

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.
Points standings after the 2004 Ford 400 at Homestead: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Kurt Busch | 6506 | |
2 | Jimmie Johnson | 6498 | -8 |
3 | Jeff Gordon | 6490 | -16 |
4 | Mark Martin | 6399 | -107 |
5 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 6368 | -138 |
6 | Tony Stewart | 6326 | -180 |
7 | Ryan Newman | 6180 | -326 |
8 | Matt Kenseth | 6069 | -437 |
9 | Elliott Sadler | 6024 | -482 |
10 | Jeremy Mayfield | 6000 | -506 |
Non-‘Chase’ standings after the 2004 Ford 400: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Jeff Gordon | 5042 | |
2 | Jimmie Johnson | 4995 | -47 |
3 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 4869 | -173 |
4 | Kurt Busch | 4795 | -247 |
5 | Tony Stewart | 4701 | -341 |
6 | Jamie McMurray | 4597 | -445 |
7 | Mark Martin | 4597 | -445 |
8 | Matt Kenseth | 4376 | -666 |
9 | Ryan Newman | 4361 | -681 |
10 | Elliott Sadler | 4315 | -727 |
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 2nd place, Greg Biffle. When the points were reset going into the first Chase race, Stewart’s lead was dropped to a 5-point margin.
Points standings after the 2005 Ford 400 at Homestead: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Tony Stewart | 6533 | |
2 | Greg Biffle | 6498 | -35 |
3 | Carl Edwards | 6498 | -35 |
4 | Mark Martin | 6428 | -105 |
5 | Jimmie Johnson | 6406 | -127 |
6 | Ryan Newman | 6359 | -174 |
7 | Matt Kenseth | 6352 | -181 |
8 | Rusty Wallace | 6140 | -393 |
9 | Jeremy Mayfield | 6073 | -460 |
10 | Kurt Busch | 5974 | -559 |
Non-‘Chase’ standings after this race: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Tony Stewart | 5199 | |
2 | Greg Biffle | 4984 | -215 |
3 | Jimmie Johnson | 4771 | -428 |
4 | Mark Martin | 4676 | -523 |
5 | Carl Edwards | 4597 | -602 |
6 | Rusty Wallace | 4512 | -687 |
7 | Matt Kenseth | 4451 | -748 |
8 | Ryan Newman | 4409 | -790 |
9 | Jeremy Mayfield | 4281 | -918 |
10 | Kurt Busch | 4248 | -951 |
The Champion would still have been Tony Stewart after a dominating season.
2006 Chase:
No major changes were made for the 2006 Chase.
Points standings after the 2006 Ford 400 at Homestead: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6475 | |
2 | Matt Kenseth | 6419 | -56 |
3 | Denny Hamlin | 6407 | -68 |
4 | Kevin Harvick | 6397 | -78 |
5 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 6328 | -147 |
6 | Jeff Gordon | 6256 | -219 |
7 | Jeff Burton | 6228 | -247 |
8 | Kasey Kahne | 6183 | -292 |
9 | Mark Martin | 6168 | -307 |
10 | Kyle Busch | 6027 | -448 |
Non-‘Chase’ standings after this race: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Jimmie Johnson | 5158 | |
2 | Matt Kenseth | 5154 | -4 |
3 | Kevin Harvick | 4838 | -320 |
4 | Tony Stewart | 4727 | -431 |
5 | Denny Hamlin | 4725 | -433 |
6 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 4641 | -517 |
7 | Jeff Gordon | 4567 | -591 |
8 | Jeff Burton | 4535 | -623 |
9 | Kasey Kahne | 4497 | -661 |
10 | Mark Martin | 4484 | -674 |
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.
Points standings after the 2007 Ford 400 at Homestead: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6723 | |
2 | Jeff Gordon | 6646 | -77 |
3 | Clint Bowyer | 6377 | -346 |
4 | Matt Kenseth | 6298 | -425 |
5 | Kyle Busch | 6293 | -430 |
6 | Tony Stewart | 6242 | -481 |
7 | Kurt Busch | 6231 | -492 |
8 | Jeff Burton | 6231 | -492 |
9 | Carl Edwards | 6222 | -501 |
10 | Kevin Harvick | 6199 | -524 |
Non-‘Chase’ standings after this race: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Jeff Gordon | 5455 | |
2 | Jimmie Johnson | 5102 | -353 |
3 | Tony Stewart | 4749 | -706 |
4 | Matt Kenseth | 4718 | -737 |
5 | Denny Hamlin | 4623 | -832 |
6 | Kyle Busch | 4585 | -870 |
7 | Carl Edwards | 4574 | -881 |
8 | Clint Bowyer | 4556 | -899 |
9 | Jeff Burton | 4549 | -906 |
10 | Kurt Busch | 4371 | -1084 |
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.
