In or Out: Kyle Busch and Mark Martin Created Own Fate

It is a very real possibility that four-time winners Kyle Busch and Mark Martin might not qualify for NASCAR's Chase for the Championship despite leading the Sprint Cup Series in victories.

Martin is ranked 10th with a tenuous 60-point cushion on Busch in 13th place. Busch is 34 points out of the 12-driver cutoff with two races remaining.

It would be ironic to stage a playoff without the winningest drivers of the regular season. But it would not tarnish the championship one bit.

To put it bluntly, Busch and Martin should have performed better when they weren't winning. If they miss the Chase, it will be because they simply did not score enough points.

Suggestions that NASCAR needs to alter the championship format in a way to prevent the winningest driver from missing the playoffs is insulting. The championship system cannot change to accommodate every new scenario or to manufacture a compelling storyline.

Sure, it would be great to have the talented but volatile Busch vying for the season title. And yes, it would be hugely popular to have the 50-year old Martin showing Brett Favre the real way to come out of retirement.

It would be more interesting, more entertaining and more competitive should these two drivers be factors in the championship outcome.

But if they don't make the 12-driver championship field, it just shows those teams need to improve, the sport doesn't have to change.

The driver with the most wins has won the championship only twice in the last decade. Jeff Gordon won the most races in all four of his championship seasons. If you take him out of the equation, the winningest driver has earned the title only once (Jimmie Johnson in 2007) since 1989.

Winning a race is different from claiming a season championship. It's a lot easier to be great one afternoon than it is to maintain superiority over the course of a 36-week season.

Nascar rewarded race winners two years ago when it tweaked the Chase format by resetting the Chase standings with bonuses for wins in the 26-race regular season.

That is why if Martin and Busch do make the Chase field, they could conceivably start on top of the standings - going from barely cracking the top-12 to leading the top-12.

But changing the format again to guarantee the driver with the most wins makes the Chase - no matter his ranking - is wrong.

What's next weighing the wins? Should Matt Kenseth's rain-shortened Daytona 500 win count less than Kasey Kahne holding off Tony Stewart for victory on the Sonoma, Calif road course?

Media and drivers have argued for years that a victory should pay substantially more points than second place. The race winner gets 185 points, second place earns 170. There are five bonus points available for any driver who leads one lap and five bonus points for the driver who leads the most laps.

And yet despite the extra points earned for winning races Busch and Martin are still having to prove themselves in a two-race set-up for the playoffs.

Martin, who was ranked 12th prior to last week's race at Bristol, Tenn., has 12 top-10 finishes, but also three results of 40th or worse and two more 35th or worse.

Busch, who has combined for 12 wins in NASCAR's three marquee series this season, has only eight top-10 finishes in the Cup ranks with wins accounting for half of those.

His top-10 tally is the lowest of the top 15 drivers and pales in comparison with the top-10s earned by points leader Tony Stewart (18) and second place Jimmie Johnson (16). Busch has four finishes of 30th or worse.

Is something wrong with the Chase that Busch and Martin might be relegated to season subplots? No. Something was wrong that they didn't close the deal. And both drivers will tell you just that.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

8-28-2009 @ 5:35PM

illsell4u said...

Oh Holly, I completely agree that Nascar should not change the rules to manufacture a storyline. But that is all Nascar has done for the past several years with the many changes. The Chase in and of itself was created to MANUFACTURE a storyline. In every year it has run but one that I am aware of the person that deserved to win has not done so. The Lucky Dog was created to manufacture a chance for a driver to get back in a race. The new wave around rule was created to manufacture more excitement. The double file restarts were created to manufacture more excitement.
As I have said in the past, it is a whole lot easier for Nascar to simply change the rules to MANUFACTURE excitement on the track than it is to redesign the front ends of the cars so they car drive better.
Do not be surprised when Nascar decides to do something like allow the driver with the most wins NOT in the top 12 to also be in the chase just like two years ago when Jr was not going to make it for the second time his fans wanted to be able to VOTE in their driver into the chase.
mbl

8-28-2009 @ 7:47PM

Martin said...

If Nascar really wanted the chase (and the championship) to be taken seriously, it would only allow the 12 cars that make the chase to run in the last 10 races. Name one other sport where the teams that don't make the playoffs continue to compete. Of course Nascar did this because they didn't want sponsors to miss out on the last twelve races and as with all sports today, where the choice is between money and logic, logic always comes in second.

8-28-2009 @ 8:20PM

Martin, Nascar also has something no other sport has. A system where all the teams compete against each other every week and a system that takes into account how each team fares against every other team each week. It is called the point system. No other sport has that. As that is the case there is no need for a playoff. But as already mentioned, they felt the need to manufacture excitement.

8-29-2009 @ 12:34PM

Joshua said...

You want excitement? Let them all race in the pre chase point system until the last race, then at Homestead, let the top 20 drive and whoever wins gets the title. Top 20 Crapshoot. That would be cool.

8-29-2009 @ 6:01PM

cqdeed said...

The only other sport I can think of where the entire field competes at one event is Golf, which of course has no point system. Every other sport, again, that I can think of, is a bunch of one-on-one competitions. Auto racing is unique in that regard. Personally, I could do without the chase. I would really love it of one or two of the non-chasers won all ten of the chase races.

8-28-2009 @ 9:48PM

Ron said...

And if that isn't enough bitching about it, wait until next year for another encore.

8-28-2009 @ 10:30PM

Next year? I still have 12 more weeks this year.
mbl

8-28-2009 @ 11:03PM

Paul Hawkins said...

