NASCAR without the Chase: A year-by-year breakdown

The iconic Winston Cup trophy, awarded to the season's champion from 1972-2003

     In the last several weeks, I have transformed my blog into an in-depth look at the 2017 NASCAR season. More specifically, how the championship would be awarded using old rules, and a week-by-week look at the point standings with the old format. One thing I haven't done is explained why I truly think the "classic" format should still be in use.
     Through 2003, NASCAR simply awarded the title to the best driver all season, with no playoff format. This would be the equivalent of a regular season champion in ball sports. In each race, leading a lap or the most laps would mean extra points. The system had been virtually unchanged for nearly 30 years...
     Then in 2004, NEXTEL came on-board with sponsorship, and the Chase for the Cup was implemented. From then through 2013, "the Chase" took the top drivers and bunched them apart by a small interval of points, with 10 races remaining. In essence, this created a closer race for the championship as the season wound down.
     Since 2014, the Chase has been replaced with a bracket-style elimination method, simply removing the lowest ranking drivers every few races. The result is a season finale at Homestead which gives the four remaining drivers an equal chance to win the title. Of the four drivers, the highest finisher wins the championship. Also, a win now qualifies a driver for the Chase, eliminating the need for pure consistency throughout the first 26 races.
     And starting in 2017, long-standing awards for leading a lap, or the most laps were scrapped when NASCAR implemented stage racing. This replaced the benefit of leading laps, instead awarding points to drivers in the top-10 at the end of stages 1 and 2, and giving a "playoff point" to the stage winner. This effectively means a driver who has a poor race but ends up winning, will receive far less points than a driver who runs up-front all day and finishes 2nd. If it sounds a little complicated, you're right.

If the classic points system had remained in place, Jeff Gordon would have won 7 champions, tying legends Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Instead, his teammate Jimmie Johnson holds the distinction.

     The changes were obviously made by NASCAR to create excitement and improve ratings, but it also altered their history. They did what most sports never do: redefine what a champion is. Consistancy over a full season was the key to success, as opposed to wins. A glaring example is Matt Kenseth, who in 2003, won a single race en route to his championship. With eight races to go in the season, Kenseth held a 436-point lead over Kevin Harvick. Kenseth faltered near the end of the season and only won the title by 90 points, but his consistency made it nearly impossible for anyone to catch him. Meanwhile, Ryan Newman won a career-high 8 races in 2003, but also failed to finish 7 races. Newman's inconsistency got him 6th in points. While Kenseth won the Winston Cup fair and square, the lack of competitiveness likely spurred NASCAR to make a change.

While it didn't take Jimmie Johnson long to become a champion, he isn't as truly dominant as you might think. With the 'Winston Cup' format, Johnson only keeps 3 of his 7 titles.

     In doing so, it's rewritten the history books. With the Chase, Jimmie Johnson won five straight championships from 2006 to 2010. The key became mastering the Chase, as opposed to the full season. Under old rules, Johnson would have only won two of those five straight titles. And of course, the new format is laughable to any old die-hard fan. Letting Homestead be a shootout between four drivers is exciting, but it's completely erased the original definition of what a champion is. In 2014 Jeff Gordon dominated, with a career year that would have amounted to a championship. Instead, Gordon was credited with 6th in the final standings, 'eliminated' after Phoenix under the new points system.

    So with that, it's time to look at your "classic" champs over the last several years. Let's assume that the Chase/playoffs was never implemented... what would each championship race look like?
     Just because 2001 is when I truly started following NASCAR, we'll begin with the final few Winston Cup seasons (these need no alteration)...

2001
     Jeff Gordon dominated, winning six races throughout the season. During the summer, the points remained close between Gordon, Jarrett, and Rudd, with Gordon pulling ahead for his 4th title. In a tumultuous year which featured the death of Dale Earnhardt and the September 11th attacks, the season also featured 5 first-time winners: Michael Waltrip, Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler, Ricky Craven, and Robby Gordon.

Final standings
1) Jeff Gordon, 5112
2) Tony Stewart, -349
3) Sterling Marlin, -371
4) Ricky Rudd, -406
5) Dale Jarrett, -500

Gordon celebrates his fourth title after the 2001 NAPA 500. An interesting fact, 2001 was the final year a driver locked up a championship at Atlanta.

