The 2017 Winston Cup Series: Final Classic Standings

     So there we have it. The 2017 season is in the books, and Martin Truex Jr. is our champion. If you've been following this alternate format, you know he basically had it locked up a month ago. But Truex had to go a step further, and prove it at Homestead. This year, I've kept track of the full driver standings, using the old, "classic" format. Here were the guidelines:
--2016 points structure for finishes, where the winner gets 40 points, 40th place gets 1 point.
--Winning the race gives you 3 bonus points
--Leading a lap is 1 bonus point, leading the most is a 2nd bonus point
--Most points a driver can earn in one race = 45
--No Chase/Playoff points reset. If a driver is as good as Dale Earnhardt in 1987, they're that good.
--No stage points
--Point penalties treated the same.
--All drivers receive points, regardless of their primary series

With that, here's your full 2017 standings. Actual points finish is on the right (Click for a closer look):

     Some thoughts on the final 'classic' standings...
----Interesting enough, after all my speculation that this would look radically different than the actual format, the top four drivers finished exactly the same. The fact all four of this season's most consistent drivers even made the final-four is surprising enough. While I expected some sort of fluke race would eliminate one of the top drivers and give someone else the championship, that was not the case, much to my delight!
----After this season, you're very wrong if you think Chase Elliott is 'overrated.' Elliott's 21 top-ten season is gold for a driver that turns 22 next week. Aside from failing to win his first Cup race, how much better can you ask him to be? Chase finished 2nd a total of five times this season. His first win is coming...

By Kyle Larson's June win at Michigan, it looked like he would cruise to his first title. Everything slowly unraveled from there

----It's hard to believe Kyle Larson had such a collapse as the season came to a close. There was a time the #42 led in classic points, before a 35-point penalty at Kentucky, several poor finishes in the summer, then four straight DNF's this fall. For the first half of 2017, Larson stole the show.
----Jamie McMurray didn't run near the front for most of the year, but still ended up with a 9th in this format. That's because his B+ consistency gave him 17 top-tens, but only 3 top-fives. McMurray is winless in his last 148 races, and doesn't seem any closer to breaking that streak.

----For how disappointing his season was, Joey Logano still managed to finish 10th overall. That's a nice surprise, after Logano ran around 15th in the standings for much of the year. He never fully recovered after his encumbered win at Richmond... Logano had previously finished 2nd in classic points for three straight seasons, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Ryan Blaney's first Cup win at Pocono was one of the feel-good moments of 2017.

----While it was a breakout year for Ryan Blaney with his win at Pocono, Blaney didn't do as well as you'd think. Blaney only had 4 top-fives, and finished 17th overall. Not having the playoffs hurts his cause.

----32 drivers competed in all 36 races in 2017. Of those, only three failed to garner a single top-10: Ty Dillon, Landon Cassill, and Cole Whitt. While Cassill has received much fan support for a ride, not having a single top-ten this season doesn't really help his cause.

----It's pretty apparent who the lower-tier teams are in the Cup series,,, JTG Daugherty's cars finish 25th and 26th, followed by Leavine Family Racing in 27th... Front Row Motorsports follows in 30th and 31st place, with drivers David Ragan and Landon Cassill, then Go FAS Racing with Matt Dibenedetto in 32nd.

----With how Paul Menard has done recently in NASCAR, I was very surprised when the Wood Brothers announced he would replace Ryan Blaney in the #21. Menard only has 11 top-tens in the last 3 seasons. What is he bringing to the Wood Brothers? I'm stunned they didn't go for Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, or another veteran driver. In the past, this team has had several old-timers drive the #21: Ricky Rudd, Bill Elliott and Ken Schrader to name a few.

Jeffrey Earnhardt had a rough first full season in the #33 car. Here is one of his many wrecks of 2017, when he plowed into a spinning Jamie McMurray at Talladega.

----Jeffrey Earnhardt is your 2017 "Lastcar" champion. Earnhardt competed in all but the road course races, with an average finish of 33rd in 34 starts. His best finish was 26th, three times. Let's hope Circle Sport-TMG can gain some ground in the offseason. He's certainly got a large fanbase heading into 2018...

