Way back in 1975, NASCAR decided to change its points system, using an idea jotted down on a cocktail napkin at the Boot Hill Saloon in Daytona Beach, Fla. Pretty humble beginnings, no?
But what if these innovators had used a slightly bigger napkin -- maybe if they were eating ribs or something -- and had come up with the idea of the Chase three decades ago? How would the history of NASCAR have changed?
Now, a little disclaimer here. I know drivers would've probably driven differently, leading to changed results and altered points championships. But let's just have a little fun here and play the "what if" game.So let's list the actual champions with who would have won the championship had the Chase format been in place.
YEAR ACTUAL CHAMPION HYPOTHETICAL CHAMPION
1975 Richard Petty Richard Petty
1976 Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough
1977 Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough
1978 Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough
1979 Richard Petty Richard Petty
1980 Dale Earnhardt Cale Yarborough
1981 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip
1982 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip
1983 Bobby Allison Darrell Waltrip
1984 Terry Labonte Harry Gant
1985 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip
1986 Dale Earnhardt Dale Earnhardt
1987 Dale Earnhardt Dale Earnhardt
1988 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott
1989 Rusty Wallace Rusty Wallace
1990 Dale Earnhardt Dale Earnhardt
1991 Dale Earnhardt Harry Gant
1992 Alan Kulwicki Kyle Petty
1993 Dale Earnhardt Rusty Wallace
1994 Dale Earnhardt Dale Earnhardt
1995 Jeff Gordon Dale Earnhardt
1996 Terry Labonte Jeff Gordon
1997 Jeff Gordon Dale Jarrett
1998 Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon
1999 Dale Jarrett Bobby Labonte
2000 Bobby Labonte Bobby Labonte
2001 Jeff Gordon Sterling Marlin
2002 Tony Stewart Kurt Busch
2003 Matt Kenseth Jimmie Johnson
As you can see most years the actual champion and the hypothetical champions end up the same. But there are a couple of interesting changes. Both Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip would have ended up as 4-time champions instead of 3-time champions.
Dale Earnhardt still would have won his 7 championships but not in the same years. Rusty Wallace would have won his 2nd championship in 1993 further solidifying his status as one of NASCAR's greatest drivers ever.
Harry Gant who never won a Winston Cup Series championship would have won two championships under the Chase format. Terry Labonte who won two championships would have won no championships under the Chase format. Jeff Gordon who won four championships under the old format would have won just two championships using the Chase format.
And most interestingly Jimmie Johnson would have won his first championship in 2003 and would be on the verge of winning his 7th championship solidifying his status as arguably NASCAR's greatest driver ever.
1975-1979
1980-1984
1985-1989
1990-1994
1995-1999
2000-2003