2002
     Tony Stewart wins his first championship, in a year which featured plenty of drama in the standings. Sterling Marlin led for much of the season, but had some poor finishes in September and was sidelined after a crash at Kansas. Multiple drivers held the points lead over the final ten races, including Marlin, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, and Stewart. For the fourth time in his career, Martin had to settle for 2nd place. Once again, there were 5 first-time winners: Kurt Busch, Johnson, Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, and Johnny Benson.

After only four seasons in NASCAR, Tony Stewart had tallied 15 wins, 87 top-tens, and the 2002 Championship

Final standings
1) Tony Stewart, 4800
2) Mark Martin, -38
3) Kurt Busch, -159
4) Jeff Gordon, -193
5) Jimmie Johnson, -200

2003
     Matt Kenseth wins his first and only championship. Kenseth grabbed the points lead after the fourth race of the season, and never lost it. His only win for the year came at Las Vegas. Greg Biffle was 2003's only first-time winner. Multiple veteran drivers had their final wins in 2003: Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte, and Bobby Labonte.

The 2003 Pop Secret 400 was a fitting farewell to Winston Cup; Matt Kenseth locked up his championship, and Bill Elliott recorded his 44th and final win, as Rockingham held one of its final Cup races

Final standings
1) Matt Kenseth, 5022
2) Jimmie Johnson, -90
3) Dale Earnhardt Jr., -207
4) Jeff Gordon, -237
5) Kevin Harvick, -252

     Now let's take a hypothetical look at the history books, where the classic points system remained in place after 2003...
     One note: a lot of the following statistics assume the Chase had never been adopted. Special thanks to Racing Reference, and Jayski's silly season site to help with this recap...

If the classic points had remained in place, Kurt Busch would have never captured a championship. His only top-5 points finishes were in 2002 and 2004.

2004
Nextel Cup champion: Kurt Busch
Classic champion: Jeff Gordon assumed the points lead after Richmond, and went on to win his 5th championship. He narrowly edged Jimmie Johnson, who once again finished 2nd in points. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a career year, at times coming very close to Gordon's late-season point lead. He won six races, including the Daytona 500, and placed 3rd. Kurt Busch wound up 4th. Jamie McMurray has a great season, his 23 top-tens helped him finish 7th in points.

Dale Jr. wins the EA Sports 500, his 5th win at Talladega, and one of his six victories in a stellar 2004 campaign. In the background, Elliott Sadler gets turned around and flips for the second straight year at Talladega.

Final standings
1) Jeff Gordon, 5042
2) Jimmie Johnson, -47
3) Dale Earnhardt Jr., -173
4) Kurt Busch, -247
5) Tony Stewart, -341

2005
Tony Stewart dominated, winning the championship in either format. His 5 wins came in a 7-race stretch during the summer, including memorable victories at Daytona and Indianapolis. Greg Biffle led the series with 6 wins and finished 2nd in points, the best performance of his career... In his first full season, Carl Edwards won 4 races and came in 5th... And in his final season, Rusty Wallace came in 6th. First-time winners included Edwards, Kasey Kahne, and Kyle Busch.

2005: Tony Stewart captures his second championship

Final standings
1) Tony Stewart, 5199
2) Greg Biffle, -215
3) Jimmie Johnson, -428
4) Mark Martin, -523
5) Carl Edwards, -602

2006
Jimmie Johnson wins his first title in both formats. This one was close; Johnson edged Matt Kenseth by 4 points. Denny Hamlin put up an impressive first full season, winning both races at Pocono and finishing 5th in points. Kasey Kahne had a breakthrough year, winning six races and finishing 9th in the standings. First-time winners in 2006 were Hamlin and Brian Vickers.

Final standings
1) Jimmie Johnson, 5158
2) Matt Kenseth, -4
3) Kevin Harvick, -320
4) Tony Stewart, -431
5) Denny Hamlin, -433

2007
Nextel Cup Champion: Jimmie Johnson
Classic champion: Jeff Gordon crushed the competition in 2007, in what remains the most dominant season for a driver in the Chase era. Gordon won six races, surpassed Dale Earnhardt's 76 career victories, and had a record-breaking 30 top-10 finishes. His 353 point margin over Johnson in 2nd remains one of the most dominant seasons to date. Johnson is the most recent driver to record 10 wins in a season. Clint Bowyer's breakout year gets him an 8th in final points.

