[MikeNoun]

Sad that so many stories on mainstream news sites are focused on Danica. You'd think she won the race, instead of just getting a top 10. That car would have probably won the race easily if it was driven by Mark Martin.

I'm not a fan of The Chase system either, but the fans wanted a stick-and-ball type of playoff system, and they got it.

I think it's better this year by eliminating the bottom 4 drivers every 3 weeks, just like a true playoff system. That sounds logical, but I'm not a fan of what they will be doing for the final race, where the top 4 drivers will be having a free-for-all in one final race at Homestead.

Unlike stick-and-ball sports where the final series (or game) is between two competitors only, in NASCAR you have multiple teams still on the playing surface, and that's where the problem lies. There could all sorts of accusations when a backmarker car innocently drifts high and takes out (or damages) a Chase contender.

"Yeah, I just got a little loose, I feel bad about hitting Jeff Gordon" is something I could hear Greg Biffle saying, as Carl Edwards takes the title.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by MikeNoun

Sad that so many stories on mainstream news sites are focused on Danica. You'd think she won the race, instead of just getting a top 10. That car would have probably won the race easily if it was driven by Mark Martin.

I think several of the members of the 2014 rookie class would have had a better finish on Saturday night than the touring princess in that car...

I'm not a fan of The Chase system either, but the fans wanted a stick-and-ball type of playoff system, and they got it.

Some of the fans wanted that. I'm sorry they listened to "those" fans.

Unlike stick-and-ball sports where the final series (or game) is between two competitors only, in NASCAR you have multiple teams still on the playing surface, and that's where the problem lies. There could all sorts of accusations when a backmarker car innocently drifts high and takes out (or damages) a Chase contender.

Which is why there should not be a "playoff" situation in NASCAR.

A season long campaign to have the highest point total - where consistency is rewarded over a few good races.

Kurt Busch is the poster child for my position right now. He's in the Chase (most likely), but is sucking hind tit (almost literally as he is behind Danica in the points).

Only the following 7 drivers are behind Kurt (211 points) and Danica (213 points) that have made all 11 races:


29 Justin Allgaier 198

30 Michael Annett 163

31 David Gilliland 159

32 Cole Whitt 147

33 Reed Sorenson 143

34 Alex Bowman 141

35 David Ragan 137

[Held for Ransom]

Originally Posted by MikeNoun

"Yeah, I just got a little loose, I feel bad about hitting Jeff Gordon" is something I could hear Greg Biffle saying, as Carl Edwards takes the title.

No, it would be Bowyer doing the cheating.

[MikeNoun]

Champ, do you have a list of who would have won the championship if it hadn't been for The Chase format? I think I recall you had that list before.

Well, I agree about Kurt Busch, but the season isn't over yet. He's had 2 top 5's and 2 top 10's, and a win, but 4 DNF's. Those DNF's are a killer. I think Busch will have a few more top 5's before the season is over.

It will be good for Stewart-Haas if they have 3 cars in the Chase (assuming Tony Stewart can finally turn his season around). Harvick is dominant right now, the way Kenseth was last year. He's going to be hard to beat.

I'm still waiting for them to announce a new rule to The Chase, that being a "fan vote" (you know that one is coming). Then they would get their dream, Danica in The Chase.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by MikeNoun

Champ, do you have a list of who would have won the championship if it hadn't been for The Chase format? I think I recall you had that list before.

Well, I agree about Kurt Busch, but the season isn't over yet. He's had 2 top 5's and 2 top 10's, and a win, but 4 DNF's. Those DNF's are a killer. I think Busch will have a few more top 5's before the season is over.

It will be good for Stewart-Haas if they have 3 cars in the Chase (assuming Tony Stewart can finally turn his season around). Harvick is dominant right now, the way Kenseth was last year. He's going to be hard to beat.

I'm still waiting for them to announce a new rule to The Chase, that being a "fan vote" (you know that one is coming). Then they would get their dream, Danica in The Chase.

The last three years are convoluted because of the dramatic change in how points are awarded vs. the "classic" point system. But here are the top 5 for those years.

◦2013 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings without Chase:
[after Homestead, race 36 of 36]
1) #48-Jimmie Johnson(X) [6 wins], 1248
2) #29-Kevin Harvick(X) [4 wins], 1207, -41
3) #20-Matt Kenseth(X) [7 wins], 1192, -56
4) #18-Kyle Busch(X) [4 wins], 1163, -85
5) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.(X), 1144, -104

◦2012 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings without Chase:
(classic system using current points system but NOT the chase system - unoffical)
[after Homestead, race 36 of 36]
1) #2-Brad Keselowski(X) [5 wins], 1259
2) #16-Greg Biffle(X) [2 wins], 1240, -19
3) #48-Jimmie Johnson(X) [5 wins], 1231, -28
4) #17-Matt Kenseth(X) [3 wins], 1218, -41
5) #15-Clint Bowyer(X) [3 wins], 1213, -46