     That's a wrap on 2017. Stay tuned for my preview of the 2018 season in February...

The 2017 Winston Cup Series: Martin Truex Jr. wins the Championship!

Martin Truex Jr. takes the championship banner after winning the Ford Ecoboost 400, and the 2017 title.

     He's done it! Martin Truex Jr. is your 2017 NASCAR Cup Champion. Truex held off Kyle Busch in he final laps at Homestead, to win the Ford Ecoboost 400 and lock up his first title. Truex was in tears as drove his victory lap, before heading straight to his crew on the frontstretch, and girlfriend Sherry Pollex. Truex Jr. led 78 laps at Homestead, and used strategy by pitting early to gain time on leader Kyle Busch before a late caution. The move worked and got the #78 out front, where he led the final 51 laps. Of the "Championship 4," Kyle Busch finished 2nd, Kevin Harvick finished 4th, and Brad Keselowski finished 7th.

Martin Truex Jr. and crew chief Cole Pearn lift the Monster Energy Series trophy after the Ford Ecoboost 400.

     Truex Jr. carried the hopes of a large chunk of NASCAR fans this season. In an era of elimination-style playoffs, and system-designed parity, Truex had a strong car every single weekend. Not only did he win the most 'stages' throughout the season, but won a staggering eight races - which hasn't been done since 2010. For everyone that was against NASCAR's new system this year, and the Chase/playoffs from the start, Truex Jr. was your driver. With just good old fashioned points, Truex would have won the title by 80 points over Kyle Busch, and 95 over Harvick. That's one of the biggest gaps in recent years, proving the 78's dominance. Why would anyone want to take that away? Truex is the first driver to win the 'classic' format, and the actual one since Jimmie Johnson in 2013. In addition to his 8 wins, Truex had 19 top-fives, 26 top-tens, and an average finish of 9.4...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares a moment with car owner Rick Hendrick after his final Cup race.

     It was also a fitting farewell to Dale Earnhardt Jr., who came home in 25th, three laps down. Dale Jr. was never a factor in the race, but stole much of the spotlight... He gave high-fives to the entire pit road before the race, and received coverage from NBC throughout the event. In a lengthy final interview, Dale Jr. congratulated his former teammate Truex Jr., and thanked his crew. With his retirement, Earnhardt Jr. leaves behind a gaping hole in NASCAR that will be impossible to fill. He will almost assuredly win Most Popular Driver for 2017, which would be his 15th. In his final full season, Earnhardt recorded one top five at Texas, and 8 top-tens. He started on the pole twice, at Daytona for the Coke Zero 400, and his final race at Talladega...
     While they didn't receive the same attention, several other drivers ran one last race in their current ride. Matt Kenseth, who most likely has also retired, finished with a solid 8th place run. Danica Patrick, who is out after five full seasons with Stewart Haas, crashed on lap 143 and finished 37th. And Landon Cassill and Michael McDowell, who both are currently out of a ride for 2018, finished Homestead 23rd and 24th, two laps down.

     That's a wrap for the 2017 Cup season... Stay tuned for a final look at the classic standings in the coming days, as well as a preview of NASCAR's 2018 season. Thanks for reading and enjoying my blog all year long...

The 2017 Winston Cup Series: Kenseth's finest hour

Matt Kenseth celebrates after winning the Can-Am 500 at Phoenix, his first win since July 2016.

     If Matt Kenseth doesn't somehow return to NASCAR in 2018, he went out with a symbolic win in the desert Sunday. Kenseth led late in the Can-Am 500, and after losing the lead to Chase Elliott, took it back and cruised to his first win in 51 starts. It's a storybook way to end his season; Kenseth had gone all year searching for that victory. He got plenty of congratulations from his fellow drivers, including his longtime friend Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2nd was Chase Elliot, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Eric Jones, and Kevin Harvick.

