| The Old System |
| Think things would be better under the old points system? Think again. |
| Name (Chase Rank) Back |
| 1. Matt Kenseth (1) Leader |
| 2. Jimmie Johnson (2) -78 |
| 3. Kevin Harvick (6) -415 |
| 4. Tony Stewart (11) -445 |
| 5. Denny Hamlin (3) -482 |
| 6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (4) -506 |
| 7. Jeff Burton (5) -512 |
| 8. Jeff Gordon (7) -570 |
| 9. Kyle Busch (10) -595 |
| 10. Mark Martin (8) -620 |
If only Tony Stewart weren’t excluded from the Chase for the Championship, he might be actually trying hard to win in these last 10 races. It’s a pity that damn Chase drained the competitive fire from all the other drivers.
Wait¿what’s that you say? Tony is trying? He’s got two wins and four top 10s in the last seven races? You must be mistaken. Tony’s not in the Chase. Why would he try to win?
Under any points system (other than possibly the Atkins diet), Tony would be completely out of championship contention. The old system punished drivers who sucked for the first 26 races just as much as the Chase does. Check the stats I got from our good friends at Sportsline.com, Tony is out of contention for a title in the old system too.
If you watched the season-ending races under the old system, there is no reason not to watch under the new system. You can cheer for a meaningless victory for your 15th-place driver regardless of the points system. That’s the beauty of NASCAR (well, that and the victory lane girls. NASCAR needs to bring back more victory lane girls and the ‘80s perms that came with them).
The difference now is that up to 10 drivers can still hope for a victory that might actually mean something. It’s not Kenseth vs. Johnson for the title. They both have to keep an eye on Hamlin, Earnhardt Jr. and Burton. (I’d also pay attention to Robby Gordon in case he tries to throw crap at your car).
Joe Nemechek can still win Sunday’s race. There is nothing stopping an irrelevant driver from winning. But now, 10 drivers have an extra incentive to win. And if you're still pissed off about the Chase, enjoy a few extra NASCAR-sponsoring beverages and get too buzzed to care. (Hey, it works for Rusty Wallace fans. Slurp down enough Miller Lite and rooting for Kurt Busch becomes almost tolerable).