France, speaking Tuesday night on Motor Racing Network’s “NASCAR Live” show, reiterated that NASCAR needs to find a better balance between rewarding wins and rewarding consistency. France made similar comments at the Sprint Cup awards banquet in December.

He also said Tuesday that NASCAR could also alter the format of races. When NASCAR changes its points system or makes other format changes, it typically announces those sometime in January, so any decision on 2014 should come in the next three weeks.

“We’re working on the format of the future, whatever that might be, and maybe it’s a little different, maybe it’s more than a little,” France said. “But we’re looking at different things.

“We are not satisfied that we have the exact balance that we want with winning, consistency, points, running for a championship. We think we can make some tweaks that continue to incentivize risk-taking and racing harder and so on.”

In the current points system, the winner earns just three to six points more than the second-place driver. Drivers get 47 or 48 points for a win, depending on whether they lead the most laps. The driver who finishes second gets at least 42 points and as many as 44 if that driver leads a lap or the most laps.

Wins during the 26-race regular season can also impact the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Drivers who finish the regular season in the top 10 in points receive three bonus points for each win, which is added to their 2,000-point total when points are reset for the Chase. Wins also determine the two wild-card spots in the Chase.

“We undoubtedly will be coming with things that put the incentive on winning races and competing at the highest level,” France said.

NASCAR has made changes to the Chase and its points system in recent years, but has not made any dramatic moves to place more emphasis on winning races. The last major change came in 2011, when NASCAR overhauled its 36-year-old points system and added the two Chase wild cards.


GANASSI DROPS EARNHARDT FROM TEAM NAME


When Sprint Cup testing begins Thursday morning at Daytona International Speedway, there will be one well-known NASCAR name missing among the list of team owners.

Earnhardt.

The Nos. 1 and 42 Sprint Cup teams, which were run the last five years under the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates banner, will return to their former name: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. The sign outside the North Carolina shop already has been changed, and stickers on the cars and patches on the driver and crew uniforms will carry the Chip Ganassi logo instead of the EGR logo.

Ganassi officials confirmed the change Wednesday but had no comment on the financial structure of the current organization, which fields Sprint Cup cars for Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson. Teresa Earnhardt, widow of seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt and owner of Dale Earnhardt Inc., has not been involved in the day-to-day operations of the team and with the change apparently no longer has any financial stake in the NASCAR operation.

EGR was formed in December 2008 when Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Chip Ganassi Racing entered into a partnership, helping to facilitate Ganassi’s move from Dodge to Chevrolet and allowing the use of Earnhardt Childress Racing engines. It also moved the No. 1 team from the DEI shop to the Ganassi shop. The Ganassi team has been primarily a two-car team since (Aric Almirola ran a handful of races in a third car in 2009), with EGR having access to the Earnhardt Technologies Group, which houses engineering tools and manufacturers various parts and pieces for racecars out of the former DEI shop.

"It's been an honor to have the Earnhardt name affiliated with our team," Chip Ganassi Racing president Steve Lauletta said Wednesday. "Dale and Teresa have done a tremendous amount for the sport. She was visionary enough with us to do this partnership in the first place. We felt like it was a benefit. . . . The goal of becoming a better race team partnered together, we think we did that.

"That's a tribute to her wanting to do the right thing for her partners, her company and her employees. We have nothing but good things to say about the partnership."

There will be no change in the operation of the Ganassi teams, as Teresa Earnhardt has had little influence on the organization's day-to-day operations. Ganassi began using Hendrick Motorsports engines in 2013 in its two Cup cars.


EARNHARDT CARS HIGHLIGHT NEW HALL EXHIBIT


Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2008 Chevrolet Impala and Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s 1990 Chevrolet Lumina will highlight a new exhibit at the NASCAR Hall of Fame this year.

The Hall of Fame is revamping its signature Glory Road exhibit to feature 18 cars from throughout NASCAR history. The new exhibit will be unveiled Saturday. The hall will be closed through Friday for installation of the exhibit.

Glory Road is one of the focal points of the hall; it features 18 historic cars as well as replicas of various racetracks where fans can examine the texture and banking of the surface.

The new exhibit will feature such historic cars as Marshal Teague’s 1952 Hudson Hornet; David Pearson’s 1969 Ford Torino; Bobby Allison’s 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle; Richard Petty’s 1979 Chevrolet Monte Carlo; Darrell Waltrip’s 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo; and Jeff Gordon’s 1994 Chevrolet Lumina.

Earnhardt won his fourth Cup championship in 1990 in a black Lumina for Richard Childress Racing. He also won the ’91 title and went on to win a record-tying seven Cup championships in his famous No. 3 Chevrolet. 

Earnhardt Jr. moved to Hendrick Motorsports in 2008, driving a No. 88 Chevrolet Impala. He won a qualifying race at Daytona to start the season and won his first points race for Hendrick in June at Michigan.

Other recent cars on display on Glory Road include Tony Stewart’s 2011 Chevrolet and Matt Kenseth’s 2013 Toyota Camry.


RUSTY TO DRIVE BLUE DEUCE


NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace will drive Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 Penske Racing car during testing at Daytona Thursday as part of a promotion for a throwback paint scheme for the Daytona 500.

The occasion coincides with the 25th anniversary of Wallace’s 1989 Cup championship and the 40th anniversary of Miller Lite beer. Wallace will wear a firesuit with the original Miller Lite logo as will Keselowski during the Daytona 500.

Wallace, an analyst for ESPN, hasn’t raced a Cup car since 2005. He was sponsored by Miller from 1990 to 2005.

“I am pretty pumped up about this,” Wallace, 57, said. “This is a big deal, and I can’t wait to get the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford up to speed — especially at Daytona.

“This will be my first time driving the new Gen-6 car, and I think it will give me a better perspective on how I cover the races for ESPN as an analyst. This is going to be a lot of fun, yet there is also a business component, too.”

Contributors: Bob Pockrass, Jeff Owens