THIS YEAR, YOU MAY NOT RECOGNIZE THE PLACE; You wanted change? You got change.(Motorsports)(drag racing and race car drivers)

Byline: BILL STEPHENS

The NHRA has never been a series of perpetual change and constant rules tinkering. Change has taken place but usually at the same evolutionary pace as the flatworm. For many drag-racing "lifers,'' that pace has been way too slow.

But in 2007, there will be plenty of change on the field of play, which will set the tenor and tone of professional drag racing throughout the 23-race season.

First, the new "Count-down to the Championship'' points system will batch the first 17 events to determine the eight drivers scoring the most points. Then, through the new point-scoring structure, those eight racers will be winnowed down to four over the next four races, leading to the year's final two events, at which all four professional championships will be decided. At least, that's the plan.

The 2007 changes are not limited to the championship system, extending well into team and driver lineups. While defending and four-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher and his Master of the Universe tuner, Alan Johnson, will be back together and good to go, Whit Bazemore will be embarking on his new career as a Top Fuel driver teamed up with "Hot Rod'' Fuller for owner David Powers. This move reunites Bazemore with crew chief Lee Beard.

All eyes will be on Doug Kalitta, whose crusade for his first Top Fuel title was halted 14 points short of the goal line in the final round of the final race of '06, when Schumacher won the event and simultaneously set a new national elapsed-time record. How Kalitta's crew chief, Rahn Tobler, will deal with the pressures of battling for the 2007 championship while moving through divorce proceedings with soon-to-be-ex-wife, drag-racing legend Shirley Muldowney, is a question that can't be overlooked.

Brandon Bernstein was a contender for much of '06, but finishing third in the points was small consolation to the son of the six-time pro champion, Kenny. Brandon's team returns this season with the same key personnel, but Dad will be out there racing with his new Funny Car team, leaving a little less time for Top Fuel affairs.