NO ASTERISKS NEEDED!
There has been a great deal of mumbling about the Chase for the Championship as well as the Race for the Chase. Seems that some feel that anyone who wins the Nextel Cup Championship under the present system should have an asterisk placed next to their name.
Why?
Because the former system of identifying the champion took the entire racing season into account while the current system limits the championship to the top 12 drivers in points, and indeed the winner might not have been leading the points race when the Race for the Chase ended (see “Jimmie Johnson” in your NASCAR record book).
The fact is that nearly every U.S. professional sport (e.g., NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) has a system by which the “leader” at the end of the season still needs to win the “championship” regardless of its season record. Remember the 1980 Oakland Raiders? Wild card berth in the Super Bowl playoffs—defeated the Philly Eagles in Super Bowl XV! Did they deserve to be Super Bowl Champs given they were the “wild card” entry? Some still say NO! But the fact is, they WON!!!
Will the eleven drivers behind “48” be able to catch him? I don’t know. But, the fact is, just because some feel the “24” should be considered the “champ” because he was leading the points race at the conclusion of the “chase, the season isn’t 26 races long—it’s 36 races! Don’t count your chickens before the eggs hatch!
Off to Loudon.
Jon