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NASCAR to leave championship format unchanged in 2015

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - NASCAR won't change its new championship format, which chairman Brian France said Monday is ''overwhelmingly popular'' with fans.

The Chase was revamped last year into an elimination-style system that created a winner-take-all final race among four drivers. Kevin Harvick won the season finale at Homestead in November to claim his first Sprint Cup title.

France called it ''perhaps the best Chase ever'' and said the excitement will carry into this season.

''It's overwhelmingly popular with our most important stakeholder, the fans,'' France of the Chase during the kickoff to the annual NASCAR media tour. ''They (fans) like the fact that it tightened up competition. They liked the drama down the stretch. They like the emphasis on winning. And one of the things they told us that they really liked is the idea that we weren't going to change anything. And they strongly suggested that we didn't. And we're not going to.''

NASCAR first debuted the Chase in 2004 and tweaked it several times in the first 10 years. But it got a dramatic overhaul before the 2014 season, when the driver field was expanded to 16 with four eliminated after every third Chase race.

The final four drivers then went to Homestead even in the standings, with the highest finisher guaranteed the championship. The system worked in creating an eventful finale in which all four contenders raced for the win.

France said he believed the a simple formula that did not require following points - drivers made the Chase by winning a race, and advanced through the rounds with wins - was embraced by fans.

''One of the magical parts of this Chase, and we want to make sure we keep it this way, is the simplicity of it: Win and you're in,'' said France.

One change coming into 2015 will be that NASCAR will no longer permit teams to alter their car's side skirts during a race. The practice was widespread last season, but NASCAR took no action against teams.

Many crew chiefs believed the flaring of the side skirts was in violation of the interpretation of the rule, but because NASCAR was not acting on it, they were forced to manipulate the sheet metal to keep up with other teams.

Steve O'Donnell, executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said cars will be brought back in if NASCAR sees the skirts have been manipulated during a pit stop. Policing the flared skirts will be done ''by any means possible,'' O'Donnell said.

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