Gordon's staggering 30 top-tens in 2007 were more than enough to secure him a sixth championship.

Final standings
1) Jeff Gordon, 5455
2) Jimmie Johnson, -353
3) Tony Stewart, -706
4) Matt Kenseth, -737
5) Denny Hamlin, -832

2008
Sprint Cup Champion: Jimmie Johnson
Classic champion: Carl Edwards won a career-best 9 races in 2008, including three of the final four in the season. It was enough for him to sneak past Jimmie Johnson for his first championship. Johnson held a 56-point lead heading into Homestead, but Edwards won the race and Johnson finished 15th... Kyle Busch had an astounding year, winning eight races. He held a 207-point lead with 10 races to go, but a string of bad finishes in September cost Busch the title. Jeff Burton had his first top-5 points finish since 2000. Finishing 6th thru 9th were Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart.

Edwards snagged the points lead from Johnson in the series finale at Homestead, for his first of two championships. Johnson finishes runner-up for the 2nd straight year.

Final standings
1) Carl Edwards, 5236
2) Jimmie Johnson, -16
3) Kyle Busch, -252
4) Greg Biffle, -489
5) Jeff Burton, -527

2009
Jimmie Johnson wins his second championship. Tony Stewart held the points lead for much of the season, but poor finishes in the final handful of races allowed Johnson and Jeff Gordon to catch up. Mark Martin returns to driving full-time, and wins five races with Hendrick Motorsports. Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya has a career-best 8th place finish in the standings. After his championship season that featured 9 wins, Carl Edwards goes winless and finishes 11th.

Final standings
1) Jimmie Johnson, 5156
2) Jeff Gordon, -66
3) Tony Stewart, -71
4) Denny Hamlin, -350
5) Mark Martin, -394


2010
Sprint Cup Champion: Jimmie Johnson
Classic champion: Kevin Harvick, who replaced Earnhardt Sr. at RCR in 2001, finally wins his first championship in comeback fashion. After two winless seasons, 'Happy Harvick' won the spring race at Talladega, his first win since the 2007 Daytona 500. Soon after, Harvick assumed the point lead and jumped ahead, leading by over 200 points for much of the season. He also picked up wins at Daytona, and Michigan. Denny Hamlin won a career-high 8 races and finished 3rd in points.

Harvick wins his first 'Winston Cup' championship in 2010.

Final standings
1) Kevin Harvick, 5274
2) Jimmie Johnson, -285
3) Denny Hamlin, -409
4) Carl Edwards, -454
5) Jeff Gordon, -605

2011
Sprint Cup Champion: Tony Stewart
Classic champion: Carl Edwards wins his 2nd championship. Edwards was involved in a very closely contested point battle in the fall, between himself, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Kevin Harvick. He grabbed the points lead in October, and ran away with the title. Edwards won a single race in 2011, Las Vegas in March. This is the first season NASCAR uses a condensed point-value system, with points more-closely reflecting the number of cars in the field... Kevin Harvick follows up his championship with 2nd in points, and Brad Keselowski has his first top-10 points finish with 10th place.

Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards in the 2011 season finale at Homestead.

Final standings
1) Carl Edwards, 1278
2) Kevin Harvick, -78
3) Tony Stewart, -87
4) Jimmie Johnson, -91
5) Matt Kenseth, -95
     (In reality, 2011 produced a dramatic season finale when Stewart and Edwards tied for the points lead, but a tiebreaker on wins gave Stewart the title)

2012
Brad Keselowski wins his first championship, in just his third full season in NASCAR. Throughout the year, multiple drivers led in the standings, including Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, and Jimmie Johnson. Keselowski had a great string of finishes to end the season, and took the points lead at points lead at Phoenix in November. For the second time Biffle finishes runner-up in the standings, and Clint Bowyer has a career year, finishing 5th... Martin Truex Jr. finishes top-10 in points for the first time, with 8th. Earnhardt Jr., after contending for the title, drops back to 9th. Keselowski, Johnson, and Denny Hamlin all led the way in wins, with five each.