◦2011 Sprint Cup Driver Points Standings [not the Chase]:
[after Homestead, race 36 of 36]:
using the CURRENT points system, but NOT the Chase system, just points.
rank, car#, driver, points, behind
1) #99-Carl Edwards (x) [1 win], 1278
2) #29-Kevin Harvick (x)[4 wins], 1200, -78
3) #14-Tony Stewart (x)[5 wins], 1191, -87
4) #48-Jimmie Johnson (x)[2 wins], 1187, -91
5) #17-Matt Kenseth (x)[3 wins], 1183, -95

2004 - 2010 - who should have won vs who did:

Year Classic Points Champ
2004 Jeff Gordon (5) - Kurt Busch (2)
2005 Tony Stewart (2) - Tony Stewart
2006 Jimmie Johnson - Jimmie Johnson (2)
2007 Jeff Gordon (6) - Jimmie Johnson (3)
2008 Carl Edwards - Jimmie Johnson (4)
2009 Jimmie Johnson (2) - Jimmie Johnson (5)
2010 Kevin Harvick - Jimmie Johnson(6)

http://www.jayski.com/teams/chase-history.htm

As to Kurt - the season is not over yet - Busch... I agree - it isn't over. Kurt has the talent to finish ahead of Danica - I'm not worried about him overtaking her. But I don't think he'd be able to have a chance at winning the Championship under the classic system with the hole he's dug himself into.

And just in case you didn't realize - his 2 top 5's are the same as his 2 top 10's and include his win. If you eliminate those 2 races - his best finish is 21st. His average finish with a win and a 3rd place finish is 25.5. And there were only 3 DNF's in point races. The DNF in the Sprint Unlimited was meaningless.

Don't even think about a fan vote for the Chase...

[MikeNoun]

Great info, thanks for the stats.

Kurt Busch made The Chase last year in the Furniture Row #78 car, a remarkable achievement considering the team was underfunded, had one major sponsor, and were a one-car team. They didn't have the luxury of trying multiple setups and sharing information between teammates, yet Kurt managed to get that car in The Chase. I also see that Kurt is the only driver to have made The Chase with 3 different teams. Impressive, but I know that's just because no one can stand him, so he gets passed around from team to team like a drunk girl at a frat party.

Honestly, I'm not really a big fan of Kurt Busch. I'm just amazed at what he can do with a race car. His personal behavior leaves something to be desired. His on-track feuds are legendary, he was one of the most hated sports celebrities a couple years ago, but all things considered, Kesolowski and (last year) Harvick have been the bad boys, but they are both well-liked, so not as much talk about their behavior.

The Chase format really changed the sport, but I guess the whole "wildcard" system in stick-and-ball sports did too. I sometimes will see a stat about how a player has just broken some long standing record in the playoffs, but many times that's because they play a lot more playoff games now than they used to. And it seems like every year, they widen the playoff system to include more teams, which waters down the whole sport. But more playoff teams means more revenue, more TV coverage, and more merchandising.

NASCAR will find some way to get Danica a win, or get her in The Chase. There's just too much money involved.

The top highest paid NASCAR drivers:

#1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Yearly Income: $25.9 million
Basic Salary + winnings: $12.9 million
Endorsements Deals: $13 million
————————————————————————————————————————————
#2. Jimmie Johnson
Yearly Income: $23 million
Basic Salary + winnings: $16.3 million
endorsements: $6.7 million
————————————————————————————————————————————
#3. Tony Stewart
Yearly Earnings: $18.7 million
Basic Salary + winnings: $12.7 million
Endorsements: $6 million
————————————————————————————————————————————
#4. Jeff Gordon
Yearly Earnings: $18.1 million
Basic Salary + winnings: $12.6 million
Endorsements: $5.5 million
————————————————————————————————————————————
#5. Carl Edwards
Yearly Income: $13.7 million
Basic Salary + winnings: $12.2 million
Endorsements: $1.5 million
————————————————————————————————————————————
#6. Kevin Harvick
Yearly Income: $13 million
Basic Salary + winnings: $11.5 million
Sponsorship Money: $1.5 million
————————————————————————————————————————————
#7. Danica Patrick
Yearly Income: $12.9 million
Basic Salary/winnings: $6.4 million
Sponsorship Money: $6.5 million
————————————————————————————————————————————
#8. Kyle Busch
Annual Earnings: $12.5 million
Basic Salary + winnings: $9.6 million
Sponsorship Money: $1.9 million
————————————————————————————————————————————
#9. Kasey Kahne
Total Earnings: $12 million
Basic Salary/winnings: $11 million
Sponsorship Money: $1 million
————————————————————————————————————————————
#10. Brad Keselowski
Yearly Income: $11.4 million
Basic Salary/winnings: $10 million
Sponsorship Money: $1.4 million


There's a lot of wins on that list, and a lot of great drivers.

If you take Danica Patrick off the list, you still have the same number of wins and great drivers.