This season the NHRA instituted a new Countdown to the Championship format. In its simplest form, the Countdown breaks the $50 million, 23-event POWERade Series season up into three distinct sections: the 17-race Countdown to 8, the four-race Countdown to 4 and the two-race Countdown to 1.
After the 17 regular season races, only the top eight drivers advance into the first round of the playoffs with the top driver being assigned 2,070 points and each of the remaining drivers 10 fewer points each (eighth-place is assigned 2,000 points).
The Sunday format for the final six races will remain the same with full fields and with eight drivers in contention for the championship, those drivers eliminated from the Countdown will have more opportunity than ever before to play spoiler.
The top four drivers after the four-race playoff will have their points reassigned again in 10-point increments with the first-place driver receiving 3,030 and the fourth-place driver 3,000.
The championship will then be determined over the final two races – the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas and the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona – with those final four drivers competing in full fields for the 2007 POWERade Series world championships.
POWERade Championship Points as of 7/20/07 -
The number in parentheses represents the amount of points from 8th place
Top Fuel
1 Rod Fuller
2 Larry Dixon
3 Brandon Bernstein
4 J.R. Todd
5 Tony Schumacher
6 Bob Vandergriff Jr.
7 Dave Grubnic
7 Whit Bazemore
9 Melanie Troxel (-52)
10 Cory McClenathan (-71)
11 Hillary Will (-85)
12 Doug Kalitta (-88)
Funny Car
1 Ron Capps
2 Robert Hight
3 Mike Ashley
4 Tony Pedregon
5 Gary Scelzi
6 Jim Head
7 Jack Beckman
8 Cruz Pedregon
John Force (-16)
10 Tommy Johnson Jr. (-31)
11 Ashley Force (-37)
12 Jeff Arend (-38)
13 Del Worsham (-48)
14 Tim Wilkerson (-78)
15 Kenny Bernstein (-106)
16 Scott Kalitta (-125)
| 
|