Points standings after the 2008 Ford 400 at Homestead: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6684 | |
2 | Carl Edwards | 6615 | -69 |
3 | Greg Biffle | 6467 | -217 |
4 | Kevin Harvick | 6408 | -276 |
5 | Clint Bowyer | 6381 | -303 |
6 | Jeff Burton | 6335 | -349 |
7 | Jeff Gordon | 6316 | -368 |
8 | Denny Hamlin | 6214 | -470 |
9 | Tony Stewart | 6202 | -482 |
10 | Kyle Busch | 6186 | -498 |
Non-‘Chase’ standings after this race: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Carl Edwards | 5236 | |
2 | Jimmie Johnson | 5220 | -16 |
3 | Kyle Busch | 4984 | -252 |
4 | Greg Biffle | 4747 | -489 |
5 | Jeff Burton | 4709 | -527 |
6 | Kevin Harvick | 4691 | -545 |
7 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 4605 | -631 |
8 | Jeff Gordon | 4537 | -699 |
9 | Tony Stewart | 4487 | -749 |
10 | Clint Bowyer | 4487 | -749 |
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.
Points standings after the 2009 Ford 400 at Homestead: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6652 | |
2 | Mark Martin | 6511 | -141 |
3 | Jeff Gordon | 6473 | -179 |
4 | Kurt Busch | 6446 | -206 |
5 | Denny Hamlin | 6335 | -317 |
6 | Tony Stewart | 6309 | -343 |
7 | Greg Biffle | 6292 | -360 |
8 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 6252 | -400 |
9 | Ryan Newman | 6175 | -477 |
10 | Kasey Kahne | 6128 | -524 |
Non-‘Chase’ standings after this race: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Jimmie Johnson | 5156 | |
2 | Jeff Gordon | 5090 | -66 |
3 | Tony Stewart | 5085 | -71 |
4 | Denny Hamlin | 4806 | -350 |
5 | Mark Martin | 4762 | -394 |
6 | Kurt Busch | 4758 | -398 |
7 | Greg Biffle | 4541 | -615 |
8 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 4503 | -653 |
9 | Kyle Busch | 4457 | -699 |
10 | Ryan Newman | 4447 | -709 |
Jimmie Johnson would still have won the Champion.
2010 Chase:
No major changes were made to the 2010 Chase.
Points standings after the 2010 Ford 400 at Homestead: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6622 | |
2 | Denny Hamlin | 6583 | -39 |
3 | Kevin Harvick | 6581 | -41 |
4 | Carl Edwards | 6393 | -229 |
5 | Matt Kenseth | 6294 | -328 |
6 | Greg Biffle | 6247 | -375 |
7 | Tony Stewart | 6221 | -401 |
8 | Kyle Busch | 6182 | -440 |
9 | Jeff Gordon | 6176 | -446 |
10 | Clint Bowyer | 6155 | -467 |
Non-‘Chase’ standings after this race: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Kevin Harvick | 5274 | |
2 | Jimmie Johnson | 4989 | -285 |
3 | Denny Hamlin | 4865 | -409 |
4 | Carl Edwards | 4820 | -454 |
5 | Jeff Gordon | 4669 | -605 |
6 | Kyle Busch | 4647 | -627 |
7 | Matt Kenseth | 4640 | -634 |
8 | Tony Stewart | 4628 | -646 |
9 | Kurt Busch | 4459 | -815 |
10 | Jeff Burton | 4423 | -851 |
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.
