NASCAR Pool at work. Do you participate in one?

Since 2005 we've had an office NASCAR pool at my place of employment. We started with ten players and are now up to 14 players. Actually, 15 players, but one doesn't bet due to religious beliefs and we're at a small company and I didn't want to alienate one guy. So his points don't count for anything other than his amusement.

I thought I'd share the game as we play, and maybe get some feedback or hear about how you play in your local NASCAR fantasy pools. I'll share our old and new formats with you.

Our Old Format
Anyway, our game has evolved ever so slightly over the last couple years. Years 2005 and 2006 saw the NASCAR season split into two "legs" (I think leg one was Daytona - Daytona). You picked a team of 10 drivers and some bonus points picks. You received points for each driver that finished in the top ten, regardless of where they finished. In other words, you had Ryan Newman in your team, if he finished first you received 200 pts. If he finished 10th, you received 100 pts. The points were scaled down from 1st to 1th position:

Position / Points
1 = 200 pts
2 = 190 pts
3 = 180 pts
4 = 160 pts
5 = 150 pts
6 = 140 pts
7 = 120 pts
8 = 110 pts
9 = 105 pts
10 = 100 pts

Bonus Points
50 pts = Picking the actual race winner
50 pts = Picking the last place finisher (the hardest pick actually 'cause it could be ANYBODY!) You also won your weekly $ entry fee back.
5 pts = Picking the Pole
25 pts = Picking Leader at 1/2 way mark
15 pts = Picking who led the most laps
10 pts = Picking number of cars on the lead lap
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100 pts = Leader of NASCAR Points at end of Leg.
You had to pick who you thought would be leading the NASCAR points series at the end of our last race of our season. If you picked correctly, these 100 points were added to your season total points for a possible "last minute push" in the standings. This pick couldn't be changed and had to be submitted before race #1 of the season.

Penalty Points
-10 pts = Submitting picks after due time. (your pole and last place picks wouldn't count either)
-10 pts = Paying after the due date.

Results:
This worked pretty good, and it usually was a pretty good race to the end and would typically end up being between 3-4 guys for the win. However, the season was long and the points made it such that the members back in say 7th on back really didn't have a chance to finish in a "money spot" (we pay top three in the final standings)

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Current Format
This year we split it into three legs consisting of 12 races in each leg and we changed the points structure. The goal was to have a tight race for the win from race #1 on to the end, and to not have someone so far out of it points wise that they only had a chance of winning the weekly payout.

Here's how we do it now:
The Books

$10 at season's start just to play. Goes into Season $ fund.
$6 per race due when you turn in your picks. From all of the funds received for the week, a $5 is put into the season fund as well as $1 from each member's $6 entry. So, with 14 people playing that's $5 + $14 each week that's added to the season fund.
Winner of the race that week wins the pot minus the above. So, with 14 people that's a potential $65 pot. I say potential, because of the following bullet.
Any member who picked the last place finisher get's their $5 entry back.

Race Predictions
Pick a team of ten drivers and they're all scored (so long as they qualify for the race) regardless of where they finish. The points are simply reversed to the finishing order. 1st place = 43 points, 2nd place = 42 points, on down to 43rd place = 1 points.

Bonus Points:
2 pts = Pole
5 pts = Leader @ 1/2 Way
3 pts = Most Laps Led
15 pts = Race Winner
10 pts = Last Place
2 pts = # of cars on lead lap
1 pt = Highest Finishing Rookie

Penalty Points
-5 pts = Submitting Picks Past Due time (if qualifying/practice has started, no pole pick or last place pick will be scored for this member)
-5 pts = Not paying weekly race entry fee by due date

Tie Breaker
1 pt = Average MPH of the race. Only used to break a tie for race win, regardless how many may be tied.

Highlighting the top three
The weekly race results highlight the top three finishers.
1st = Green
2nd = Yellow
3rd = Red
We do the same on the season standing chart to give a visual of how many times one finishes in the top three.

Payouts for Weekly Race and Season Points

The season points are kept up with and posted after each race.
Weekly payout(s) done after official results posted.
Season's end results in approx. $217 for 1st, $100 for 2nd, and $50 for 3rd.

Normally almost every member ends up winning at least one race, which almost covers their season cost to play the game.

I've attached a PDF of the Pocono Race results and the season standings.

Everyone who plays says that having the race sheet there during the race really makes it all the more exciting. The new format points structure only increases that excitement since now all ten of your drivers are scored. So even if one of your drivers gets a lap or two down, or hits the garage for repairs, you still watch his team and hope for him to come out and get every position (point for you) that he can. The new format's tighter points structuer and the new focus on ALL of your ten drivers has made this the best season yet. Our only planned change is for next year to do the three legs with 13, 13 and then the final 10 races in the Chase.

Yes, those are our real names.