2014 Chase - Championship

[LMITOUT]

Your four contenders:

Logano

Hamlin

Harvick

Newman

Who you got and in what order do you think they'll finish?

I'm going with:

Harvick

Hamlin

Logano

Newman

[UKCM]

I am going with

Newman

Logano

Hamlin

Harvick

[pushbutton]

Logano

Harvick

Newman

Hamlin

My prediction of Denny choking/something weird happening has to come true eventually. Newman just does not have the car. Since Harvick has to be by far the favorite, and have always picked favorites in our little game, am going to go with Lagonzo.

[Juneau4]

Lets see Patrick is still mad at Logano from 3 or 4 races ago and a woman never forgets.

Everybody seems to be upset or have someone upset with them except Newman. It could end up with team mates of the final 4 playing bumper cars.

Harvick, Hamlin, Newman, Logano and non finish in the top 5.

[SpitnArgueDuckClub*]

I hope Newman wins and exposes the "Chase" as the joke it really is. No wins this year and only something like 5 or 6 top fives. Newman would be the perfect example of a WWF wrestling champ in Nascar. I even heard Denny Hamlin compare and justify the "Chase" format while comparing it to golf and the Fed Ex Cup. Really..... that's how far Nascar has fallen? Sad, just sad.

[Sifty]

Newman Harvick Hamlin and Joey

[lawdog]

Hamlin would be 17th in the points now and Newman has only managed a handful of top fives ALL YEAR and had to crash Larson to get in, what a joke! WWE is right.

Congrats Jeff Gordon on your 7th season points championship if you just don't get beat by 28 spots by Logano Sunday.

[LMITOUT]

[lawdog]

From the "beyond the flag" site:

Below is a look at what the points would be if there wasn’t a chase format and the championship was being decided purely by points per race.

1.Jeff Gordon

2.Joey Logano (-26)

3.Dale Earnhardt Jr. (-67)

4.Brad Keselowski (-77)

5.Kevin Harvick (-99)

6.Ryan Newman (-115)

7.Matt Kenseth (-123)

8.Jimmie Johnson (-148)

9.Carl Edwards (-155)

10.Kyle Larson (-157)

11.Greg Biffle (-213)

12.Kyle Busch (-221)

The only chase driver that would not be in the top-12 in points is Denny Hamlin. Hamlin would fins himself 17th in the points if not for the chase and he would be 266 points behind Gordon.

[LMITOUT]

I gotcha...you're going back to the old-old points system.

[LMITOUT]

Starting positions for Sunday:

5th - Harvick

8th - Hamlin

9th - Logano

21st - Newman

[Bryce]

All 4 in the top 10 for the better part of the race? #fraud

[LMITOUT]

[yaggie]

Any body else think this race seemed to be run by a predetermined script?

[LMITOUT]

No.

[Dan L]

Does anyone know why Gordon pitted at the end of the race? That did not seem to make any sense.

[LMITOUT]

According to the radio transmission his crew chief wanted him to stay out but Gordon adamantly said he was coming in for tires because he wouldn't be able to hold off the guys behind him who had fresher tires.

I'd like to know why the #55 stayed out...

[harvey lee]

The New Chase has been a bit more exciting than the old format but I would still like to go back to the old format.

Oh ya, Congrats Harvick, you did have a great season.

[Sifty]

Any body else think this race seemed to be run by a predetermined script?

YES

[pushbutton]

I just don't know. Can't imagine someone paid off Lagono's jack man ....and he and harvick have run up front for most of the year. Denny having to use slicks wouldn't be pre scripted either. Although the yotas did have some power this race, it was a little suspect seeing the 11 upfront that much....as well as newman. Suspect there may have been a whisper passed down not to race as hard around the chase drivers....especially towards the end.

[SpitnArgueDuckClub*]

Any body else think this race seemed to be run by a predetermined script?

Yes +2

[LMITOUT]

5 wins, 8 poles, 2137 laps led.

Yep, it was a script that arguably the fastest car all year won the championship.

Not to mention driving up through the pack from 12th place with only a handful of laps remaining to win said championship.

Come on.

[SpitnArgueDuckClub*]

Not to mention driving up through the pack from 12th place with only a handful of laps remaining to win said championship.

I've seem this script before; Vince McMahon and the WWE would be very proud!!!

[lawdog]

Harvick was fast all year but not able to finish races or run consistently. That used to matter. So did every race on the schedule, Hell Hamlin didn't even run every race this year.

This new format is just not for me.

[harvey lee]

I would agree Jeff, my vote would be back the way it was but I do not see that happening any time soon.

This last race looked so scripted I did not even watch it all.

NASCAR has been dropping fans so I guess we go the way of the WWE, that does better in viewership I guess.

I guess like everything else, out with the old, even if it worked and in with the new.

I watched the least amount of cup races this year I ever have, just lost interest. This win one race and your into the Chase is not for me either, you need one lucky break and you qualify.