Chase format might be tweaked

NASCAR CEO Brian France told reporters Sunday the sanctioning body is considering tweaking next season's Chase format by awarding extra championship points to race winners.

"We're looking at making the win more important," France said. "We're always trying to figure out how to do that. We'll sort that out in the off-season."

And following a season during which television ratings sagged, France is optimistic the addition of open-wheel racer Juan Pablo Montoya and ABC/ESPN, which joins Fox and TNT as NASCAR's television partners, will breathe new life into the sport.

"It's harder to grow when you reach the level we're at," France said. "We think there's no question it's an under-covered sport today. That will change over time, as the acceptance of this sport all over the country gets better.

"ESPN is going to help us go after the casual sports fan in the area that we're weakest. I love where we're at, and we're excited about where we're going." Atlanta Journal Constitution