Points standings after the 2011 Ford 400 at Homestead: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Tony Stewart | 2403 | |
2 | Carl Edwards | 2403 | 0 |
3 | Kevin Harvick | 2345 | -58 |
4 | Matt Kenseth | 2330 | -73 |
5 | Brad Keselowski | 2319 | -84 |
6 | Jimmie Johnson | 2304 | -99 |
7 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 2290 | -113 |
8 | Jeff Gordon | 2287 | -116 |
9 | Denny Hamlin | 2284 | -119 |
10 | Ryan Newman | 2284 | -119 |
Non-‘Chase’ standings after this race: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Carl Edwards | 1278 | |
2 | Kevin Harvick | 1200 | -78 |
3 | Tony Stewart | 1191 | -87 |
4 | Jimmie Johnson | 1188 | -90 |
5 | Matt Kenseth | 1180 | -98 |
6 | Jeff Gordon | 1150 | -128 |
7 | Kyle Busch | 1124 | -154 |
8 | Ryan Newman | 1103 | -175 |
9 | Kurt Busch | 1087 | -191 |
10 | Brad Keselowski | 1079 | -199 |
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
Points standings after 2012 Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Brad Keselowski | 2400 | |
2 | Clint Bowyer | 2361 | -39 |
3 | Jimmie Johnson | 2360 | -40 |
4 | Kasey Kahne | 2345 | -55 |
5 | Greg Biffle | 2332 | -68 |
6 | Denny Hamlin | 2329 | -71 |
7 | Matt Kenseth | 2324 | -76 |
8 | Kevin Harvick | 2321 | -79 |
9 | Tony Stewart | 2311 | -89 |
10 | Jeff Gordon | 2303 | -97 |
Non-‘Chase’ standings after this race: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Brad Keselowski | 1259 | |
2 | Greg Biffle | 1240 | -19 |
3 | Jimmie Johnson | 1231 | -28 |
4 | Matt Kenseth | 1218 | -41 |
5 | Clint Bowyer | 1213 | -46 |
6 | Denny Hamlin | 1167 | -92 |
7 | Kevin Harvick | 1162 | -97 |
8 | Martin Truex, Jr. | 1161 | -98 |
9 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 1144 | -115 |
10 | Kyle Busch | 1133 | -126 |
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.
Points standings after the Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Jimmie Johnson | 2419 | |
2 | Matt Kenseth | 2400 | -19 |
3 | Kevin Harvick | 2385 | -34 |
4 | Kyle Busch | 2364 | -55 |
5 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 2363 | -56 |
6 | Jeff Gordon | 2337 | -82 |
7 | Clint Bowyer | 2336 | -83 |
8 | Joey Logano | 2323 | -96 |
9 | Greg Biffle | 2321 | -98 |
10 | Kurt Busch | 2309 | -110 |
Non-‘Chase’ standings after this race: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Jimmie Johnson | 1248 | |
2 | Kevin Harvick | 1207 | -41 |
3 | Matt Kenseth | 1192 | -56 |
4 | Kyle Busch | 1163 | -85 |
5 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 1144 | -104 |
6 | Carl Edwards | 1118 | -130 |
7 | Clint Bowyer | 1115 | -133 |
8 | Jeff Gordon | 1087 | -161 |
9 | Greg Biffle | 1077 | -171 |
10 | Kurt Busch | 1071 | -177 |
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.
Points standings after the 2014 Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Kevin Harvick | 5043 | |
2 | Ryan Newman | 5042 | -1 |
3 | Denny Hamlin | 5037 | -6 |
4 | Joey Logano | 5028 | -15 |
5 | Brad Keselowski | 2361 | -2682 |
6 | Jeff Gordon | 2348 | -2695 |
7 | Matt Kenseth | 2334 | -2709 |
8 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 2301 | -2742 |
9 | Carl Edwards | 2288 | -2755 |
10 | Kyle Busch | 2285 | -2758 |
Non-‘Chase’ standings after this race: | |||
Rank | Driver | Points | Diff |
1 | Jeff Gordon | 1253 | |
2 | Joey Logano | 1216 | -37 |
3 | Brad Keselowski | 1179 | -74 |
4 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 1175 | -78 |
5 | Kevin Harvick | 1167 | -86 |
6 | Ryan Newman | 1135 | -118 |
7 | Matt Kenseth | 1131 | -122 |
8 | Kyle Larson | 1080 | -173 |
9 | Jimmie Johnson | 1067 | -186 |
10 | Carl Edwards | 1059 | -194 |
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.
They say the best things are left unsaid. I say, the best things need to be put down on paper...or the internet in this case. I discovered NASCAR and the world of motorsports in college and it changed my life... and my career path. Now, when people ask me to describe myself, I tell them that I am a 20-something that has an obsession with racecars.