     The even bigger news - on this blog at least - is that Martin Truex Jr. has clinched his first "classic" championship. Under the format I've used all season, Truex Jr. now leads by 76 points over Kyle Busch, and 88 over Kevin Harvick. It's over! Truex Jr. has had a terrific season, and deserves a celebration at Homestead. Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen, but Truex certainly has the best results at 1.5 mile tracks this year.

     It was a rough day for several drivers in points. Denny Hamlin had a dust-up with Elliott, leading to a cut tire and finishing 35th. Jimmie Johnson dropped out early after a crash, finishing 39th, and Kyle Larson blew an engine, coming home 40th with a 4th straight DNF. It's a disastrous finish for Larson's otherwise-stellar season; where he at one point looked like a clear favorite to win the championship. Now he's back in 7th in classic points. Meanwhile, Kenseth jumped to 8th overall, and Chase Elliott closed in on Keselowski and Hamlin for a top-5 position. Rookie Daniel Suarez continues his consistent season, jumping up to 10th. And somehow, Jamie McMurray's mid-grade season with three top-5's still earns him a 9th place in the standings...

Kenseth burns it down, celebrating his 39th career win at Phoenix.

     The sun is about to set on the 2017 season. With one race to go, four drivers have a shot at Homestead to take the championship: Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Brad Keselowski. But it's Truex Jr. that has proven all season long he deserves it. Anything less than a title for the 78 would be an utter disappointment.

The 2017 Winston Cup Series: Kevin Harvick is back!

Kevin Harvick celebrates after winning the AAA Texas 500.

     Kevin Harvick turned heads with a victory at Texas Sunday afternoon. 'Happy Harvick' passed Martin Truex Jr. for the lead in the final stages of the AAA Texas 500, for his second win of 2017. It's well deserved for the driver 3rd in classic points, and who in real life, just locked himself in to the "Championship 4" at Homestead. Not only that, but Harvick put Ford in victory lane, in a season dominated by Toyota, especially at the 1.5 mile tracks. He finished ahead of three Toyotas, those of Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, and Matt Kenseth. Texas is Harvick's first win since he smoked the field at Sonoma, also run in his Mobil 1 sponsored Ford. He's driven so much better than a one-win season this year, and finally has that 2nd victory.

     With two races to go in the 2017 Cup season, Truex Jr. has all but locked-up his first classic points title. Truex finished 2nd at Texas, while Kyle Busch finished 18th. With the classic system I've used, the maximum points a driver can get in one race is 45. With that, Truex Jr. just needs a solid run at Phoenix to capture that championship. This just goes to show that the 78 has been THAT good.

Matt Kenseth in his familiar #17 Dewalt Ford from the 2000's

     The big news this week is Matt Kenseth's decision to step away from NASCAR in 2018. While Kenseth won't call it "retirement," he won't be back in a familiar full-time ride next season. Even though Kenseth could extend his career like the Labonte brothers, and other veterans who took up part-time rides, he'll certainly be past his prime.
     Kenseth was my favorite driver growing up. I remember his series-leading five wins in 2002, and his 2003 championship, the last before the switch to the "Chase" era. He was the last driver to officially win a title on full-season consistency, and should be proud of it. It's going to be a real turning point to see both Kenseth AND Dale Earnhardt Jr. walk away from the sport at the same time. They were two staple 'young guns' of the early 2000's. This will likely leave only five full-time drivers from the Winston Cup era: Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, and Jamie McMurray.
     This made Harvick's win at Texas even more significant. Harvick, now 41, is reaching the later stages of his career. He put a stamp on Texas, proving the older guys can still get it done.

Kevin Harvick takes the lead from Martin Truex Jr. in the closing laps at Texas. Harvick led only 38 laps on the day, Truex led 107.

     Next week, the Cup drivers head to Phoenix, as the sun begins to set on the 2017 season. This is Harvick's best track, with a record eight wins out in the desert... Other drivers to watch here include Jimmy Johnson, and Joey Logano who won the November race at Phoenix last year. Let's see if Truex Jr. can lock up that classic title...