Latford then tested this system with the results of the previous three years worth of races and liked how the format played out in determining a champion, then submitted his suggestion. NASCAR liked what they saw, and the new points system was implemented for 1975 and has been maintained in its current form to this day.

As effective as the system is, many over the years suggested that it be tweaked, mainly to reward the top finishers more. 62 percent in a THATSRACIN.COM poll voted for such a change, with 50 percent voting for a 10-20 point bonus for winning a race. Personally, you can include me in that camp. Latford would defend his system through the years, stating �being a champion is not about how you did in races you won. It�s about how you did in races you did not win�. Other racing series (CART, F1) use a system that only award the top finishers, leaving those not running near the front with little to race for.

The beauty of the point system is that it is cut and dried, and easily understood (NASCAR�s occasional penalties not withstanding). College football fans could only wish for a system this simplified, as opposed to the convoluted BCS system that mixes in coaches and sportswriter rankings, as well as computer rankings and strength of schedule. That system is doomed for controversy virtually every season no matter how things shook out. College basketball also uses a computerized system involving strength of schedule when determining seedings as well as at-large tournament berths.

For years, baseball fans were mesmerized annually with pennant races. The format was not entirely fair in determining playoff teams � but it was known that nothing but first place will do. If the Boston Red Sox won 95 games while a division rival (usually the Yankees) won 100, then it�s wait till next year. It mattered not that the 95 wins would had easily won another division. It may not have been totally fair, but everyone knew up front what was needed. That sport lost some of that mystique by including an extra playoff tier, along with a wild-card playoff participant a decade back.

We saw it earlier in the year with Matt Kenseth, and now we officially find out that Jimmie Johnson (a member of the Pepsi camp) doesn�t have any love for a particular blue-colored sports drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola company. Johnson climbs from the #48 after winning the New England 300 only to find not one, not two, but three 32 oz bottles of the blue sports drink, along with a fourth giant inflatable replica of the drink. While emerging from his machine Johnson manages to swipe away all four of the blue sports drink bottles (real or replica) in about 1.5 seconds. JJ is then quickly given a bottle of the yellow sports drink he endorses, and douses everyone before flinging that bottle which took all of about five additional seconds. His interview with NBC then begins when he is quickly doused from behind (by a crewman) with another bottle of the yellow drink. Safe to say that when JJ passes on (hopefully many, many years from) that he would stir one last time if anyone dare put the blue drink on his casket.

Johnson�s disrespect for the blue drink could had given him a call to the red trailer on a different Sunday, but I have a feeling NASCAR was way too busy as a number of driver feuds emerged during the course of the afternoon. The biggest headliner was a tiff between Greg Biffle and Jeff Gordon, who by the way I think takes a back seat to Johnson at this point. Biffle fell behind a lap early in the proceedings and was set to start alongside Gordon for a restart. At that point the Gordon camp (apparently worried about re-staring alongside a car potentially as strong) makes a deal with the Biffle camp. If Biffle let Gordon get the jump, then the #24 would let the #16 get his lap back if there were a quick caution. The caution occurred, but Gordon races back to the line ahead of the #16. An enraged Biffle would push Gordon up the track during the caution, earning him a post-race trip to the red trailer. However no punishment was given after Biffle explained his side of the story to NASCAR director John Darby.

Biffle�s view of the incident to reporters afterwards was classic. Biffle refers to Gordon�s tactics as �bullshit�, Biffle adds �I don�t f�n do him like that'. Greg then refers to Gordon as �two-faced�. Awesome!!!! Biffle has just officially proven to himself as one of the boys even more than winning at Daytona. By the way, Biffle does get his lap back and eventually finishes tenth. Meanwhile Gordon loses his chance to win when he�s caught out of sequence with fuel mileage. Knowing his shot to win was gone, the #24 takes on four tires with adjustments on the final caution. Something goes horrible with the adjustments and Gordon limps home to a 24th place finish, the final car on the lead lap. By the way, 71 percent on a CBS SPORTSLINE poll side with Biffle.

And that wasn�t even close to the end of driver animosity for the day. The tone was set early when Jimmy Spencer (he had been way too quiet) punted John Andretti, resulting in the 14th wreck in 19 races for the #0 car � or 14 more wrecks than Matt Kenseth. After venting his spleen to both MRN and NBC, the #0 team then proceeds to leave various parts of the wreckage IN FRONT OF THE SPENCER TRAILER!!!!! Way to go for a pair of also-rans.

And there�s still more. A couple other lower-tier drivers, Ward Burton and Mike Wallace got into it after the #22 punted the #01. �I guess you can�t race with the #22�. So the #01 keeps pace with the #0 in the wreck standings. Rusty Wallace found himself and both the receiving and giving ends � first getting rear-ended by Dale Jr. then later getting into Tony Stewart. Rusty wound up on the bottom end of the Stewart incident as well as the #20 ripped off the back of the #2 after making contact with the wall.