Brad Keselowski celebrates his 2012 championship after the Ford EcoBoost 400

Final standings
1) Brad Keselowski, 1259
2) Greg Biffle, -19
3) Jimmie Johnson, -28
4) Matt Kenseth, -41
5) Clint Bowyer, -46

2013
Jimmie Johnson wins his third Cup championship, after leading in points nearly the entire season. Johnson had six wins, including a sweep at Daytona, and 24 top-tens. After briefly taking the points lead in September, Carl Edwards dropped back to 6th. Matt Kenseth leads the way with 7 wins, coming 3rd in points. Dale Jr. recorded no wins, but finished 5th (the best points finish for a winless driver since Ricky Rudd in 2000). Jeff Gordon records only a single win at Martinsville, finishing 8th. And in his final full season, Jeff Burton comes home 20th in points, and Mark Martin has his final career Cup start at Homestead.

Johnson wins his 3rd 'Winston Cup' championship

Final standings
1) Jimmie Johnson, 1248
2) Kevin Harvick, -41
3) Matt Kenseth, -56
4) Kyle Busch, -85
5) Dale Earnhardt Jr., -104

2014
Sprint Cup Champion: Kevin Harvick
Classic champion: Jeff Gordon makes history by winning his 7th title, tying him with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. In his final dominant season, Gordon won four races, and tallied 23 top-tens. Penske Racing won 11 races in 2014 between drivers Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, who finished 2nd and 3rd. Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins four races and has his best season in a decade. In his rookie season, Kyle Larson notches an 8th in points. He had 17 top-tens, including three runner-up finishes. And for the first time in his career, Jimmie Johnson fails to finish in the top-5 in points. Johnson won four races and finished 9th...

Jeff Gordon wins the Pure Michigan 400, his 91st career victory.

Final standings
1) Jeff Gordon, 1253
2) Joey Logano, -37
3) Brad Keselowski, -74
4) Dale Earnhardt Jr., -78
5) Kevin Harvick, -82

2015
Sprint Cup Champion: Kyle Busch
Classic champion: Kevin Harvick wins his second title, after a dominant season which featured 28 top-tens. Harvick had victories at Las Vegas and Phoenix in March, and Dover in October. Logano assumed the point lead over Harvick in the fall, and led by up to 49 points after his controversial win at Talladega. But after Logano was wrecked by Matt Kenseth at Martinsville, and problems at Texas the week after, Harvick took the point lead back. Once again, Logano and Brad Keselowski finished 2nd and 3rd in points, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 4th, and Martin Truex had a career-best 5th place. In Jeff Gordon's final season in the #24, he had one win at Martinsville and finished 8th in points. After a two-race suspension, Kenseth finished 13th in the standings; and Kyle Busch, who missed the first 11 races after an injury at Daytona, came back to win five races and finished 20th.

Kevin Harvick wins his 2nd championship in 2015. For the second straight year, Joey Logano comes home 2nd.

Final standings
1) Kevin Harvick, 1320
2) Joey Logano, -21
3) Brad Keselowski, -103
4) Dale Earnhardt Jr., -122
5) Martin Truex Jr., -156

2016
Sprint Cup Champion: Jimmie Johnson
Classic champion: Harvick repeats as champion, backing up 2015 with 4 wins, and 27 top-tens in 2016. He once again beat Logano and Keselowski, who finished 2nd and 4th. Jimmie Johnson wins 5 races and places 7th... Chase Elliott places 11th, en route to winning Rookie of the Year... Kyle Larson wins his first career race at Michigan, and places 12th...  And in their final years in NASCAR, Carl Edwards finished 8th, Greg Biffle 21st, and Tony Stewart 24th.

Kevin Harvick gets his 34th career win at New Hampshire on Sept. 25, 2016. It's one of four wins that help him toward a 3rd championship.

Final standings
1) Kevin Harvick, 1159
2) Joey Logano, -26
3) Kyle Busch, -54
4) Brad Keselowski, -70
5) Denny Hamlin, -75

Altered History

Right now, Harvick would be going for a record that remained unbroken, tying Cale Yarborough's three-straight titles in 1976, 1977, and 1978.