I have a bad feeling about the NASCAR race this weekend. Hope I'm wrong. May god keep everyone safe.

8-29-2009 @ 5:37PM

There is no race this weekend. This is an off week. Maybe that is the cause of your bad feeling.

8-28-2009 @ 11:41PM

Susan said...

Who's So Cool, Your not cool. Your not cute. You are not funny. You are a complete dirtbag.

Now that we know what you are by your words. Why don't you crawl out of that hole and use your real name?

Oh right, that would take courage. You have no courage. You will always be remembered as the spineless POS that you are.

8-29-2009 @ 1:28AM

Judy said...

I like the system that Nascar has. I hate it for Mark, but not Kyle. What he did in Nashville, and saying some of the stuff he says. I wish Nascar would hit him with a big fine and not let him drive for a few races. When he got up in Brian Vickers face, I so wish Brian had went up to him after the race and kicked his butt. He could have hunt him down and do it on his own time, nascar couldnt have done a thing to Brian. All I can say is, what goes around comes around. WHAT OUT Kyle they are coming for you.

8-29-2009 @ 11:25AM

Good Time said...

Yeh Brian was so brave with his helmet on .Neither one of them were going to fight but it looked good for TV Vickers is not half the driver as Kyle

8-29-2009 @ 2:01AM

keith said...

the entire chase format is a joke and a changing of the rules for the worst reason ; money over integrity . why does a 10 week season trump a 26 week season ; a 36 week total season ; IT DOESN'T ! comparing johnson's threepeat with yarlborough's threepeat is a joke ; a slap at cale's accomplishment over an entire season . it's apples and oranges . the CHASE is money driven and ultimately cheapens the driver championship . i , for one , have not watched or followed nascar weekly since the chase was instigated ; it's a phony conclusion that cheapens the money title . but it ultimately makes the france family richer so it'll stay ; it's greed over charactor .

8-29-2009 @ 8:35AM

Michael said...

I couldn't agree with you more brother. The CHASE system blows. All because Matt Kenseth won the championship after winning only one race. Nobody was whining about the point system when Dale Sr. and Jeff Gordon were winning championships. All they had to do is make the margins between finishing places bigger.

8-29-2009 @ 3:52AM

Don said...

Thanks for the attitude, Holly. And thanks for defending NASCAR's honor. The Wuss-who-would-be-King, Brian France could use that support. But as illsell4u stated, NASCAR will manufacture any rules change that will manufacture them $$$$$. And that's the bottom line, isn't it?

As for that Martin/Favre analogy, I'm not so sure that limp duck is gonna' fly. Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of Mark having one helluva' comeback, even winning his first championship as a senior member of the current crop of drivers. Drive on Mark! I just don't see a whole lot of difference, other than the media hype about Brett's return which is attributed to you press folks and gives you guys a paycheck. Ironic, huh?And the last time I checked, this is still a free country, so Brett can play till his heart's content. (A country free for the moment, at least.)

One last thought that I must commend to you, Holly for doing an entire article without drooling all over Shrub's bush. I'm impressed. Good job.

8-29-2009 @ 4:23AM

sprintrw2 said...

I rarely get into these comments but this is one time I hope someone may read this and think about what they have done. I was there in 59 when Lee won Daytona, I saw Richard take his 200th and between 1800 and 2000 other races. I've seen many drivers and other track personel crippled or worse killed doing what they love RACE NOT POINT RACE. This chase system is STUPID at best. Lets go back to real racing, where you worried about winning and not points. This is nothing but media garbage. They start at it at Daytona an try to keep it goig for 40 weeks (including off weekends). If you Madison Ave. guys think this is helping you better open your eyes and ask around. Instead of helping you big money case it's hurting it. You say you need this hype for the casual fan or to compete with football. Try asking some these people who sponcered the race,or what company (who just spent 250,000-500,000) was on the winning car no less the 10th or 20th place car. Not one in ten will know. Try coming out to some other types of tracks (realy Brian the sun does not rise and set in NASCAR) go to Tony's Kings Royal,The Dream,National Open at the Grove and countless others. These are the fans that love racing,just look at them you will be able to tell who their favorite driver is by their shirt or hat (8out of 10) they also have their VCR, TIVO,or DVD set to record NASCAR, and someother races they can not get to. These are the people that will use a product that is in racing FIRST before using one that is not intotyhe sport in somee way.On the whole you are loosing these diehards with this stupid points racing( check ticket sales if you think I'M wrong), so think about what you've done. This is from an old man (I remember Chris on ABC) who still hits 75-80 races a year. If any of you "shakers" read this remember ther are other series out there where A LOT LESS MONEY CAN GO A LONG WAYS.

8-29-2009 @ 8:02AM

mcmahan4581 said...

#16 Good read.....make it mine too....:)

8-29-2009 @ 5:49PM

Brings back memories. I, too, remember when NASCAR was stock car racing and stock cars were really stock cars and winning the race was what the race was about. Racing for points in a field of identical cars is not my idea of a good stock car race. But that is what we have today, at least on the national scene.

8-29-2009 @ 7:12AM

howerton said...

Martin would tell you he couldn't close the deal but Busch would never admit it and just whine about it.

8-29-2009 @ 8:15AM

mikethayersr said...

i like the way the points go. u r either in or out after 26 races. hope mark makes it he should but hope kyle dont he is a crybaby.would b nice 2 c mark win his first but look out 4 jimmie he aint gonna let that happen.go jimmie

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