and great finishes and they end up being so far ahead that the rest can't catch them. That then takes the excitement out of the Chase. So a separate point system would keep those 12 drivers closer during the 10 races.

My final thought and again, I have said this before, but 10 races for the Chase is too long. Kyle Busch is going into the Chase, not counting what happens this weekend, with 80 bonus points. That's an 80-point lead before they have even run the first race of the Chase. That's a huge advantage.

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Saturday night at Richmond we pretty well know who is in and who is out. There are a couple chances where some may fall out of the top 12 and some may get in. So pretty much the field is set. From that standpoint, there isn't a lot of excitement. The excitement will come as we go down the road and see who has a chance to win the thing once we get to Homestead.

There are things about the Chase that could be changed that would make it a lot more exciting and interesting. I've made my suggestions and I think they should be considered.

Oh By The Way

Saturday night look for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to run well. Kyle Busch will run well too. Clint Bowyer is another one to keep your eye on. I look for Bowyer and Kevin Harvick to have really good race cars. Speaking of Clint, I look for him to make it into the Chase. The other thing I will be watching with interest is Jeff Gordon's performance. He can not afford to have a bad night. He needs to have a night like he did at Bristol. He doesn't need to win, he just needs to stay up there and be close. If Jeff has a disastrous night, there is a chance he could miss the Chase. If that were to happen, it would be unbelievable. The four teams that make up the Chase will be the four teams up front Saturday night.

The most exciting race is not Saturday night at Richmond. That race is the one in Homestead in November when we crown our 2008 champion. That's the one we all wait for.