     With NASCAR's move to change their definition of a "champion," it's meant different storylines too. Rather than celebrating Jeff Gordon's legendary feat of seven championships, we did just that for his teammate Jimmie Johnson. In the 2000's, Johnson wiped away a long-standing record set by Cale Yarborough in 1978, winning three-straight championships, and eventually five-straight. If the format hadn't changed, Johnson would've never achieved that feat. Likewise, part of this year's storyline would be Harvick's chase to tie Yarborough's record.
     Also with the chase/playoffs, we've forgotten to recognize drivers that had great seasons. This includes Jeff Gordon in 2007, where he set a modern-era record of 30 top-tens... Another example is Carl Edwards, who instead is remembered as a veteran driver who never won a championship... As a rookie in 2014, Kyle Larson missed the Chase, but would have finished 8th in points with no Chase. It was essentially the best rookie season by any driver since 2006, yet it went virtually unrecognized... The same goes for Martin Truex Jr. in 2012, who as a heavy underdog, would've driven his #56 Toyota to an 8th in points...

With the 'Winston Cup' format, Carl Edwards would retire as a two-time champion, in 2008 and 2011

     Obviously there's an argument that things would be different if the old points system actually remained in place. Drivers would have likely raced differently in the final ten races if the points hadn't been reset, that's understandable. But regardless, the action, and the storylines would have been just as exciting. Maybe the championship wouldn't come down to the wire every year, but it would be a statement that the NASCAR season matters for all 36 races, not just the last ten...

NASCAR's true seven-time champions: Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jeff Gordon

The 2017 Winston Cup Series: Busch sweeps Bristol

Kyle Busch does a symbolic broom sweep after winning the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. It's his 40th Cup win, and his sixth at Bristol.

     Love him or hate him, Kyle Busch dominated this weekend at Bristol, winning in all three series to complete the weekend sweep. "Rowdy" won in the Truck series Wednesday night, the Xfinity series Friday night, and won the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Saturday night in the Cup series. Rookie and Michigan native Erik Jones won the pole for the Cup race, led 260 laps, but couldn't hold off Kyle Busch in the homestretch. A dejected Jones settled for a career-best 2nd place, ahead of Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, and Kurt Busch. Other notable finishers include Trevor Bayne with a good 7th place finish, Kyle Larson in 9th, and Chase Elliot, who had a great car, but faded and finished 18th. Brad Keselowski had a rough night, finishing 29th.

Erik Jones makes a pit stop during the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol. Jones led 260 of 500 laps, and finished in 2nd place.

     For Kyle Busch, it's his second weekend sweep including all three series; he's also the only one to accomplish it. Busch now leads outright among active drivers with Cup six wins at Bristol; his brother Kurt has five. And in classic points, Busch's win means he gained plenty of ground on Martin Truex Jr., who finished 21st after an unscheduled pit stop, and a penalty on pit road. The race was fairly clean for a Bristol race aside from a few incidents; Austin Dillon and Jeffrey Earnhardt wrecked out together on lap 233, and in a single-car incident, Landon Cassill crashed hard with about 80 laps to go. Aside from that, it was a rather dull Bristol race from a fan's perspective, which used to be loaded with cautions and multi-car wrecks. The finish did prove exciting though, as the last 79 laps were caution-free. It set up a good duel between Busch, Jones, and Kenseth.

Jeffrey Earnhardt drives his #33 Hulu Chevrolet to the garage after a crash on lap 233. Earnhardt collided with Austin Dillon's #3 Dow Chevrolet when Dillon blew a tire in turns 3 and 4.

Classic points after Bristol
(click for a closer look)

     So here's a look at the standings. Truex Jr.'s lead has been cut down to only 26 points over Harvick, and 29 over Kyle Busch. Hamlin assumes 4th in points over Kyle Larson, then there's a substantial gap back to Keselowski in 6th place. Despite their lack of wins, Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray, Elliott, and Kenseth have all had consistent seasons, and round out the top-10. Ryan Newman's 4th place at MIS last week, and 6th at Bristol helped him move to 11th in points ahead of Daniel Suarez. You'll notice Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a long ways down the list, tied for 26th. He hasn't had a top-10 finish since Sonoma in June, with an average finish of 23.0 in the last eight races. Earnhardt Jr. is on-pace for his worst full season since 2009, when he recorded no wins, only five top-10's, and finished 25th in points. It's definitely not the season Jr. wanted to say goodbye with, but his fans couldn't care less, seeing the tribute they performed for his final Bristol race.

