What Would Have Been: Chase Edition

RICHMOND, VA – SEPTEMBER 11: Top-ten drivers involved in the NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images)

The Chase. Implemented in 2004, it has went through a handful of changes, a lot of controversy, and many Champions. People have praised it and criticized it. This latest Chase format, starting in 2014, seems to be the most controversial. Fans, drivers and others alike have had their opinions on the Chase. Does it drastically change the outcome of the season? Would the same driver who won in the Chase, win without it?

I’m about to break all of that down. Using the popular statistics site: Racing-Reference.info, I’ll show you the Chase standings each year, starting in 2004, and the non-chase standings as well.

Here is how it all breaks down:

2004 Chase:

Under NASCAR’s new format rules, known as “The Chase”, the top 10 drivers plus and any additional drivers within 400 points of the leader, by the end of the 26th race would be eligible to compete in a final “10-race playoff” to determine champion.

There were a handful of differences between the Chase and non-chase standings after the 2004 finale, the most obvious being the Champion.

2005 Chase:

Tony Stewart was the dominant driver going into the ten-race Chase with five wins. Going into the final race before the, Stewart had a 209-point lead over his 2^nd place, Greg Biffle. When the points were reset going into the first Chase race, Stewart’s lead was dropped to a 5-point margin.

The Champion would still have been Tony Stewart after a dominating season.

 2006 Chase:

No major changes were made for the 2006 Chase.

The Champion was still Jimmie Johnson in the non-chase standings.

2007 Chase:

NASCAR expanded the field of the Chase contenders to the top 12 drivers in the points standings after the first 26 races. Each drivers’ point were reset to 5,000 points, with ten-bonus points given for each race won. The provision letting all drivers within 400 points of the leader was dropped.

Hendrick Motorsports would have still housed the Champion but Jeff Gordon lost out on his second possible title under the Chase format.

2008 Chase:

A merger with Nextel and Sprint led to the name change of the series to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Also, Coors Light replaced Budweiser as the Official Beer of NASCAR and the pole award sponsor.

Carl Edwards would have been the series Champion under the non-chase standings; Instead, Jimmie Johnson won his third title in a row.

2009 Chase:

No major changes were made for the 2009 Chase.

Jimmie Johnson would still have won the Champion.

 2010 Chase:

No major changes were made to the 2010 Chase.

Kevin Harvick would have been celebrating his first title in 2010 instead of 2014.

2011 Chase:

After 26 “regular season” races, the top 10 drivers automatically advanced to contend for the Cup championship along with two “wild card” qualifiers, drivers ranked from 11th through 20th in drivers’ points who have the most regular-season race wins. The 12 drivers’ championship points are reset to a base of 2,000. Each of the 10 automatic qualifiers receives a bonus of 3 points for each win during the regular season, while the two wild card qualifiers receive no bonus.

We would be saying “two-time Champion Carl Edwards” after the 2011 season under the non-chase format.

2012 Chase:

NASCAR changed to fuel injection from carburetors, which had been used since NASCAR’s founding in 1949

Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. would have been top-10 in the points standings.

2013 Chase:

The 2013 season was the first season using the Generation 6 racecar and marked the return to the qualifying procedure that was used before the 2005 season.

The Chase and non-chase standings were the most similar in 2013.

2014 Chase:

Chase field is expanded to 16 drivers for the 10-race Chase. The 16 drivers are chosen based on wins. If fewer than 16 drivers win races during the regular season, the remaining field is filled on the basis of regular season points. The bottom four of the top-16 drivers are eliminated from title contention after the third race (Dover) in what is called the “Challenger Round”. The bottom four have their points reset based on the standard points system, while the remaining 12 Chase drivers’ points are reset to 3,000 points. The new bottoms four are eliminated after the sixth Chase race (Talladega) in the “Contender Round”. Those who continue have their points reset to 4,000. Then the “Eliminator Round” the bottom four are again eliminated after the ninth Chase race (Phoenix), and the top four drivers have their point totals reset to 5,000 so that they are tied for the final race at Homestead-Miami for the title run. Of these four drivers, the driver with the best finish at Homestead is then the crowned series champion.

Jeff Gordon lost a third Championship under the Chase format.

Heading to Charlotte this season, Joey Logano would be leading the standings and Jimmie Johnson would have been sixth. The Chase, no matter what format, has drastically changed the outcome of the seasons. Should NASCAR get rid of the Chase? I don’t know, but looking at what could have been…

*the statistics and point standings in the article came directly from Racing-Reference.info.