Putting “The Chase” to Bed for the Year
No matter your feelings on how the Chase formula worked this year, it most likelly is around for the forseeable future given the increase in TV ratings for the Homestead finale and the 9 previous events.
Here are a few notable bits and pieces from this years edition of NASCAR’s “playoffs.”
* Eight of the 10 races were won by title contenders, with only Joe Nemechek and Greg Biffle breaking through.
* Chevrolets won seven races, Fords two and Dodge one.
* Jeremy Mayfield started the chase in ninth place, 40 points behind then-leader Jeff Gordon. He finished 10th, 506 points behind champion Kurt Busch.
* Busch led all contenders with nine top-10s in the 10 races, including one win and eight top-six finishes. He led the standings for the final eight races. Busch’s biggest lead was 96 points over Gordon before an engine failure at Atlanta resulted in a 42nd-place finish.
* Jimmie Johnson trailed by 247 points after the fourth race of the chase and wound up losing the title by just eight points.