Fans give Dale Earnhardt Jr. a fitting farewell, before his final race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Dale Jr. came home in 23rd, 3 laps down.

     The Cup drivers are heading into an off-weekend, while the Xfinity Series travels to Wisconsin for an intriguing race at Road America. Up next for the Cup Series is Darlington's Southern 500. Only one active driver has won at Darlington more than once; Jimmie Johnson with 3 victories. Truex Jr. is the defending Southern 500 champion, and has a good chance to extend his point lead on Labor Day weekend...

The 2017 Winston Cup Series: Larson does it again

Kyle Larson celebrates after winning the Pure Michigan 400. Larson led only 2 of 200 laps to sweep MIS in 2017, the first season sweep at Michigan since Bobby Labonte in 1995.

     Kyle Larson has done it again. Just when he needed a win to rebound from a rough summer, he got it at Michigan. He did in style too, with a late restart pass that was nearly 4-wide with Martin Truex Jr., Erik Jones, and Matt Kenseth. Larson's win at the Pure Michigan 400 is his third of the season, and third straight at Michigan. He now joins David Pearson and Bill Elliott in distinction; they are the only drivers who have won three straight at the track (Elliott won four straight). It's hard to believe one year ago, Larson went to victory lane for the first time. He's really proved he can master these fast, wide-open tracks. Martin Truex Jr. settled for 2nd, Erik Jones finished a career-best 3rd at his home track, and Trevor Bayne came home with a nice 5th place finish. Brad Keselowski, who dominated much of the race, wound up in 17th.

Cars line up on pit road Friday for Pure Michigan 400 qualifying

     Being a Michigan native, I was looking forward to seeing some live NASCAR action again this year. I unfortunately had to work Sunday, so I thought practice and qualifying on Friday would be a good substitute. Watching qualifying live, my picks for the win Sunday were Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney. Blaney actually held the fastest times in the first two rounds of qualifying, but lost speed in the last round. From what I remember, I actually wrote off Kyle Larson because he only qualified 9th... Guess I was wrong!
     Aside from an rough crash involving Kasey Kahne and Daniel Suarez, this year's Pure Michigan 400 was a fairly clean race. The first two stages ran caution-free, and if not for two late cautions, Truex Jr. was looking at his 5th win of the year. Keselowski led 105 laps and dominated early, but once again finished outside the top-10.

     Here's a look at the "classic" standings after Michigan. Truex Jr. widened his lead on everyone except Larson. Suarez's crash cost him a spot in the top-10, replaced by his teammate Matt Kenseth. If you're wondering where Jimmie Johnson is, he's back in 15th, well out of Winston Cup title contention. Whether Johnson is sandbagging because he's qualified for the playoffs or just having a bad summer, he's hardly been consistent. Since his last win at Dover, he's picked up only two top-10's.
     Heading into Bristol this week, points-leader Truex Jr. is at a disadvantage. It's not his favorite track; he only has three top-10's there in 23 starts. A driver to watch will be Kyle Busch, he has 5 wins at the short track. Also, watch for Larson to be fast; he won the pole at Bristol back in the spring.
     As an extra treat, here's some more photos I took at Friday practice at MIS... click on the images for a closer look!

Dale Earnhardt Jr. heads out for practice Friday at MIS, next to a special tribute to him in the infield. It reads "Thanks Dale Jr."

Jeffrey Earnhardt prepares to head on-track for practice Friday at Michigan

Jeffrey Earnhardt during Friday practice at Michigan

Michael McDowell heads on-track for practice Friday at Michigan

Chase Briscoe, Matt Crafton, Christopher Bell and others during first Truck series practice Friday at Michigan. The truck drivers made things interesting, driving in packs and making passes, something no Cup drivers did during practice.

One of my favorite sites during Cup qualifying was Jeffrey Earnhardt helping push his team push the #33 car to the garage. Earnhardt is on the front nose of the Hulu Chevrolet.

