Got a secret?
Please don't tell anybody associated with NASCAR. Your secret will go viral shortly after it leaves your lips.
Consider two significant changes on the horizon that haven't been announced "officially" but have been all over Twitter and the rest of cyberspace for the last few weeks as NASCAR prepares to kick off its 2011 season:
•Expect a change in the points system to determine the Sprint Cup champion.
•And all those "bushwackers" who love to double-dip on Saturdays and Sundays now must decide whether they want to compete for a Nationwide title or a Sprint Cup title because they can't do both.
NASCAR officials should make this all official soon, whether it's later this week during testing at Daytona International Speedway or during a media tour next week in North Carolina.
Assuming everything comes to fruition, it's a mixed report card.
According to the Associated Press, NASCAR wants to use a scoring system that would award 43 points to the race winner, and one point less for each ensuing position down to one point for the 43rd-place finisher.
Memo to NASCAR: All this would do is encourage guys driving clunkers that have been damaged earlier in the race to get back on the track and chase for a couple of cheap points while getting in the way of drivers who have much faster cars. I doubt any driver is keen on this idea.
NASCAR also reportedly is considering keeping it a 12-driver field for the Chase, with one caveat: The top 10 drivers after the 26th race of the season would qualify for the Chase, while the remaining two spots would go to the drivers with the most wins who haven't qualified already for the Chase.
Tweaking formats isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the constant shifting of the bull's-eye seems to reflect a sense of urgency for a sport looking to regain its mojo with the masses. The Chase format already has been tweaked several times since its debut in 2004.
I don't think NASCAR's problems have much to do with the Chase format. Bigger challenges involve a true lack of rivalries and the failure of Dale Earnhardt Jr. to step up and become the face of the sport — beyond popularity contests. He needs to win some races.
On the flip side, NASCAR is doing the right thing by forcing drivers to declare which championship they want to compete for during the long grind of the season. A number of Cup drivers consistently race in both series, which is good for business because fans like to see stars on Saturdays and Sundays but not so good from a competitive standpoint.
Imagine Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers occasionally slumming it by playing in the Arena League.
And without question, the big boys usually get the better of things — the 2009 Nationwide title was won by Kyle Busch, and the '08 championship went to Clint Bowyer.
"I guess it's tough," said Brad Keselowski, the 2010 Nationwide champion who also ran in the Cup series. "But it doesn't matter how I feel about it. It is what it is."
gdiaz2@tribune.com