Not to say that this was a bad race by any means. Matt Kenseth led the first lap (on the pole due to rain) but slipped and was overtaken by Jeff Gordon on Lap 2. Dale Jr. then makes takes his usual early turn at the point getting past Gordon on the third lap, only for Gordon to re-assume the lead on Lap 5. Gordon would then go on to lead 43 of the first 47 laps. There was also a great side-by-side duel for five laps early on between Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson. Despite numerous crashes resulting in 12 cautions, was by far some of the best racing NHIS has seen in recent years.

Now for some other driver capsules from New Hampshire�

Kevin Harvick � There is a definite trend here, this is the #29�s time of year. Led 53 laps and was in the hunt all day, eventually finishing second.

Matt Kenseth � I�ve been waiting all year for qualifying to get rained out to see how Kenseth handles things actually starting by the point. #17 led only the first lap and was not a huge factor for most of the day. But Kenseth gets a huge break on fuel mileage and is able to steal a third place finish.

Ryan Newman � Rained out qualifying keeps Newman bottled up in mid-pack for the first half of the race, but comes on strong and has the lead before being passed by the eventual race winner with 35 laps to go, Newman slips to fourth but still another strong outing which gets him up to a tie for 13th in the standings, and only 22 points out of the top ten and 65 points out of eighth.

Robby Gordon � Outside of the road courses and maybe the plate tracks NHIS has by far become his best venue, with another strong run and a fifth place finish.

Dale Jarrett � I told you he�s always a factor here, just wasn�t sure he still had it in him after battling with Christian Fittipaldi four laps down the previous week. Ends up in 7th with a slew of tracks at the #88 traditionally does well at coming up.

Steve Park � Best finish since last fall!!!!! That gives RCR a second, fifth, and eighth for the day, this team is on a roll.

Jeff Burton � Finishes ninth for his third straight top-ten.

Casey Mears � I told you he�s turning it around, has his second best finish of the year with a 16th. I have a feeling that first career top ten is not far off.

Michael Waltrip � WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT??? NASCAR throws out the black flag at the #15 with only seven laps to go for what is supposedly a dragging tailpipe, costing Waltrip a chance at a top ten. According to the Waltrip camp it was only a strap that had fallen off, and Waltrip added that he wished NASCAR used better judgment, then suggested that he may have suddenly found himself on NASCAR�s bad side. I agree that he got screwed with the black flag but don�t buy into the �they�re out to get me� talk.

Jamie McMurray � Had a very good car, and was at the point for a while midway through the race. But the #42 had significant damage and by just taking one look you knew it wasn�t going to make it the distance. Then NBC reported that McMurray was having serious handling problems and struggling to keep the car on the track. Just seconds later McMurray wrecks into Turn 1 hard, sending parts including the rear deck lid over the catchfence and towards the paying spectators. Anyone care to tether those bad boys???

Johnny Sauter - This should had been even better, Sauter was looking top twenty in his second race in the #4 but runs out of gas on the last lap and limps home at 23rd. What does Sauter get for his efforts??? The boot while BRETT BODINE gets a shot next week. Why???

Morgan Shepherd � Why would I be talking about a 61-year old field filler??? Notice his frequent pit stops early in the race before inevitably pulling out??? Some of the scuttlebutt was that Morgan�s role in the race was to scuff tires for other teams, thence the frequent pit stops. I have nothing else to base that on except that it was speculation.

Larry Foyt � And why would I talk about anyone who didn�t even make the field. And how did Shepherd get in on owners points over Foyt??? You see, Foyt only has one provisional left and doesn�t want to miss out on Indianapolis, or entering the #14 for P.J Jones at Watkins Glen. For that reason, the team changed it�s car number to 50 for this week and next � and thus was a team with no owners points. I give Foyt as much a chance as Carl Long and Kerry Earnhardt to make the show in Pocono this weekend.

There is more news for all you Jimmy Spencer fans out there. Sirius has pulled it�s sponsorship of the #7 effective the end of the season � which I found as a bit of a surprise. I mean what better exposure is there out there than Jimmy Spencer!!!!???? And Waltrip woundn�t shut up talking about �Mongo� for weeks. But off to the Glue Factory it is. Maybe K-Mart will get back in the business ane reunite with him - they've always seemed like a good pair. There is also some crazy talk about NASCAR expanding to a 38 or even 40 race schedule - starting February 1 and ending around Thanksgiving, with only two off weeks. Those rumors ought to go over good in the garage.

It�s now off to Pocono for the second time in just seven weeks, as Tony Stewart attempts to complete a season sweep. Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Dale Jr., and Ryan Newman completed the top five last time out, while Sterling Marlin continued a string of outstanding runs here by placing sixth. If looking for dark horses look at Elliott Sadler along with Jeremy Mayfield who has two of his three career wins here.