FavoriteTeamWear asks: Would the Points Race Be Different Without Chase Points?
After watching Kyle Busch fall to 12th in Sprint Cup Chase points over the last 2 weeks, I can't help but wonder where the chasers would be without the Chase setup. I did some research on this, and found that the points race would be different.
Chase Points After Dover:
| Rank | Driver | Points | Behind Leader |
| 1 | Carl Edwards | 5390 | ------- |
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson | 5380 | -10 |
| 3 | Greg Biffle | 5380 | -10 |
| 4 | Jeff Burton | 5308 | -82 |
| 5 | Kevin Harvick | 5289 | -101 |
| 6 | Clint Bowyer | 5284 | -106 |
| 7 | Tony Stewart | 5277 | -113 |
| 8 | Jeff Gordon | 5272 | -118 |
| 9 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | 5261 | -129 |
| 10 | Matt Kenseth | 5123 | -167 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | 5197 | -193 |
| 12 | Kyle Busch | 5180 | -210 |
While I believe everyone in the Chase still has a chance to win the Championship, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin really need to get their acts together to get there.
Dale Earnhardt Jr has fallen significantly, but still has a chance if he can win Talledega and Texas, which he historically runs well at for both.
All in all, the Sprint Chase For The Cup is still up for grabs, and any of the teams still have a chance to win it, or to throw it away.
In contrast, let us look at the points if there was no Chase Points:
| Rank | Driver | Points | Behind Leader |
| 1 | Carl Edwards | 4011 | ---- |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 3978 | -33 |
| 3 | Jimmie Johnson | 3916 | -95 |
| 4 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | 3739 | -272 |
| 5 | Jeff Burton | 3682 | -329 |
| 6 | Greg Biffle | 3660 | -351 |
| 7 | Kevin Harvick | 3572 | -439 |
| 8 | Tony Stewart | 3562 | -449 |
| 9 | Jeff Gordon | 3493 | -518 |
| 10 | Denny Hamlin | 3422 | -589 |
| 11 | Clint Bowyer | 3390 | -621 |
| 12 | Matt Kenseth | 3355 | -656 |
As you can see, this would be a much different chase, had the points not been realigned with 10 races to go. It would only be a 3 car race at this point, a Ford, a Toyota, and a Chevrolet. Also, three teams: Rousch, Gibbs, and Hendrick.
Kyle Busch would obviously be in better shape.
Looking at the top three, Jimmie Johnson would have more work to do to win a historical Championship for him (3 in a row). Kyle Busch would only be 33 points behind leader Carl Edwards, showing the benefits of having such a strong season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr, and everyone behind him could almost be counted out, making it a three car race.
I can't help but wonder, is the Chase For The Cup really more exciting, or is it unfair to those having raced so well all season, only to fall back from 1st to 12th after 2 races.
What do you think? Is the Chase setup better?
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