[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.

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by Alvin

Hey AUTOWEEK - back down on the "Boner Pills" intake!
This in today's email. Not surprised some are "all lathered up" about the touring "DCaCa!" Predictable...she might as well run for POTUS!

Who here really believes it was "the fans" who "voted" for the chase system? Or that "the fans" have any real input on DCaCa's soon to be "gifted" run-off position end of this season?
About the same as the "fan input" in NHRA - zero, zip, nada! IMO.

I'm just so non-PC that I'd always prefer those who won races, came in second/third/fourth etc. be ranked and given points for their actual performance. What a concept!
Instead of the current "everyone gets a trophy" mentality and drop the "lucky dog"...

[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.

[63Banshee]

One reason I like Kurt is because he's 1 of 2 drivers I've seen the last 20 years make moves like you see in Days of Thunder, which shouldn't be possible. The other is Dale Sr.

[arbys]

Kenin Grubb was another RIP.

[67_Krewzer]

#7. Danica Patrick
Yearly Income: $12.9 million
Basic Salary/winnings: $6.4 million
Sponsorship Money: $6.5 million

If you take Danica's salary and divide it by her winnings and she STILL makes 6.4 million. Wow she really sucks.

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by 67_Krewzer

If you take Danica's salary and divide it by her winnings and she STILL makes 6.4 million.
Wow she really sucks.

[1969GTO]

she was in Syracuse NY yesturday promoting 1 of her sponcers. [Aspen Dental]
Geee that was exciting.........NOT
no one knew she was in town till the 6pm news.

[David Holmberg]

Those salaries are why there is complacency in sports today, IMHO.

Why would anyone push the limits, and endanger themselves, when they can play it safe and make that kind of money?

Who watches the NBA during the regular season? We all know its the playoffs when they actually start playing real basketball.

Hungry people always put more in, because they depend on the outcome.

Lee Trevino was asked how much pressure there was on making a putt to win in the 18th hole. Lee laughed and said "That's not pressure, pressure is standing over a 10 foot putt on the last hole to win a $500 bet when you only have $10 in your pocket"...

[PonchoV8]

How do you spot a marketing Prima donna? Look at their endorsement money. If it exceeds their winnings, you've found one....err two.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by PonchoV8

How do you spot a marketing Prima donna? Look at their endorsement money. If it exceeds their winnings, you've found one....err two.

Only one person on that list is winless in NASCAR. Only one person on that list has a career average finish below 26th.

As a matter of fact - the closest one to 26th has a career average finish of 17.6. And it wasn't Jr - his is 16.2.

Some people have earned their sponsorship money by what they have actually done on the racetrack (win multiple races, win championships) - others haven't.

[PonchoV8]

"Prima donna". "Marketing tool."

[The Boss]

Hendrick's drivers on that list read like a race finish - 3 in the top 5, 4 in the top 10.

The revolving points changes has fallen right in the hands of Chad Knaus & Jimmy Johnson. He's a good driver, don't get me wrong, but he's not the champion his record portrays. I'm not sure how you would explain the points system to somebody who knows nothing about the sport - honestly, I've been a fan for decades & I don't understand what has happened over the last 10 years!

I don't believe the points system was EVER voted into place by the fans - they continue to cast their ballots (or lack there of) with the empty stands, race after race.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by The Boss

I don't believe the points system was EVER voted into place by the fans - they continue to cast their ballots (or lack there of) with the empty stands, race after race.

I agree on the lack of voting by the fans for the new points system/chase.

The stands were pretty full at Kansas last week - and last year when I was there for the fall race.

If you're talking about the empty stands in Bristol - consider the weather... That weekend sucked!

[David Holmberg]

DRAMA. NASCAR was losing fans and viewers and needed something to add drama and keep the viewers glued to the TV.

I think the economy had as much to do with the seats being empty as anything. Bristol for years had a waiting list for tickets, now you can walk up to the window on race day. Its much better today than it was from 09-12, IMHO.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by David Holmberg

DRAMA. NASCAR was losing fans and viewers and needed something to add drama and keep the viewers glued to the TV.

I think the economy had as much to do with the seats being empty as anything. Bristol for years had a waiting list for tickets, now you can walk up to the window on race day. Its much better today than it was from 09-12, IMHO.

Heck - last year the Packers needed a corporate bailout to prevent the blackout of a home playoff game. They have a "waiting list" of over 100,000 "fans" that claim to want to buy season tickets.

But they couldn't sell out a playoff game.

A group of Packers corporate partners, led by Green Bay-based Associated Bank, purchased the remaining available tickets Friday to ensure a sellout and TV broadcast of the game throughout Wisconsin. Other corporate partners with a strong Wisconsin presence that purchased tickets are FOX TV affiliates WITI (Milwaukee), WLUK (Green Bay) and WFXS (Wausau); Mills Fleet Farm and Bellin Health.

Most people attending a NASCAR race travel literally hundreds if not thousands of miles to attend. The vast majority of stick and ball sport fans travel less than 100 miles to attend.

[PonchoV8]

That's because every single team is playing in the same game at the same place in NASCAR. Still, they have to march Prima donnas around to make it pay.

[Alvin]

http://www.cobbracingteam.com/