Brad Keselowski on-track for qualifying at Michigan. Keselowski would go on to win the pole for the Pure Michigan 400.

A look from up high at Michigan International Speedway

The 2017 Winston Cup Series: Truex Jr. masters the Glen

Martin Truex Jr. celebrates after winning the I Love New York 355 at the Glen. Truex led 24 of 90 laps to grab his fourth win of 2017.

     Martin Truex Jr. did it again Sunday, using strategy to pull off a win at Watkins Glen. Holding off a charging Matt Kenseth, Truex Jr. won his fourth race of the season, and extended his "classic" point lead. Kyle Busch dominated before getting shuffled back after a problem on pit road, then collided with Keselowski in the inner loop on lap 45. While Busch rebounded to finish 7th, Keselowski took a penalty on a late pit stop, ending up 15th. It was unfortunate for 'Rowdy,' having the same bad luck that he's had all season. Other finishes include Daniel Suarez with a career best 3rd, Kevin Harvick in 17th, Kyle Larson in 23rd, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. brought up the rear in 37th. Road course ringer Boris Said made his final Cup start, finishing in 30th.

Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski make contact and spin on lap 45

     This year's races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen reminded me of how great road course races are to watch on a Sunday afternoon. They bring some variety, don't take too long to complete, and this year cautions were at a minimum. Stage 3 ran virtually caution-free in both events. The last time there was only 3 cautions in a Watkins Glen race was 1995 (and not counting stage ending-cautions, there was only one, for Landon Cassill's blown tire). This helped create a clean, raw finish, and a great strategy race. Truex had to give up first and second, to run the rest of the race without a pit stop. It showed how prepared and accomplished the #78 team really is. They're well on their way to a championship, whether it's the real one, or the "classic" title.

     So here's a look at the classic standings after Watkins Glen... With the win and leading the most laps, Truex Jr. jumps out to a 27 point lead over Harvick. The big loser this week was Kyle Larson, dropping to 6th in points with his third straight finish outside the top-20 (and to think, a month ago he led in classic points). Daniel Suarez remained in 10th, but gained on everyone except Truex.

Hendrick Motorsports confirmed in an announcement Monday that Kasey Kahne will not return to the 5 car next season

     Another development since Sunday's race, is Hendrick Motorsports' announcement that Kasey Kahne will not be back in the #5 car next season. The news wasn't all that surprising, but still disappointing for the veteran driver. Kahne has driven for Hendrick since 2012; with six wins in those six seasons. 2017 has been his poorest season with the team, with only four top-10's so far. With the "classic" points system, Kahne hasn't had a top-10 finish in the standings since 2006, when he won six races. I would not be surprised if Kahne ended up leaving Cup like several other veteran drivers, but I'm confident an offer will come along. Kahne is 37, and likely has plenty of racing left in him.
     The Cup series now heads to Michigan, for the Pure Michigan 400. This race is Kyle Larson's best chance to rebound after a rough patch; he's won the last two races at MIS, and his other Cup win came at California, a very similar track. Points leader Martin Truex Jr. has never won at Michigan, but in his last five starts there, he has three top-10's...

Martin Truex Jr. leads Matt Kenseth to the final turn at Watkins Glen. Truex got his fourth win of the year, Kenseth remains winless.

Jeffrey Earnhardt: A family legacy at stake

Jeffrey Earnhardt in the AAA 400 Drive For Autism at Dover in June, his first race with Hulu as sponsor

     At the end of the 2017 NASCAR season, things are certainly going to be different. Multiple veteran drivers have recently left the track: Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, and soon Dale Earnhardt Jr. will hang up the helmet. This is Dale Jr.'s 19th season in Cup, he's been very successful, and extremely popular among fans (including myself). We have yet to see what the series will look like in his absence.
     While a lot of the subject matter of Jr.'s retirement deals with his replacement in the #88 (recently announced as Alex Bowman), fans are being asked who they'll root for in 2018. If Earnhardt Jr. is your favorite driver, what's next? I have a feeling a lot of longtime fans are either thinking Bowman, another young driver such as Chase Elliott, or another veteran driver. Or, Junior nation could lose interest in the sport, something NASCAR is surely dreading, considering they've already lost several well known names since 2015.

