When you criticize a change, you've got to have your own ideas in place as to what the changes should be. And here are mine, which have evolved a bit over the last couple of years:
1. Get rid of the Chase. Go back to a legitimate, full-season championship. Brain Dead says he listens to the fans whenever he makes changes. No he doesn't. That's a lie. If he was listening to real fans, he would have canned the Chase almost as soon as he created it. It has bastardized the sport, and now this "winner-take-all" race at Homestead, a pathetic attempt to create that "game 7" excitement that Brain Dead continually seeks, completes the process of destruction. Here's a scenario that would guarantee that the Chase is relegated to the dumpster: Junior wins the 500 and half a dozen other races during the first 26, and leads the point’s standings every week. He then wins a race during each of the three Chase segments prior to Homestead, again leading the standings each week. Then, at Homestead, he cuts a tire on lap 25, smashes into the wall, and ends up fourth among the final four. In an attempt to placate an apoplectic Junior Nation, the Chase would hopefully finally be dumped by Brain Dead.
2. Revamp the points system. Right now, the "one point gained per position" system equates a pass for 33rd place to a pass for 3rd place. Pure weapons-grade stupidity. I'd go back to a modified form of the Latford system, which correctly put more emphasis on passes for position made at the front of the field versus those made in the back of the field. Separate spots in the top 10 by five points, spots in 11-20 by four points, and 21-25 by three points. Spots 26-43 would still be separated by one point. The race winner gets 150 points, second place gets 145, etc. The 43rd place finisher would get 32 points. It would work, much like the Latford system worked for so many years, until the cementheads decided to make things "easier" for the fans, who they think must have the collective IQ of a radish.
3. You want an emphasis on winning? Here you go: the race winner each week gets a 30 point bonus. Additionally, the second place driver gets a 10 point bonus and the third place driver gets a 5 point bonus, ensuring that at least on some occasions there would be some real bumping and banging within the top five.
4. Finally, no more bonus point for leading one lap. To get a bonus for leading laps, you must lead at least five of them. No more guys staying out during a caution to lead a lap and collect a cheap bonus point, and definitely no more "leader slows down so his teammate can lead a lap and get a bonus point" crap that seems to go on every week. The more laps you lead, the bigger the bonus: if you lead 5-19 laps, you get one bonus point. If you lead 20+ laps but not the most laps, you get five bonus points. The driver who leads the most laps gets ten bonus points.