How to Spice Up the Championship, Part IV

Exciting series finales.  In all actuality, I'd say the IndyCar Series has this part down.

For the last week or so, Indycar.com has been running a 'Championship Rewind,' looking at the series' top finishes.

So, what can we learn from these?

First, IndyCar fans should be proud that the series has a points system that continually has worked, i.e., creating an exciting finale.  For all the problems of the IndyCar Series (and yes, it has some major flaws), this is not one of them, thankfully. 

Hopefully, we will never see a gimmick that resets points and artificially packs the field together.  The IndyCar Series rewards teams for being successful throughout the season, and they still manage to create drama down the stretch of the season, even with one or two teams dominating throughout.

Secondly, we can look back and remember when the Indy Racing League had some even wider gaps in its schedule - for instance, look at 1996, when nearly two months separated the last two races of the year.  Can you imagine this happening today?  Good grief, I shudder to think of the vile things that would be said about the series.

So, even with the snail-like pace to the end of this season (and I'm one of its harshest critics), it is an improvement, if you consider the history of the Indy Racing League.

While the first three ideas of this series focus on things the series can do now, in 2009, let's tip our caps to the IndyCar Series for getting this part right - the last race of the season does matter, virtually every year, and it's not done artificially.  Be proud, IndyCar fans.  This three-way battle for the points title will spice up the championship at Homestead.