Jeffrey Earnhardt

     With the family history, I'm surprised more fans aren't saying they'll cheer for Jeffrey Earnhardt. Jeffrey is the son of Kerry Earnhardt, meaning he is Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s grandson, and Dale Jr.'s nephew. Jeffrey is 28, and is in his first full-time season of the Cup series. He is a 4th generation Cup series drier, only the second ever. While Dale Earnhardt and Dale Jr. have seen incredible success, Jeffrey is 1) relatively unknown, and 2) a bit of an underdog.
     Jeffrey drives the #33 Hulu Chevy for Circle Sport/TMG, an underfunded team compared to powerhouses like Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing. He's also had a lot of bad luck. In Earnhardt's 20 races so far this season, he's failed to finish 10. His best finish was 26th, twice, at Daytona and Indianapolis. Mechanical problems have plagued the team, including most recently at Pocono, where Earnhardt made several trips to the garage, only completing 24 laps before retiring for good. The team's cars are substantially slower than the front-runners; Jeffrey's often seen battling drivers like Reed Sorenson, Grey Gaulding, and Timmy Hill for about 35th place. Unfortunately, the best chance to see Jeffrey on TV is when he's being lapped. In the current NASCAR standings, Jeffrey Earnhardt is in 37th place, essentially last among drivers that have been full-time this season. A turning point for Jeffrey was getting sponsorship from Hulu, starting at Dover. Not only does it mean money, but that bright green Chevy is impossible to miss on the track. But so far, the extra support hasn't equated to success.

Jeffrey Earnhardt wrecks at Texas on lap 11 of the O'Reilly Auto Parts 500

     For a lot of fans, Dale Earnhardt Jr. retiring is the nail in the coffin for their interest in NASCAR. But for diehard fans, having no Earnhardt in the field would be heartbreaking. There have been a lot of families in the sport, and seeing them fade out was a turning point. The Allisons for example: Legendary driver Bobby Allison had a career ending crash at Pocono in 1988, before his son Clifford was killed in a practice crash in 1992, and son Davey died from injuries in a plane crash in 1993. From that moment, the Allison name, and the "Alabama gang" were essentially gone from NASCAR.
     The Pettys had the same heartbreak. Following in the footsteps of Lee, Richard, and Kyle; Adam Petty was the only other 4th generation Cup driver in the sport's history. His first and only Cup race came at Texas in 2000... A promising future ahead of him, Adam died a month later in a practice crash at New Hampshire. After his father Kyle Petty retired in 2008, the Petty name was gone from the track.

Dale Jr. and Jeffrey together before a race in 2016

     There was obviously a lot of pressure on Earnhardt Jr. to succeed when he came to NASCAR. But with Dale Jr.'s retirement in the near future, it can't be much different for Jeffrey. From where he is now, there's a longer road to success. Plus, with his on-track performance this season, who knows if Jeffrey will even have a ride in the 33 next year? You know he doesn't want to be the one to end the Earnhardt legacy.
     If anything though, Jeffrey is certainly not a pretty boy. NASCAR has lost much of its "good ol' boy" aura, that drivers like Earnhardt Sr. brought to the table. The southern stars have been mostly replaced. But Jeffrey is anything but a California kid. In a 2016 interview, Jeffrey sits on his 19-acre property, with not a mansion, but an 800 square foot house. He spends his spare time riding his side-by-side, fishing, even hunting out of helicopters. If not a successful race car driver, Jeffrey is nothing short of a pure outdoorsman, something I'm surprised more fans can't get behind. You can watch the interview here:

     In the end, if things don't work out for Jeffrey, there is one last hope for Earnhardt fans. Last Saturday, Jeffrey's older brother Bobby Dale Earnhardt was on-track at Iowa, qualifying for his first Xfinity race. He didn't make the show, but things look promising for Bobby. He's competed in three ARCA races this season, and is working his way up. Regardless of what happens with Jeffrey's career, my support is certainly there. I'm waiting for my #88 and #33 car decals in the mail right now... They're going side by side on my back bumper.

The Earnhardts who have raced in Cup: Ralph, Dale, Dale Jr, Kerry, and Jeffrey (click on the image for a closer look)