COPPER HILL, VA :: Before the beginning of the 2014 season, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series announced bonus “passing” points for drivers starting in double digit positions and winning a race.

It was a novel idea but in offering the passing points, NASCAR, as they often do, offered no guidelines for how this system should work.  Does a driver have to qualify in a position worse than ninth to be eligible to get the bonus points?  Can a driver who qualifies inside the top nine elect to start in 10th or worse or does that driver have to start last in order to be eligible for the bonus points?

We’ve already seen the bonus points play out this season.  Currently, Anthony Anders holds a 10 point advantage unofficially over Lee Pulliam in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national points standings by way of bonus points.  Not including bonus “passing” points, maximum points (702) would have first been reached by Anthony Anders which, prior to this season, would have made him the champion already.

However, unlike seasons past, maximum points can only be reached by starting in position 10 or worse and winning 18 times.  That’s a total of 36 points available above 702.  As of last week’s official points standings released by NASCAR, Anders had 714 points with Pulliam having 708.  Pulliam has received passing points just three times while Anders has gained passing points six times.  Anders should have gained four more passing points in twins this past weekend coming from 10th or worse in both races at Greenville Pickens Speedway.

Anders has been the obvious beneficiary of the passing points.  Anders’ home track, Greenville Pickens Speedway, allows him to elect to start 10th while many other tracks will only allow you to either start where you qualify or elect to start at the rear of the field.  That became evident for Pulliam than this weekend at Southern National Motorsports Park where he qualified on the pole and was told he would only be allowed to start last if he wanted to go for the passing points.

Here is where NASCAR needs to either get everyone on the same page or make a mandate of how these points can be won.  Personally I have no problem with the track allowing the driver (if he qualifies in the top 9) to elect to start 10th or 11th.  It doesn’t take away from any drivers starting position and has no negative effect on any driver in the field.  In fact it has a positive effect on several drivers who get to move up one position for the green flag.

However there should be some consistency.  There needs to be a rule and there needs to be guidelines from NASCAR.  I know, I know … NASCAR has already made a statement effectively saying that the tracks make the rules and they just collect the membership fees.  Sorry NASCAR that’s pretty much what you said.  However you’re the one who’s tallying the points and the one who’s going to crown the National Champion later this year.

NASCAR, don’t you want to have everyone on the same playing field?  Shouldn’t Lee Pulliam, Keith Rocco, Ryan Preece, Dillon Bassett, Peyton Sellers, Kres VanDyke, Tommy Lemons Jr., Chad Finchum and Matt Bowling among others have the same chance to score points as Anthony Anders?  I know many of you reading this will start crying about start and parks, two-seaters and Late Model Trucks but I don’t care about that right now.  That’s not the issue at hand right now.

The issue at hand is that, if NASCAR is going to crown a National Champion, then NASCAR, not the race tracks, should make a set of guidelines for the way the points can be awarded.  That would make it fair for everyone and give no one an advantage when it comes to scoring passing points.  Maybe it’s too late for a rule change now with just a month of racing left for the NWAAS points but we can at least get on the same page going forward?